Time To Go Green: 10 Trends Reshaping The Future Of VPS Hosting

Sustainability has taken the tech world by storm. As we enter a new era dominated by energy efficiency and solar power, the hosting industry has begun to follow suit.

Traditionally, energy efficiency has been a big concern for web host providers. To power a standard VPS hosting plan, all private servers and rack-mounted hardware must run 24/7, powered by unsustainable energy sources at high prices.

To combat this, more VPS hosting companies than ever before are opting for sustainable power sources, such as solar and wind, to generate eco-friendly, cost-effective hosting services that power data centers effectively with little to no carbon footprint.

Not only is it crucial for companies to go green in the interest of protecting the planet, but it also bodes well for customers. Research has shown that eco-consumerism is blossoming, and in fact, one survey from YouGov has shown that 51% of people believe tech companies aren’t going far enough with their eco-conscious efforts.

With this in mind, let’s examine ten sustainable trends in the VPS hosting industry that will emerge in 2024 and beyond.

10 Eco-Friendly Trends Revolutionizing The VPS Hosting Industry In 2024

It’s no secret that a focus on sustainability drives business for VPS hosting providers.

On the back of an industry-wide ‘green’ rebrand, green hosting continues to redefine the way we power our site servers. The question is, where will green hosting go next, and how are hosting providers adapting to a new eco-friendly era?

Here are the ten hottest trends making headway in the VPS hosting sector in 2024.

1. AI for Energy Management

One of the key trends redefining sustainable VPS hosting is its integration with AI. It not only streamlines hosting operations on many levels but has raised the level of customer support available, reducing downtime and generally boosting output.

Believe it or not, AI is also contributing to the sustainability movement as well. AI has been found to reduce energy consumption in data centers by up to 30%, according to WiFiTalents. 

So, it’s a no-brainer for the more ecologically-minded VPS hosting service companies.

In addition, AI itself is becoming more eco-friendly. It uses its own technology to identify areas where it wastes energy and suggests improvements based on this. So, this should be a real priority for VPS hosting providers looking for sustainability.

2. Greener Sources of Energy 

In 2024, the best sustainable VPS hosts are partnering with energy suppliers to offer more environmentally friendly sources of energy. Greenhouse gas energy companies are being abandoned in favor of renewable energy sources.

On the back of a green movement in the hosting industry, fewer providers are sourcing energy from traditional fossil fuels.

Unusable energy sourcing adds significantly to the host's carbon footprint, and this has the potential to drive eco-friendly customers to sustainable competitors.

3. Sustainable Server Scaling

For sustainable VPS hosts, it has never been more important to use software optimized for energy efficiency and 24/7 uptime.

More businesses are opting for VPS tools that don’t run other wasteful background processes.

This includes investing in energy-efficient data centers and sustainable resource utilization.

Using a VPS host, customers can ensure that all server resources are fully utilized. Traditionally, a dedicated server would allow a client to use a whole physical server when the hosted website would only require a portion of the available resources it offered. Not only does this waste a considerable amount of energy, but it also raises the costs for companies and consumers.

Stepping into a sustainable future, modern virtual private servers run on a single machine that can be scaled based on individual hosting needs. This reduces the resources needed to power the hardware and promotes a lower carbon footprint.

4. The Rise of Sustainable Hardware

Environmentalism is changing not just the software world. We’re also seeing the use of more sustainable hardware in VPS hosting.

The key hardware in question is servers. Server hardware is more energy efficient than ever, reducing energy waste.

Energy Star tells us that modern servers contain more efficient power supplies, lower-power processors, and better cooling fans. 

5. Data Center Design for Energy Efficiency

Traditional data centers are extremely energy-intensive. To combat this, VPS hosting providers are beginning to introduce optimized server layouts for reducing energy use and self-cooling hardware that contributes to a greener internet.

Take Hostao, for example. Their green VPS solution includes the addition of eco-friendly data centers that are powered by renewable energy sources.

