Social, environmental & ethical considerations

Social, environmental and

ethical considerations

🐬🏭💨🌊😢💰⚖❤

July 2024

For your group to consider as part of your task 3 (subsection

worth 25%)

This session:

1.

Social considerations of cloud use

2.

Environmental considerations of cloud use.

3.

Ethical considerations of cloud use.

And the implications these might have for business using the cloud.

Multiple Choice

What's the maximum length of the recorded video presentation?

• 8 minutes

• 10 minutes

• 12 minutes

• 15 minutes

Poll

Which public cloud provider(s) does your employer use to facilitate business operations?

• AWS

• GCP

• Azure

• Other

• Multi-Cloud

Draw

3 points available for this. Can you draw a data center?

Environmental
considerations

🐬🏭💨🌊

July 2024

Poll

I consider environmental implications and sustainability as I go about my life...

• Yes always

• Yes sometimes

• Yes and No

• No

Poll

The UK should be phasing out the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity...

• Agree

• Disagree

National Grid: Live HomeKate Morley on Mastodon

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​Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. Opened 1968. Closing September 2024

Environmental
Sustainability

Sustainable cloud ⛅

computing use allows companies to

deliver on new commitments such as carbon reduction 🏭

and

responsible innovation. 🔬

Companies have historically driven financial, security, and
agility benefits through cloud, but sustainability is becoming as
important.

Open Ended

Can you remember?

What do the big cloud providers do to reduce their environmental impact?

Renewable

energy

Energy efficiency
(servers, lights,

power)

Water-usage

efficiency

Recycling EOL

equipment

Planting trees
around the data

centre

Building data
centres with

recycled materials

Buying computer

hardware made from

recycled resources

Some of the initiatives…

Carbon offsetting

Select your Cloud Provider

As you would expect, they all have large sustainability sections
on their websites. (Use a search engine to find their page).

​Azure AWS GCP

Multiple Choice

In 2017, the company announced it achieved 100 percent renewable energy across all of its operations, including its data centers. It claims that all data processed has “zero net carbon emissions.”. Which cloud provider is it?

• Microsoft Azure

• Google Cloud Platform

• Amazon Web Services

The data centres themselves…

AWS: They aim to achieve 100% renewable energy usage by 2025 [1].

Azure: 100% renewable energy by 2025: They aim to have power
purchase agreements for enough green energy to cover all their data
centers by 2025 [2].

GCP: Since 2017, GCP has achieved 100% renewable energy matching
on an annual basis [3]. This means they purchase renewable energy
equivalent to their total electricity consumption each year.

Multiple Choice

Typically if we perform a Lift & Shift migration without major redesign from on-prem, what % do you think is the average reduction in energy usage?

• 45%

• 55%

• 65%

• 75%

Ambition levels

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) migrations without major redesign

Companies with average on-premise to cloud migrations can drive 65% energy reduction and carbon emission reduction of 84%.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a general way programming languages can help reduce the energy consumption of software?

• By making code run faster

• By using more colourful syntax

• By requiring less typing from the programmer

• By automatically shutting down the computer after use

Ambition levels

Sustainable software engineering practices

Companies can reduce application energy consumption by up to 50x when selecting the
appropriate programming language for the task.

Ambition levels

Application optimisation for fabric of the cloud

Companies can stretch carbon emission reductions to 98% by configuring applications for the cloud.

Of course, Microsoft has a service for this! 😂󰣼

Multiple Choice

Which of the following tools provided by Microsoft is specifically designed to help organizations track and understand their carbon emissions related to using Azure and Microsoft 365 services?

• Azure Advisor

• Azure Monitor

• Emissions Impact Dashboard

So, what can you do?

Choose a ‘green’ cloud provider.
- renewable energy
- energy efficiency
- transparency

Drag and Drop

​

Placeholder

- Continuously monitoring usage and adjusting cloud resources to meet actual
needs. Avoid ​

Placeholder

​

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

overprovisioning

Rightsizing

Underprovisioning

Overallocation

Underutilisation

Optimise your cloud usage

Rightsizing - Continuously monitoring usage and adjusting cloud resources to meet actual
needs. Avoid overprovisioning

Efficiency

Optimise your software and applications for cloud environments. Inefficient code can lead to unnecessary resource consumption.

● CPU utilisation
● Memory consumption
● Disk I/O operations
● Network usage

More notes in the notes 👇

Serverless Computing

Consider using serverless architectures where resources are allocated
dynamically, reducing idle time and energy waste.

Social considerations

😢💰⚖❤

July 2024

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best defines redundancy in the context of employment law?

• An employee's deliberate refusal to perform their job duties.

• The dismissal of an employee due to their poor performance or misconduct.

• Where an employer needs to reduce their workforce because a job is no longer needed.

• An employee's voluntary resignation from their position.

Draw

If you could work remotely 100% and live anywhere in the world. (Let's pretend you can afford to!). Which country would it be?

Accessibility and Flexibility 👍

●Cloud computing enables remote work, flexible hours, and access from
anywhere.
○IT/technical staff no longer need to work ‘on-prem’.

○This can lead to improved work-life balance for employees.

