The chimes of cloud computing are ringing at all corners of the information technology world. But to fully understand the far reaching effects of cloud computing, one has to know what cloud computing means in the first place. Now, this is where analysts, web enthusiasts and even vendors differ in their personalized definition. According to some, it is a sort of a 'world within a world' model for IT services based on Internet protocols. Basically, it will allow you to have access to web-based tools or applications through the internet, as if they are locally installed on your personal computer. Others view this trend in a more expansive scope, where anything consumed (in the web) outside the 'firewall' will count as an element of the cloud.
Many attributes may allude to the basic idea, but it is the final result (or results) of this business 'movement' what really counts at the end of the day. When we consider the true 'focus' of this trend, it adds another commercial dimension to the overall capability (and capacity) of the thriving IT sector. In relation to this, according to Greenpeace, the subscription based and pay-per-use service sites related to cloud computing consume up to a whopping 622.6 billion kWh (kilowatts per hour) of power. On the other side of the coin, there are some studies that actually show the share pooled resources and facilities of cloud can actually be energy efficient in the long run.
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1. Lower resource consumption
According to a report established by Carbon Disclosure Project (supported by AT&T), any company that patronizes cloud computing on a large scale can actually have some advantages over conventional business practices. The benefits are generally associated with lower energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions. They in effect, are directly related to a more streamlined operational mode (in respect to both employees and the overall services rendered) with a substantial decrease in capital expenditure. Going by some astonishing figures, the group estimates - by 2020, large US companies which have integrated cloud computing as their operational basis can save up to annual energy costs of over a whopping $12.3 billion. And beyond monetary compensation, the group also suggests that this large scale adoption can lead to annual carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil.
Another related study undertaken in 2010 by the collaborative effort of Accenture, Microsoft and WSP Environment and Energy, painted an even more advantageous picture of cloud computing. According to the study, if we hypothetically assume a company with 100 employees, the services offered by the cloud (both applications and tools) can reduce energy consumption and emissions by 90 percent.
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2. The collective nature of sustainability
In relation to all of these, there is always the much bigger picture in terms of investment. Since we are talking about the improvement of the overall capability and capacity of the IT domain, we must know that this field of business is actually conceived on a virtual scale, as opposed to conventional 'real time' infrastructural scale. So, if we consider resources as a tangible quantity, in this virtual world there are actually very limited usages of such 'physical' resources. For example, when we are talking about an office, we have to acknowledge the existence of many different quantities. This includes the structural space of the office, its related building services and facilities, its site acquisition and landscaping features, the physical services offered through its channels and even the cost of transportation for the employees. But when we bring cloud computing into the picture, all of the above factors literally vanish without a trace. This is because the whole scope of the intangible system, ranging from the procedure to the services offered is done online, in the nigh infinite volume of virtual space.
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3. Innovative measures of computing
Of course, when we 'weigh' the environment friendly outcomes of a very large business practice, the complexity of the measurement traverses to a whole new other level. But we as consumers must have an unbiased view of the total situation. Even when groups like Greenpeace claim there is bulk percentage of our power consumed by the effects of cloud computing, the study only limits itself to the figures (of power consumed). Then what about the myriad of innovations (and energy saving techniques) available to us solely because of the advanced scope of computers, net services and their related systems? Their effects are almost impossible to measure, but still remain unquestionably true at the end of the day.
