Industry news

IT depts 'not ready for carbon rules'

Information technology departments are "ill-prepared" for a forthcoming carbon cap and trade scheme, it has been claimed.

The scheme, developed by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, was laid down by the government in 2007 as part of its plan to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions.

IT Week reports it will hit firms and organisations which use more than 5,000 kilowatts of electricity a year.

These companies will have to have carbon reporting processes in place by 2010, with much of this responsibility falling on IT departments.

Quoted by the magazine, Jes Seymour of consultancy company IT Insight said: "Although it may seem a simple requirement, the devil is in the detail. The scheme may mean changes to older systems and significant overhauls."

In order to run a detailed reporting process effectively some departments may need to look at improved bandwidth for their networks or completely revamp network infrastructure.