IBC2023 Tech Papers: Media and Entertainment Sustainability on the Cloud

Abstract

Media and Entertainment (M&E) companies are committing to become more sustainable for their employees, customers, and communities. At the same time, M&E companies are also seeking to enhance and re-invent their businesses using cloud computing (the on-demand delivery of compute power, database, storage, applications, and other IT resources via the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing). Fortunately, the goals of improving sustainability and cloud adoption can be synergistic, as enhanced business efficiency via cloud can also drive sustainability in terms of lower carbon emissions and better water stewardship. Cloud providers, through scale and focus on innovation, can achieve higher resource utilization and greater energy efficiency than is possible for typical on-premises or collocated data centers. This paper will examine why M&E companies are seeking sustainability, basic sustainability terminology, M&E sustainability organizations, published sustainability goals of M&E companies, and how M&E companies have actually enhanced their sustainability on the cloud.

Introduction

Businesses and organizations can have negative environmental impacts such as direct or indirect carbon emissions, unrecyclable waste, and damage to shared resources like clean water. The need for sustainability in these areas touches everyone, and multiple sectors of society have expressed interest in sustainability. Many are now using sustainability as a measure for what companies they will work with, invest in, and buy from. Responding to demands from customers, employees, impact investment guidelines, and government regulations, companies are increasingly taking sustainability seriously. Media & Entertainment (M&E) companies are now making pledges, developing plans and strategies for sustainability, and are acting on these plans to achieve measurable sustainability goals.

At the same time, M&E companies are also seeking to enhance and re-invent their businesses using cloud computing, defined as the on-demand delivery of compute power, database, storage, applications, and other IT resources via the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. Fortunately, the goals of improving sustainability and cloud adoption can be synergistic, as enhanced business efficiency via cloud can also drive sustainability.