Elly Yates-Roberts |
A new report issued by Microsoft in partnership with management and consultancy services provider WSP shows significant energy and carbon emissions reduction potential from the Microsoft Cloud when compared with on-premises data centres.
According to the study, the Microsoft Cloud is 93% more energy efficient and 98% more carbon efficient than on-premises data centres. This is due to Microsoft’s investments in IT efficiency from chip-to-data centre infrastructure, as well as renewable energy.
“The world is producing more data than ever, making our infrastructure decisions about how to power this digital transformation incredibly important,” said Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer, Microsoft. “Today’s report confirms what we’ve long believed — that investing in sustainability is good for business, good for customers and good for the planet.”
The report found that cloud investments made by Microsoft in IT operational efficiency, IT equipment efficiency, data centre infrastructure efficiency and renewable electricity were responsible for the environmental benefits.
Microsoft Cloud services achieve energy and emissions reductions in comparison with every on-premises deployment scenario assessed - Microsoft Azure Cloud Compute, Azure Storage, Exchange Online and SharePoint Online.
“Schneider Electric chose the Microsoft Cloud to power our numerous cloud-based offerings, and it has helped us achieve our goal of becoming a global leader in sustainable energy management,” said Michael MacKenzie, vice president, EcoStruxure Technology Platform, IoT and Digital Offers, Schneider Electric. “The fact that Microsoft shares our sustainability values and focus on decreasing environmental impact makes the company a natural partner for us.”