Introduction
This paper seeks to examine the emerging technologies that are being adopted by tech firms in the need to go green. Companies such as Facebook and Google have come up with initiatives through which they have reduced the amount of energy that the companies use. The policies adopted by Facebook and Google have had a very impactful influence on most small businesses globally (like and ). and are cloud computing service providers with a large number of servers that need to be energy efficient. Therefore, green technology is important when it comes to ensuring that tech companies are energy efficient. The term ‘Green Technology’ is gradually turning into an issue of major concern. The fact that it was adopted over the last several decades, ‘Green’ has become the way to go in the modern. For the purposes of understanding the fundamental concepts which green technology is developed, it is crucial to start with the definition of simple green technology. The green technology definition it means all forms of technology which are relatively environmentally friendly which are developed and later used in a specified way to that there is not disturbance to the environment as it continues to conserve the natural resources (Prakash & Gugerty 2010). In other occasions, green technology could be referred to as either environmental technology or clean technology. Over time, they have become environmentally sustainable as compared to the regular users. In its nascent stages of development, the future of most businesses using technology will only promise to bring in improved outcomes in this field. By extension, this will be one of the necessities of the future (Carstensen, Morgenthal & Golden 2012). Contrary to the technological waves within the recent decades, ‘Green Technology’ is close to an entire science based collection of materials. On the other hand, cloud computing refers to the extensive use of hardware and software (resources) which are delivered as services over various s (mostly the ). This name is derived from the due use of -shaped symbols as well as abstractions for subsequent complex infrastructure, which are contained within the system diagrams. It is important to note that cloud computing will entrust remote services with the user's data, software as well as computation. One of the major components for cloud computing providers (as seen in Facebook and Google) is agility, which extends towards the improvement of any users' ability in re-provision of technological infrastructure resources (Gallaugher 2011). (API) with respect to accessibility to the subsequent software later enables various machines to interact with the cloud software in similar ways through which the user interfaces facilitates communication and other forms of interaction between computers and humans.
Green technology
This means that having to rely on the availability of energy sources and their alternatives will heavily depend on the purposes of such a technology through the reduction of global warming and the overall greenhouse effect. Therefore, the main objective is finding ways of creating new technologies in ways, which do not damage or even deplete the natural resources of various planets. This will also involve expressing less harm to human, plant, and animal health or even damage to the world (Gunther 2012). Based on the green technology dependence, the environment will need immediate recouping from various aspects of pollution. Through the facilitation of green technology, there is an ability to reduce the level of pollution through the improvement of cleanliness as well (Chaffey & Wood 2005). However, the main challenge about this is the issue of needing high-powered laptops and PC which are not energy conserving. Currently, both developed and developing countries continue turning to green technology for the purposes of securing the environment from various negative impacts. The definition of green technology ably and explains an idea on the deterioration of up of the environment on the basis of human intrusion as well as showing crucial need for slowing down as well as adapting to healthier ways of living. Through such an adoption, green technology will make the earth a more protected ground against all forms of environmental pollution.
Impacts of green technology
Going green at work has been facilitated by the fact that most organizations across the world have started understanding their corporate social responsibility with regard to the environment. This way, most companies currently believe that there is need to conserve energy and power with environmentally friendly products, which help in the reduction of their carbon footprint. More precisely, in many organizations, the relevance of having green computing is categories at the top of the development agenda. In other cases, it becomes imperative for sized organizations to consequently implement defined aspects of green technology in their day-to-day workings (Cook 2012).This necessarily means that there is need for organizations to constantly follow similar simple steps in the creation of green technology awareness within their respective workplaces. The first step is to announce the green intentions to its employees across all levels. The setting up of committees that form green technology plans (Microsoft 2010) will follow this. The third step is that of centralizing all desktops with efficient computer applications. Power management tactics aimed at business performance enhancement follows this.
