News in the Channel - issue #21

SUSTAINABILITY IN CLOUD SERVICES

Virtual desktops One growth area has been Desktop-as- a-Service. “This has been driven by ESG pressures, with 74% of UK businesses prioritising cloud adoption to meet sustainability goals,” says Gavin Connolly, field CTO at Nerdio. “Many organisations are putting more emphasis on ESG and sustainability metrics during the procurement process. This is carrying over to several frameworks across EMEA. Adopting thorough ESG practices is, therefore, a necessary and critical step toward long-term, sustainable success. Gavin adds that customers are looking for vendors that help them achieve their ESG targets by offering energy-efficient, sustainable solutions.” They are utilising cloud-based platforms such as Azure Virtual Desktop that can reduce carbon emissions, optimise power consumption and support renewable energy initiatives,” he says. “Customers moving their virtual desktop from on-prem data centres to the cloud – such as Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows365 – also benefit from moving those emissions from scope 2 to scope 3.” “Virtualisation is an enabler for remote and hybrid working, which allows for better employee experience, flexibility and accounts for CO2 emission avoidance by reducing travel.”

using automation and cooling technologies and promote ethical practices among product development and business operations.” Becky adds that it can also involve sourcing renewable energy for data centres, optimising cooling systems to reduce energy consumption, and developing products that allow customers to operate more efficiently. “Initiatives such as circular economy practices, recycling old equipment and minimising waste also contribute to sustainability goals,” she says. Cory adds that it is vital to partner with data centres that are powered by renewable energy. “This ensures that customers can train AI at no cost to the environment,” he says. “It is also important to select the most energy- efficient hardware. Mark adds that the work starts from within. “IT leaders should consider their own IT solutions and their impact on the environment,” he says. “For example, this can include cloud computing to promote energy- efficient data centres, strong regulations and guidelines that are implemented company- wide from IT departments to the leadership team and evaluating sustainability factors across the product life cycle – from concept to end-of-life disposal.” John Bradshaw, director of Cloud Computing Technology and Strategy EMEA at Akamai, adds that vendors can boost their sustainability by embedding eco- friendly practices throughout their supply chain. “Think responsibly sourcing materials and streamlining logistics to cut down on emissions,” he says. “On top of that, they should focus on making their own operations greener, like reducing energy use, switching to renewables and fostering a sustainability mindset among employees. It’s about creating a ripple effect that touches every part of the business, making sure that products, solutions and everyday actions all align with sustainability goals.”

Richard Eglon CMO

nebulaglobalservices.com

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Customers are now prioritising the most power efficient GPUs for their individual workloads, rather than just selecting the most powerful GPUs.

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Ensuring sustainability As mentioned, cloud vendors must ensure their own sustainability across their operations and the solutions they provide. But this presents challenges. “Cloud computing, responsible for about 3% of global carbon emissions, presents a pressing sustainability challenge,” says Gavin. “To improve sustainability, cloud providers first need to assess their own carbon footprint including energy consumption, carbon emissions and e-waste generation and begin focusing on energy efficiency. In addition, they should focus on resource optimisation by

Transparency Another key factor for customers is

Cory Hawkvelt CTO

transparency. “Customers want transparency in reporting on environmental impact and sustainability measures,” says Cory. “As businesses become more educated about greenwashing, they are demanding clearer communication of the green credentials of cloud vendors.” Richard adds that customers also

nexgencloud.com

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