●Companies can attract a wider talent pool. Staff don’t necessarily have to
even be based in the same country.

Collaboration 👍

(This is more about making use of cloud services such as SaaS
solutions).

● Cloud-based tools enable real-time document editing and

sharing.

● Version control and collaborative PM platforms streamline

workflows.

● Communication and video conferencing tools bridge distance
● Boosts productivity and innovation among teams.
● Fosters a more connected and agile workforce.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the core concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

• Maximizing profits for shareholders at any cost.

• Implementing environmentally friendly practices solely for marketing purposes.

• Donating a fixed percentage of profits to charitable causes annually.

• Integrating social and environmental concerns into a company's business operations and interactions with stakeholders.

Open Ended

How does your employer look after you? What are some of the perks?

Cost savings & reinvestment 👍

●

Cloud services operate on a pay-as-you-go model, reducing IT costs.

●

Savings can be reallocated to CSR initiatives.

●

Invest in employee training and development programs.

●

Support community projects or charitable organisations.

●

Fund research and development for sustainable technologies.

Match

Less than 10% of businesses would survive a major cybersecurity incident without a solid disaster recovery strategy. Match these three businesses to the amount they were estimated to have lost?

• Colonial Pipeline (2021): This major U.S. pipeline operator was hit by a ransomware attack, leading to a temporary shutdown of its operations and causing fuel shortages in parts of the country.

• JBS Foods (2021): This global meat processing giant was targeted by a ransomware attack that disrupted its operations in several countries.

• T-Mobile (2021): The telecommunications company suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of over 50 million customers and potential customers.

$4.4 million in ransom payments

$11 million ransom

$350 million+ to rectify

• $4.4 million in ransom payments

• $11 million ransom

• $350 million+ to rectify

Disaster recovery 👍

●

Cloud-based backup and disaster recovery protect against data loss from

unforeseen events.

●

Ensure business continuity, minimising downtime and economic impact.

●

Safeguard jobs by preventing extended disruptions to operations.

●

Enable quick restoration of critical systems and data, reducing recovery

time.

●

Increased resilience can lead to improved customer trust and brand

reputation.

Job Displacement 👎

●The automation and efficiency offered by cloud computing can lead to job losses.
a.

Less IT staff (as less on-prem systems).

b.

Automation and pipelines mean less staff required for operations-side of business

What do you do about it?

Match

Here are 4 examples of non-European data protection legislation. Match them to the countries

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

• CCPA

• Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais (LGPD)

• Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)

Canada

United States (California)

Brazil

Singapore

• Canada

• United States (California)

• Brazil

• Singapore

Multiple Choice

Does Azure support compliance for the previous question's data protection laws?

• Yes

• No

Data Privacy and Security Concerns 👎

●Storing sensitive data in the cloud raises concerns about privacy breaches and data security.

●Businesses must ensure they choose reputable providers with strong security measures.

Dependance on Internet Connectivity 👎

●Reliance on the cloud means that disruptions in internet connectivity can
significantly impact business operations, potentially affecting employees
and customers.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes "vendor lock-in" in the context of IT and cloud services?

• A situation where a customer is legally obligated to use a specific vendor's products or services for a fixed period.

• A scenario where a vendor offers exclusive discounts or benefits to loyal customers, incentivising them to remain with the vendor.

• A condition where a customer becomes dependent on a particular vendor's technology, making it difficult or costly to switch to a competitor.

• A marketing strategy used by vendors to attract new customers by offering free trials or introductory discounts.

Vendor Lock-in 👎

Choosing a cloud provider can sometimes lead to vendor lock-in, making it
difficult to switch providers later due to data migration challenges and
compatibility issues.

Ethical Considerations

😢💰⚖❤

July 2024

Dropdown

​

Select answer

: The right to control and protect your personal information. ​

Select answer

: Measures to safeguard information from unauthorised access or theft.

Data Privacy

●Ensuring robust protection, encryption, and access controls for sensitive data.

●Addressing concerns about data collection, usage, and potential repurposing.

Multiple Choice

Is the security and privacy of data stored in the cloud solely the cloud provider's responsibility?

• Yes

• No

Data Security 🔐

●Implementing measures to prevent unauthorised access, data breaches, and
cyberattacks.

●Investigating and confirming cloud providers' security practices.

Data Sovereignty 🌏

●Understanding and complying with jurisdictional laws and regulations
regarding data storage and processing.

●Considering the implications of data being stored in different countries.

Transparency & Accountability

●Demanding transparency from cloud providers regarding their data handling
practices.

●Holding cloud providers accountable for any ethical breaches or misuse of data.

Fairness and Non-discrimination ⚖

●Avoiding discriminatory practices in data collection and algorithm development.

• Collecting irrelevant or unnecessary data

• Unequal collection practices

• Biased algorithms

• Lack of transparency

Environmental Impact 🌳🌲🌴

●Considering the energy consumption and carbon footprint of cloud infrastructure.

●Choosing cloud providers with sustainable practices and renewable energy sources.

This session:

1.

Social considerations of cloud use

2.

Environmental considerations of cloud use.

3.

Ethical considerations of cloud use.

And the implications these might have for business using the cloud.