Following a report entitled the Carbon Disclosure Project, which looked into the environmental impact of global business, cloud-based software packages are looking like quite an attractive option right now.

The report concluded that such technology could save as much as 85.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year, within a decade, as well as saving businesses up to $12.3bn (£7.55bn).

Put simply, cloud services are pretty good for the planet.

But it’s not just good news for companies wishing to reduce their carbon footprint, the technology can be advantageous in other areas too.

And with the popularity of Microsoft’s various Office 365 packages, could we soon be seeing cloud-based technology forming the future of software packages as we know them?

The graphic – titled Office 365: What it means for your business – below takes a look at how Office 365 can ultimately benefit a business (as well as the environment).