Cloud Servers
You may have heard that a cloud server platform is more eco-friendly than a traditional physical server platform, but why is that? What does that really boil down to for energy and cost savings?
The average server running today is being utilized at 8-15% of full capacity. This ensures that there is additional space if more computing resources are needed. However, with server virtualization Cloud Servers server capacity can be improved to 70-80% utilization. This allows for servers to be consolidated at about a 15:1 ratio, which is the true reason that cloud servers are greener.
For every one server that is consolidated, there is a huge energy and cost savings:
• 7000kWh of energy is saved per year (about $700 today, and energy costs are rising).
• 4 tons of carbon dioxide emissions are removed (the equivalent of taking 1.5 cars off the road).
Additional energy savings come from the cloud service provider’s ability to power down under utilized servers during times of lower need without affecting service. As more resources are needed, the provider can simply power servers back on to accommodate the demand. Servers running idle can use just as much energy as when they are actively running.
In addition to savings to the environment, there is a huge cost savings for companies. On average, after moving to a cloud platform, companies are seeing an 50% reduction in total cost of ownership. The truth is that with server consolidation, less resources are needed. Cooling, heating and power requirements decline. Tech staff resources can be reallocated towards higher corporate valued projects since less server maintenance, upgrades, and repairs are needed.
Combining the fact that Cloud Servers are greener, with their ability to be more economical, reliable and scalable, it is no wonder that so many companies are moving to the cloud.
Kristen is a wife, mother of 2 preschoolers and a very old dog. She is also the marketing manager for Green House Data, a 100% wind powered data center; although, she definitely claims not to be a techie. Her hope in article writing is to help other non-techies better understand the world of technology, especially green technology. She also passionate about the fact that green should not be more expensive and in fact can be less expensive.
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