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Boosting green cloud practices on AWS
Optimising AWS services reduces energy use, server demands, and costs, promoting sustainable, eco-friendly Cloud computing.
Driving green cloud adoption
using the example of EC2
Reply has established international workgroups to enhance green cloud practices, with findings suggesting that hyperscaler cloud solutions are a more environmentally friendly option compared to traditional on-premises systems.
This whitepaper focuses on good practices within the context of AWS, particularly EC2 features, selected to complement hands-on exercises for an introductory workshop. It underscores the importance of optimising AWS Cloud workloads, not only for operational efficiency but also to mitigate the environmental impact of digital infrastructure.
The pillars of EC2 optimisation
Region selection
Optimal workload placement in data centres is crucial for sustainability, focusing on using the most sustainable energy mix, minimizing traffic, and reducing distances.
Alignment to demand
Infrastructure should scale with demand. Managed services and serverless solutions optimize resources by auto-scaling, ensuring efficiency. If these aren't feasible, EC2 instances can be used, though they require more manual setup for efficient operations
Hardware & services
Efficient hardware and services are key to boost sustainability of cloud architectures, reducing resource usage per unit of work to save both costs and CO2 emissions.
Focus on managed services and serverless infrastructure
Reply frequently utilises managed services and serverless infrastructure rather than relying solely on traditional EC2 architecture. These alternatives offer significant energy-saving potential, making them well worth exploring for any organisation looking to reduce its environmental impact.
Managed services and serverless solutions enable businesses to take full advantage of the cloud provider's optimised infrastructure, ensuring the highest levels of efficiency. By tapping into the economies of scale available at the cloud vendor level, companies can minimise resource wastage, lower operational costs, and enhance sustainability, all while maintaining robust performance and scalability.
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An extensive approach to green cloud
Reply’s best practices for optimising AWS EC2 can be a valuable starting point for reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. However, it is important to expand the focus to include broader sustainability considerations beyond CO2 alone. This includes addressing aspects such as minimising electronic waste, ensuring sustainable sourcing of materials, and supporting responsible hardware disposal practices.
A holistic strategy should consider the impact on water resources and account for all CO2 equivalents, which provide a measure of the overall environmental impact. While AWS offers significant opportunities for improving efficiency and extending hardware service life, as well as avoiding idle resources, further optimisation can often be achieved with an good architecture.