If you're tracking and measuring sustainability in your cloud operations, what has your journey looked like and which metrics have proven to be most insightful?
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Apologies for the confusion—my previous comment was intended for a different discussion.
Viewing sustainability in the cloud as a strategic advantage can be transformative. Instead of merely tracking traditional metrics, consider incorporating 'sustainability risk assessments' alongside performance KPIs. This dual approach not only helps identify potential inefficiencies but also promotes a culture of environmental responsibility. By framing sustainability as integral to business resilience, we can better align our cloud strategies with long-term corporate values.
A proactive approach to role definition can help early-stage companies scale effectively. By defining roles and responsibilities early on, leaders can prevent overlaps and confusion as the team expands. Encouraging a mindset of continuous improvement will also enable teams to evolve their processes alongside company growth, minimizing disruptions and aligning efforts with overarching business goals.
As a cloud provider we are looking at our own operations, and providing services to our customers. Energy consumption and sources (preferably 100% renewable/low carbon), water consumption, materials use/recycling, DC builds (things like embodied carbon in the concrete, servers, chips etc), supply chain for DC operations, impact to local environment and biodiversity, community engagement and jobs creation. Green software and best practice sustainable workload operations. Exploring and investing in new technologies for DC sustainability. And providing training courses on best practice sustainable operations. A few there to start. We measure energy consumption and carbon output of our workloads and provide views on this for our customers. And ensuring transparency in ESG disclosure is essential.
My Journey in Tracking Sustainability in Cloud Operations
Hi everyone! I’d like to share my experiences in tracking and measuring sustainability within cloud operations.
It’s been a rewarding journey, and I’ve gathered some insights that I believe could benefit others…
Establishing a Baseline
The first step in my journey was establishing a baseline for our cloud resource usage and the associated carbon emissions. This initial assessment was crucial as it provided a reference point for measuring our progress over time.
Utilizing Proxy Metrics
To gain deeper insights, I began using sustainability proxy metrics. These metrics serve as practical substitutes for measuring efficiency and help highlight areas where we can improve without getting lost in complex calculations.
Normalizing Metrics for Growth
As our organisation grew, I recognized the need to normalize our metrics. This means adjusting for increases in resource usage due to business growth versus inefficiencies. Normalization ensures that my comparisons are meaningful and reflect true performance.
Leveraging Cloud Provider Tools
We also took advantage of various tools provided by cloud service providers to track sustainability metrics.
Here are a few that have proven particularly useful:
AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool: This tool provides insights into carbon emissions by service and geography
Azure Sustainability Calculator: It allows me to see the carbon emissions associated with our Azure services
Google Cloud Carbon Footprint: This tool helps measure and track our carbon emissions related to Google Cloud usage
Exploring Open-Source Solutions
In addition to provider tools, we explored open-source solutions like Cloud Carbon Footprint. This tool allows for detailed analysis across multiple cloud providers, which has been invaluable for our sustainability efforts.
Key Metrics That Matter…
Here are also some key metrics that have proven insightful throughout my journey:
Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE): This metric measures the efficiency of a data center by comparing total energy consumption to the energy used by computing equipment. A lower PUE indicates better energy efficiency.
Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE): CUE measures the total CO2 emissions resulting from energy consumption, providing a broader perspective on our environmental impact.
Energy Reuse Factor (ERF): This metric assesses the ratio of reused energy to total energy consumed in a data center. A higher ERF indicates better energy recycling practices.
Compute Capacity by Instance Type: Monitoring compute capacity by instance type helps identify optimization opportunities.
Resource Usage Over Time: Tracking resource usage over time, normalized by business metrics, allows me to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Adoption of Efficient Technologies: Measuring the percentage of efficient technologies in use (such as AWS Graviton or Spot instances) helps track our progress toward sustainability goals.
Last but not least -> Continuous Improvement!
Integrating these metrics into our sustainability strategy has led to significant optimizations in both cloud costs and our carbon footprint. This journey is one of continuous improvement, and I’m always seeking new ways to enhance our efforts.
If you’re embarking on a similar path in your cloud operations, I hope these insights provide some guidance and inspiration. Together, we can work towards a more sustainable future in the cloud!