IT professionals need new skills to deliver green IT

That's the message from BCS, the chartered institute for IT. "There is no doubt that legislation is going to create demand for IT professionals with new skills, and generate new roles," states Michiel van der Voort, director international and professional development services at BCS. "For example, we're already seeing the emergence of new business roles, such as sustainability managers," he says – making the point that, in the UK, legislation, such as the CRC energy efficiency scheme, will make it mandatory for large organisations to understand and report energy consumption. That is why, he says, the Institute has launched an intermediate certificate in energy and cost management for data centres, alongside its updated intermediate certificate in the EU code of conduct for data centres. The new certificate will cover: the importance of managing data centre energy and cost; what it involves; predicting and demonstrating appropriate management; and comparing energy and cost management options. The certificate is aimed at data centre managers, operators, consultants and technicians, as well as business unit managers, IT purchasers, architects, solution consultants and CSR professionals. "There's a real opportunity here for IT professionals to get ahead of the game, understand the legislation and the associated challenges of reducing emissions," says van der Voort.