How the cloud can help smart companies cut carbon
As the smart cities agenda gathers steam, cloud technology could save Australian business more than $1 billion in energy costs and 4.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, finds a new report from Telstra.
A smart city enriches quality of life by gaining data insight from interconnected sensors, devices and people. Challenging urban issues like security, waste management and traffic can be addressed by using data to drive efficiencies; but all of this data needs somewhere to go.
Cloud computing is opening pathways for smart cities and low-carbon growth, creating opportunities that were unthinkable just 10 years ago,” says Troy Powell, senior advisor for Telstra’s global environment strategy.
“The cloud has opened the floodgates to data, but it has also given businesses more efficient ways to manage it. Previously, most businesses managed data computing and storage needs onsite with stand-alone servers housed in server rooms. The cloud offers a compelling alternative, allowing services to be run and data to be stored remotely, and accessed almost anywhere where there’s a network connection,” Powell explains.
This helps organisations to optimise their technology, reduce costs and boost efficiency across their operations.
Telstra’s latest research study, Connecting with the cloud – A low-carbon future is ahead, crunches the numbers and outlines the carbon and dollar savings that are waiting in the cloud.
The study found that a small business with one to 19 employees could reduce carbon emissions by 78 per cent when moving their on-premises IT to shared cloud computing.
For large organisations with more than 0 employees, the cloud could cut carbon emissions from IT by as much as 80 per cent.
The financial savings are also significant – and small to medium sized businesses have the most to gain. A small business could save up to $10,300 annually by switching to the cloud, while larger organisations stand to save up to $17,700.
But the benefits are not simply financial.
“A switch to cloud can increase efficiency and productivity as employees can access data, upload information and check orders ‘when out and about’,” Powell adds.
“Cloud can also enable automation, allowing machines to communicate with each other and back to the system, which in turn improves efficiency,” he says.
Take global skincare company Jurlique, which has moved its core IT operations to Telstra’s cloud services for data storage, processing and disaster recovery. Jurlique could close two large data servers and 15 smaller servers, reducing its energy consumption by 69 per cent, saving 79 tonnes of carbon emissions and $23,000 annually.
“Cloud services can enable smarter ways of working and serving customers. Cloud collaboration technology can be used to enable smarter buildings and more flexible working environments, for example, which translates into energy cost savings and smaller carbon footprints.
“And as more IT workloads are moved to the cloud, the benefits and savings multiply.”
Check out Telstra’s handy cloud footprint calculator to find out the potential cost, energy and carbon savings your organisation could make.
Optimise your cloud journey with expert advice and services, and choose the right cloud infrastructure for your needs. Find out how your company can make the switch to cloud and help achieve your sustainability goals.