At Plum, we don’t just create IVR solutions, but we make sure your IVR system stays up and running by offering IVR hosting.

For that, we need power, and a lot of it.

Thanks to new technologies, though, we’re able to reduce the amount of energy we need.

According to a new study by Andreas Berl and team at The British Computer Society, entitled, “Energy-Efficient Cloud Computing,” integrating new cloud data-storage can significantly reduce energy use and cost for companies like Plum.

Whether it’s backing up your files to Dropbox or creating a GoogleDoc, most of us have used some sort of cloud for data storage at one time or another because it’s cheaper and, frankly, easier.

Well now, many companies are migrating to the cloud for the exact same reason.

Berl’s study measures the ways in which cloud computing can save energy for large companies that use networked computers, and the results are just as expected.

Turns out, using a cloud system significantly reduces energy consumption.

Up to 70% of a company’s energy usage goes towards cooling systems to make sure the computers don’t overheat. With a cloud system in place, though, this need can be reduced by up to 30%, saving a huge chunk of change.

What’s more, the team found that implementing a cloud saved up to 20% in server and network energy consumption.

For a company with above-average power needs, these savings are immense.

Even better, cloud computing makes the system super eco-friendly, as less energy consumption means fewer greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Programs like this are just some of the ways in which we can make our IVR systems more efficient while still delivering the same high quality IVR you expect from Plum.

The team also suggests similar advantages if cloud computing were applied to e-learning, e-work and smart climate control for homes. With everything moving towards the cloud, you have to wonder how long before cloud storage becomes the standard.