Therefore, it’s crucial that VPS host companies make their data centers as efficient as possible by 2024.

This typically involves building data centers in a way that offers maximum airflow for cooling, optimized layouts for space, and the use of eco-friendly materials in buildings.

6. Self-Sourced Energy 

While some host providers have changed their energy sourcing to go green, others have gone one step further and actually generated their own energy.

A handful of companies supply most of their own energy from solar panels placed on their office buildings. There have even been reports of tech companies investing in wind farms.

Kualo is just one energy company that has self-sourced a 100% renewable energy scheme for their servers:

“Our global operations are powered entirely by renewable energy. Our UK datacentre uses 100% green sourced power procured directly on the Open Energy Market, and our US facility uses 100% renewable energy, as certified by Green-e.”

Generating power from a renewable source isn’t only ethical but also could be cost-efficient.

7. Further Carbon Offsetting 

After big tech companies like Microsoft set the green scene by going carbon-neutral all the way back in 2012, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the tech sector followed suit.

Now, we’re seeing plenty of VPS hosting services, such as Kualo and EcoHosting, jumping on the bandwagon by pledging to offset their carbon output.

The basic principle of carbon offsetting is to take as much carbon out of the atmosphere as they put into it in terms of CO2 emissions, and there are a few ways that this can be done.

For example, some VPS hosting providers have started to plant trees every time someone signs up for a new hosting account with them. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

8. Use of Virtualization Technology

We looked at AI earlier, but virtualization is also important to consider as a means to consolidate workloads and reduce the power output of VPS hosting.

This can even reduce the need for fewer physical servers, so it’s clear why this step is environmentally friendly.

The key benefit of virtualization technology is that it aids computer hardware in running in more efficient ways.

While it may not save customers on server purchasing, those who choose to invest will gain a server that can systematically allocate resources based on demand, ensuring optimal performance while still reducing waste.

In fact, according to a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, server virtualization technology alone can improve energy savings by up to 80%.

9. Taking Up Green Certifications 

One key way VPS hosting companies have been showing off their newfound green focus is by earning green certifications. In the U.S., there are 33 sustainability certifications available.

The more of these a VPS host company can get, the better, as it’s a great way for the providers to prove to customers that they’re doing their bit for the environment. They may cost a little to pick up in the first place, but the improved business from them is likely to cover this and then some.

10. Consumer Demand for Environmental Friendliness

As noted, there’s a lot to be said for the customer's voice in a new sustainable era of VPS hosting.

Eco-friendly consumerism is most popular among Millennials and Generation Z, which suggests that it will only become a more common factor in purchase decision-making in the future.

Well, over half of consumers now take multiple steps towards sustainability in their purchasing decisions, as reported by Strategy + Business. This will, no doubt, influence any upcoming VPS hosting trends moving forward.

What’s Next for Eco-Friendly VPS Hosting?

VPS hosting services are employing several new technologies, such as AI and sustainable hardware, to meet the growing demand for eco-consumerism. As a result of these ten trends, VPS hosting services are greener than ever.

This has a massive impact on the planet's health, and it’s good news for business. The more eco-friendly a VPS host is, the more success it will drive. And, in such a competitive industry, this engagement is gold dust.

While these ten trends are redefining the VPS hosting scene today, as time passes and newer, eco-friendly technology becomes available, we’ll likely be able to add a number of extra entries to this list.

It is to see where the future takes us with VPS hosting environmentalism.

Author Bio

Dmytro Spilka is the CEO at Solvid and founder of Pridicto. My work has been published in Entrepreneur, Creative Bloq, Shopify, Zapier, Mention, WordStream, and Campaign Monitor.
 

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About the Author

Dmytro Spilka Director and Founder at Solvid

Dmytro is a Head Wizard at Solvid, a creative inbound marketing & software development agency in London. His work has been featured and mentioned in a wide range of publications, including The Next Web, Business2Community, Huff Post, Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg, Sitepoint, SEMRush, and more.

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