The Future of SCM: Cloud Computing and Environmental Sustainability

The demand for cloud computing services has grown tremendously over the past 2 years.  There has been a rising trend to the shift of using the cloud to enhance SCM functionality.  This year One Network Enterprises will be hosting a cloud computing workshop at the Supply Chain and Logistics summit in Texas this month.  Since 2009 InfoSys blogs have espoused the agility, reliability, scalability and security offered by the SCM cloud.  However, as the demand for the cloud increases across various business functions, one group has begun to look at the environmental impacts from the cloud.  Cisco Systems recently released a report the projected "cloud computing traffic will grow 12-fold from 130 exabytes to reach a total of 1.6 zettabytes annually by 2015, a 66 percent compound annual growth rate."  EcoDesk, a sustainability technology organization has reported some of the implications of this massive growth and has examined rising levels of carbon emissions at cloud data centers, particularly at Samsung and Intel.  It is still unforeseen what the range of environmental consequences may be but as the field of SCM continues to seek ways to improve its functionality those in the field should be mindful of potential reverberations.

To read more on these issues please visit:
http://www.infosysblogs.com/supply-chain/2009/02/agile_scm_cloud_why_do_we_need_1.html
http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=1115&doc_id=236463&itc=ebnonline_gnews
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8999728.htm