Cloud can be 'energy efficient'

data cabinets via cloud computing can be “highly energy efficient,” according to business analysis firm Ovum, reports Comms Express.

Senior analyst Rhonda Ascierto explained that cloud computing could be environmentally beneficial, saying that theoretically centralised data centres are green by default.

“Large cloud data centres are optimised for energy efficiency and may be powered by renewable energy sources - they tend to operate far more sustainably than on-premise operations,” she revealed.

Meanwhile, Paul Edwards, chair of the British Council for Offices' Environmental Sustainability Group, recently noted that energy saving for firms should start with staff education, says Rapid.

However, according to TMCnet, Ovum attributed the rise in interest in green IT to shrinking tech budgets that require companies to make more out of less.

During a slow economy, companies tend to scrutinise their IT purchases more and choose products that involve faster return on investment, something greener solutions can be good at.

“This growth in green IT penetration reflects a change of attitude by CIOs and other IT decision-makers. Previously, they considered green IT optional because they defined its value primarily in terms of corporate image, rather than the bottom line,” said Ascierto.

“It is now viewed as a core technology that that delivers business value by cutting costs and increasing efficiency.”