Cloud computing is most certainly where the future of computing lies, providing us with a sustainable future of our environment.

As you probably already know, for most organizations in the higher education world, moving to the cloud means less on-site infrastructure and reduced IT support costs.

However, on a much larger scale, studies have shown that moving to the cloud is in fact leading to savings in the billions of dollars, along with significant reductions in carbon emissions.

A recent study by the Carbon Disclosure Project reported that by the year 2020, cloud computing will help enable energy savings of up to 12 billion dollars, only within the US!

With migration to the cloud promoting greater productivity for your organization along with simultaneous reduction in energy consumption, the move to the cloud is a win-win for your higher education institution and the environment.

Let’s have a look at four of the ways that cloud computing is promoting environmental sustainability.

Reduced Resource Consumption and Increased Resource Virtualization

Typically, after moving most components of a data center to the cloud, less physical infrastructure is required to run business processes, significantly reducing the amount of infrastructure required to host what is left of the data center.

Subsequently, with less physical IT equipment to support, data centers will undoubtedly consume a reduced amount of electricity.

Maximizing Process Efficiency through the Deployment of Automation Software

Virtualization of resources itself will not magically bring about higher efficiency of workflows.

However, through the use of automation software, organizations can monitor, adjust and adapt processes as deemed necessary, in order to enhance process efficiency.

By maximizing the automation that is taking place in intra-organizational processes, reduced hardware is required, thus optimizing process efficiency and maximizing energy savings!

Promoting Efficient Use of Resources through SaaS model of Licensing and Delivery

The software as a service (SaaS) subscription model of cloud services promotes users to only sign up for as much of the service as they require, consuming no more resources than exactly what their requirements dictate.

Cloud service providers can also tailor their services to be fully self-serve, further promoting efficient usage behaviors among students.

Reduced Physical Infrastructure as a Result of Shared Cloud-Hosting Capabilities

Public cloud multi-tenancy enables cloud service providers to offer several higher education organizations the ability to share a common cloud environment.

This may initially give rise to concerns over security, however with most service providers providing fortified, individual lockers for every organization, unauthorized data access is highly unlikely!

Similarly, private cloud provides different business units within the same company the opportunity to share the same cloud platform. Both public and private cloud sharing subsequently results in reduced need for extra IT infrastructure, yielding massive energy and resource efficiencies!

Consider Cloud Printing and Go Green!

With several vendors now offering environmentally friendly cloud-based printing solutions, it should only come naturally to consider getting rid of your legacy printing infrastructure and adopt cloud-based printing for campus printing. Some direct benefits you will see over time involve:

• Saving over 35% in costs by adopting the SaaS printing solution model
• Eliminating 30% of waste printing with pull printing mechanisms and pay for use systems
• Reducing the carbon footprint of your office printing by more than 50% per printer
• Saving 100% on in-dorm printers, consuming more than 35 watts of energy each, plus the additional cost of consumables!

So if you are you concerned about environmental sustainability and protecting the environment for our future, consider moving your printing to the cloud and discover the benefits for both yourself and the environment today!