Can the cloud help businesses green their IT? Yes, says Microsoft.

A study commissioned by the software giant, and conducted by Accenture and WSP Environment and Energy, finds that cloud computing can cut emissions and reduce power consumption by up to 30 percent. The reductions are more pronounced for small businesses, which lack the expertise and economies of scale of large data center operators. CIOInsight explains:

Small businesses, of about 100 users, moving business applications away from on-site servers into the cloud can see net energy and carbon savings of more than 90 percent, the researchers wrote. For mid-sized organizations, of about 1,000 users, the savings were between 60 to 90 percent, according to the study.

Mind you, the study was centered around Microsoft’s own collaboration and CRM software, and the company is making a big push toward cloud-based services (Azure). Nonetheless, the findings are help all cloud providers strengthen their eco-friendly messaging.

You see, the growth of cloud services have caused concern among some environmentalists due to the massive data center builds that are required to support them. But, as I’ve written before, the cloud’s eco-benefits stand a good chance of outweighing the negatives. And now Microsoft’s data is the latest to help bolster the cloud’s green rep.