Developments in green technology
Some of the major developments in Facebook and Google include the remediation of environmental pollutants. This scope relates to the reduction and removal of pollution as well as other contaminants from groundwater, sediments, surface water, or soil. The server virtualization is also a major invention and is popularly referred to as VPS. It is in most cases used in splitting the server. One of the ideas in this case is using one server that will connect to numerous individual computers. Such a development is seen in software, technology as well as other forms of architectural virtualization (Nonaka &Takeushi 1995). Sewage treatment has been one of the areas that most governments across the world have embarked on. The wastewater treatment trends involve the removal of contaminants from sewage and wastewater. Subsequent chemical as well as other biological processes can be used in removing chemicals and other contaminants. An efficient disposal and waste management system will involve the processing, collection, recycling, and safe disposal of all forms of waste materials. Regulatory compliance will call for an efficient strategy, which is designed by respective governments that offers clear rules for addressing and curbing waste management, reduction of pollution, and sustainability of stringent noncompliance penalties. The other consideration is recycling as well as water purification, which is the gradual process of having to remove all contaminants and unneeded materials from water. Such kind of water is later used for the purposes of drinking and fulfilling specific and pronounced requirements for medical and chemical (Weinman 2012). Unlike with and , green metrics as well as methodology make it particularly important to develop a quantification of sustainability and environmental performance in facilitation of the achievement of specified goals by Facebook and Google.
Drivers of green technology
Issues of climate change are probably some of the most popular topics in the world today. This means that is clear that all status of the environment consider it a lead concern due to the absence of plain solutions as well as clear pathways to the resolution of the main issues, which are extreme concerns for most people. Clearly, whatever people believe in with respect to Facebook and Google, there is a mutual agreement that it is not necessarily a good perception to put any kind of pollutant into the immediate atmosphere. It is on these grounds that there is need to find collectively a solution to all the growing demands of consumers. It is clear that most people are more willing to engage in changes and sacrifices towards making the environment better and more sustainable for the future generations (BCS The Chartered Institute for IT 2012). On the other hand, there are numerous challenges facing and in ensuring that there is abundant and inexpensive energy in supply to feed a clean environment to facilitate the future generations. Most of these will touch on the reduction of emissions, safety, land use, security as well as the development of high skilled workforces (Davenport & Prusack 1998). Currently, several countries recognize that environment and energy issues are not limited to a country’s borders but rather, are constantly global issues. Such countries no longer independently work but mostly partner with subsequent multinational corporations such as Facebook and Google for the purposes of jointly resolving the main issues for future aspects of business technology. For instance, new fuel sources, like methane hydrates, have been discovered in various parts of the world and are able to provide clean energy and energy independence.
Research evidently puts into perspective the key areas like in the making and use of technology in the most energy-efficient manner possible. This will involve the designing algorithms as well as systems for the development of efficiency-related computer systems and technologies. All modern forms of technological systems heavily rely on complicated mixes of people, hardware, and networks (Weinman 2012). This will include Facebook and Google initiatives, which cover all scopes of the areas, mentioned. One of the possible solutions is the need to address immediately the end user’s return on investment (ROI), satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and management restructuring. This means that there are considerable fiscal motivations for various companies aimed at taking control of their individual power consumption rates. Of the available power management tools, some of the very powerful ones are still simple, plain and common sense.
Benefits of cloud computing
One of the main benefits of using aspects such as Facebook and Google is the fact that it increases the respective levels of reliability. Even as the internet connectivity as well as the providers themselves is subject to various forms of outages is one of the scary facts of the cloud computing nature. On the other hand, there are still elements of reliability as compared to various in-house systems due to the involved economies of scale (Gallaugher 2011). For instance, the vendor is further able to offer a round the clock technical support as well as highly trained and experienced staff who will be of much support of the infrastructure in its best condition and therefore expanding the amounts of benefits reaching all their clients. Some of other ways of cloud computing include PAAS platform as a service, SAAS software as a service and the IAAS Infrastructure as a service. In comparison to this, each organization is expected to have team of on-site technical people with high skill sets.
