Igor explains our sustainable data storage
Many companies don’t realise how data storage impacts the environment. We know that to make a real difference, we need to engage our entire team. Doctify’s CTO, Igor Stelmashenko, explains how the use of cloud computing can cut our carbon emissions even more.
How does data storage affect the environment?
Igor: Using physical hard drives to store data requires a lot of power. Switching to cloud-based services help us reduce our carbon footprint and save energy. Due to highly utilised infrastructure, public cloud servers tend to be 2 to 4 times more efficient than traditional data centres. At Doctify, our server infrastructure is 100% on the cloud and 100% shared or virtualised. It also helps us avoid having a device that, once broken, becomes e-waste, which is a growing global problem.
What does Doctify’s technology team do to reduce data storage?
Igor: Large data storage pools have significant power needs, so we are continually purging old, unused or redundant data, logs, backups and so on. We add additional servers automatically when more processing is required, and we automatically scale it down when not used.
What do you and your team do to promote sustainability?
Igor: About 50% of the technology team is cycling to work or using bicycles to get around instead of driving or using public transportation. Most of the work is done remotely, including virtual meetings and virtual summits. A globally distributed team flying people from place to place for meetings can burn thousands of litres of fuel. Nowadays, even the most efficient aeroplane fuel consumption is usually around 30 to 40 litres per passenger per 1000 kilometres. You can easily avoid burning 3-4 (!) barrels of aeroplane fuel by choosing to have a virtual meeting instead.
We are also continuously educating our team on all sustainability factors of computing. For example, one team member used 80% solar power to power personal computers for the entire month. While not always practical (cloudy and rainy days), this was an exciting example of what is possible if we only try.
