Free-tier cloud services can simplify the exploration of sustainable development technologies. These services allow users to access various products and services without any upfront cost or commitment. They also provide an opportunity to learn from the best practices and innovations of the cloud providers. Free-tier cloud services are not only a cost-effective way to access the cloud, but also a powerful tool to harness the potential of technology for sustainable development. Using free-tier cloud services, users can acquire new skills, discover new opportunities, and contribute to the global goals of creating a better world for everyone. In 2022, the shift to cloud impacted over $1.3 trillion in enterprise IT spending, and this number is expected to increase to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2025, according to Gartner.[1]
Individuals who opt for free-tier cloud services may experience constraints such as limited storage, bandwidth, and processing capacity. Running complex technology applications sustainably can be challenging due to these limitations. Free services may not offer the same level of support as paid plans, making troubleshooting difficult. Some free services require users to commit to a specific usage amount before canceling their subscription, which can be troublesome for developers unsure about their resource needs. Moreover, setting up and using free-tier cloud services can be complex, creating an additional barrier for developers unfamiliar with cloud computing. Accessing these services mostly requires the use of a credit card.
charity: water is a non-profit bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Since 2006, they’ve funded more than 19,819 water projects in 24 developing countries. When complete, these projects will provide clean, safe drinking water to more than 6.1 million people. To date, they’ve raised funds from over 1 million individual donors, as well as received grants from corporations, foundations, and philanthropists. charity: water’s team of nine engineers built and maintain a range of apps beyond their main website. There’s the peer-to-peer fundraising platform and internal app that helps the organization make fundraising decisions. There’s also a dispatch monitor app that measures and analyzes water flow data from a sensor installed on the wells, with a component for field staff to manually record maintenance or observation data. charity: water’s back-end systems had originally been built on PHP and Java, but they’d become outdated and no longer ideal for supporting their product evolution. The organization decided to rebuild their entire fundraising system from scratch. They needed a solution that was flexible enough to support a more agile process, could increase the pace of development, save costs, and easily integrate third-party services, such as their payment processors and general ledger system. The engineering team was already familiar with the Heroku platform and confident about moving their systems over to Heroku. They knew that the platform-as-a-service model fit their needs, and many consulting partners they had worked with recommended Heroku as their go-to PaaS.In 2012, charity: water received a Google grant to build a sensor that measures water flow from their wells and systems and funnels that data into their dispatch monitor app running on Heroku. The innovative app aggregates data in the field, tracks and monitors usage, and helps inform the organization’s sustainability initiatives with partners in the field. To date, approximately 900 sensors have been deployed in Northern Ethiopia. Once a week, the sensors chirp hourly flow data, giving the organization a very clear picture of water flowing through the system at any given time of day.Also integrated into the Heroku app is a third-party survey platform designed for water monitoring. Field staff record data from maintenance and observational visits on a tablet. A map integration helps plan routes, logistics, and operations, and pinpoints the current location of maintenance staff and drilling rigs. Going forward, as charity: water steps up their efforts to solve the global water crisis, their engineering team will grow their innovative initiatives by building new apps on Heroku.[2]
Technology is changing the world at a rapid pace, and cloud computing is one of the driving forces behind this transformation. Simply put, cloud computing refers to delivering computing services over the Internet, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and more. Cloud computing has numerous benefits for technology development that promote sustainability. Firstly, it reduces the environmental impact of technology by optimizing the use of resources and energy. Cloud computing enables users to access shared and scalable resources on demand without the need for physical infrastructure. This reduces the carbon footprint of technology by minimizing the need for hardware, power, cooling, and space. Secondly, cloud computing increases the accessibility and affordability of technology by lowering the barriers to entry and innovation. Users can access various products and services without any upfront cost or commitment and only pay for what they use. Cloud computing enables experimentation with different technologies and solutions that can support sustainable development, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and more. Lastly, cloud computing enhances the collaboration and communication of technology by enabling users to work together across different locations and devices. Users can now store, share, and access data and applications on the cloud, freeing up local device storage. This facilitates the exchange of information and ideas among users who share a common vision of creating a more sustainable future. Cloud computing is a convenient and cost-effective way to access technology and a powerful way to harness its potential for sustainable development. By using cloud computing, people can create value for themselves and society while contributing to the global goal of creating a better world for everyone.
It’s important for cloud market leaders to understand the nature of projects that contribute to sustainability and provide enablement services in their free-tier departments. It is easy to understand the exploitation of these free-tier services for business profitability, but not at the expense of sustainable technology projects. Many of these projects are usually initiated by non-profit organizations, and funding may be limited initially. Implementation of sustainable projects is profitable, but hindering them can harm sustainability. Enabling sustainable technology requires a shift in the thinking and strategies of free-tier cloud providers.
