Cleaning Up the Cloud

A few years ago we wrote about an attempt by Microsoft to make its infrastructure cleaner by sinking it into the ocean (really). The TL;DR is a bunch of servers and a watertight box on the seabed in search of a greener way to keep technology cool than screaming air conditioning.

Even then it seemed like a far-fetched solution – and in likelihood the problem they were really trying to solve was a PR one.

In the time that’s since passed, Edge Network has grown in both clients and contributors, now offering not only a credible alternative to the traditional cloud, but also a more environmentally friendly one – just ask our growing army of customers.

By 2040, digital storage will be responsible for 14% of world emissions. It’s already dirtier than all air travel. The rapid digitisation of our global society brings a challenge we can’t solve by throwing it into the sea.

Edge technology is greener by design. First, it reuses hardware we’ve already spent the Earth’s resources to create – laptops, desktop PCs, mobile phones and set-top boxes can all be leveraged for spare capacity. That means dedicated servers for hosting infrastructure can be a thing of the past, as can the buildings and energy supply they relentlessly demand.

Second, the Edge Network is all around us. This reduces the distance between data storage and data consumption, diminishing the energy required to send it. It is, as we have said before, the network under our noses – rather than the one that makes us choke on its emissions.

So if you want to add digital infrastructure to the list of positive changes your business is making to respect the environment (and to show your customers that green credentials are about more than recycling bins and those trees you planted outside reception) ask us about being a pioneering client of Edge.