Companies are increasingly using environmental credentials to choose between cloud providers, according to a study by hosting firm Rackspace.
The company quizzed 232 respondents from the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil, and discovered that customers are focusing on sustainability during the selection process for cloud service providers.
Seventy-four per cent of respondents said sustainability would give a service provider an edge over another, even if the two choices are equal in other areas.
We see sustainability changing from a nice to have' to a need to have' for many end users.
The study found disparities between the attitudes of international companies and US ones to green issues.
For instance, when faced with the choice between two unequal providers, international companies would opt for the sustainable option 60 per cent more often than US firms.
When it comes to influencing purchasing decisions, 72 per cent of the US respondents said they believe sustainability is important when selecting a service provider and influencing a purchasing decision.
In the rest of the world, 91 per cent build sustainability into their purchasing decisions on either a periodic or standard basis.
"Looking at this year's results, we are seeing a clear correlation between service provider selection [and] sustainability factors," said Melissa Gray, Rackspace director of sustainability.
"We see sustainability expanding from a nice to have' to a need to have,' as companies understand that selecting solid partners as part of their supply chain translates into lower risk, more efficiency and more reward."