Risks in cloud computing
Relevantly, data integrity and security is one of the lead risks that Facebook and Google face among various business situations (Greenberg 2007). There are already huge risks facing data, which is hosted in-house. Therefore, it is no secret that any offsite data will be seated at even relatively higher risks. With such a data offsite facility, there are even more avenues of attacking and various facts which will further traveling towards making it easier for interception. Based on such technology and its constant improvement, there are numerous ways of making sure of better encryption. On the other hand, with the constant improvement of technology, there are people improving and sharpening their hacking skills. The costs claimed to be involved are rather reduced based on various public cloud delivery models based on and are converted to operational. This is later purported by the lowering of (Weinman 2012). Even infrastructure becomes typically provided by third parties and is not necessarily involved in the purchasing of one-time and infrequent intensive computing tasks. The strategies placed by small companies such as and on pricing as a utility for computing basis is fine-grained with regard to the usage-based options as well as fewer IT skills that are required in the in-house implementation procedures (Greenpeace International 2012). The state of the e-FISCAL projects by Facebook and Google are based on the art of repository, which contains various articles that look into different cost aspects in further detail. Most of them conclude that costs savings are heavily dependent on the various types of activities, which are supported, based on the various types of infrastructure that are available in-house.
Concerns of cloud-computing technology
Even as cloud-computing technology for Google continues to achieve an increased level of popularity, there are major concerns, which are voiced on the respective security issues, which are introduced under the adoption of such a new model. The efficiency and effectiveness of several traditional protection mechanisms is reconsidered in the form of characteristics, which have a very innovative deployment model that widely differs from others in the traditional architectures (Fava 2012). One of the alternative perspectives under this topic in cloud security is that the case of ‘applied security’ as well as that of similar security principles, which apply within mutually shared multi-user mainframe security models, continues applying with cloud security. The relativity of the issues of security as well as other Facebook and Google services remains a contentious issue, which could be delaying its adoption (Baun, Kunze, and Nimis&Tai 2011). The physical control of several components of private cloud equipment remains more secure as compared to having such equipment off site under another person’s control. Physical control including the ability of visually inspecting the different data links will determine the access ports that are required for purposes of ensuring data links are not unduly compromised.
Any issue that bars the cloud computing adoption is in large part due to the unease of both public and private sectors that surround the external security-based services management. This means that there is need to develop a substantial nature of cloud computing-based services like social websites (both private and public) which promotes various forms of external management in the provision of services. In the end, this will deliver a great sense of incentive for different cloud computing service providers for purposes of prioritizing the building and maintenance of strong secure management of cloud services (Martina, 2011). Security issues are currently categorized into recovery, sensitive data access, accountability, data segregation, bug exploitation, management console security, privacy, account control, malicious insiders, and multi-tenancy issues. The solutions given to various cloud security issues endlessly vary, from cryptography (especially, particularly public key infrastructure) to the extensive use of several cloud providers and the standardization of APIs. This leads to the due improvement of virtual machine support as well as other forms legal support. Cloud computing provides a cross category of benefits which will also involve vulnerability to threats (Bauer & Adams 2012). As the application of cloud computing within businesses increases, there is a highly likelihood that even more criminals will continue trying to develop new ways to be used in exploiting the system’s vulnerabilities. There can be many underlying challenges as well as risks within cloud computing which raise the due threats of data compromising. In helping to mitigate such threats, cloud-computing stakeholders need to invest in risk assessment for the purposes of ensuring that such a system continues to encrypt protected data (Henn 2011). It will also help in the establishment of trusted foundation towards securing the infrastructure and platform through building higher assurances into the processes of auditing for strengthening compliance. All security concerns in using Facebook and Google need to be addressed for purposes of establishing trust within various cloud-computing technologies.
Disadvantages of cloud computing in businesses
On the other hand, there are several disadvantages associated with cloud computing. Here, contrary to the many benefits mentioned above, cloud computing has a number of . Here, businesses with special focus on the smaller ones need to be fully aware of such cons prior engaging in such a technology. is the aspects of technical issues. Even though it remains true that information as well as data on a given cloud is readily accessible at any time and at any point, there are situations in which such systems have several serious dysfunctions. The business involved needs to be fully aware of various facts, which this technology remain an all prone perspective to outages as well as other technical issues (Barnatt 2010). Clearly, even some of the best providers of cloud service face such kinds of trouble irrespective of the fact that they kept up with all the high maintenance standards. Similarly, there is constant need of having a good Internet connection for the purposes of logging onto the main server at each time.
Conclusion
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