The Carbon Dilemma for IT

Addressing the Carbon Dilemma

Carbon issues are at the forefront of social and Government agendas resulting in new legislation and business pressure through the supply chain. Action is required now in preparedness for ensuring compliance and to secure business benefits, such as increased efficiency, reduced cost, corporate social responsibility, enhanced reputation and competitiveness.

To meet this challenge, the Carbon Management discipline is being considered in organisational structures. This new role will unite many disciplines and with IT potentially accounting for a large percentage of a company’s CO2 emissions, engagement and access to specialist IT services and infrastructure skills will be mandatory.

However, adding headcount is always a difficult, costly and time-consuming response.

For IT, carbon management has considerable technical and managerial commitments to undertake including:

1. Calculating and monitoring CO2 emissions.
2. Delivery of reports, internally and externally.
3. Developing programmes of change to incorporate CO2 reduction commitments.
4. Aligning CO2 emissions with IT service delivery.
5. Integration with IT service management.
6. Keeping aware of new technologies
7. Ensuring compliance and plan for new legislation
8. Maintain carbon awareness programmes

These new responsibilities place increased overhead on already lean budgets without offering immediate or short-term ROI benefits.

Opportunities for business exist in managing their CO2 emissions efficiently and in order to adhere to the current directives and exploit their potential, careful and targeted use of resources will be necessary.

Although carbon management cannot be ignored embracing the issues can deliver real business benefits.