Federal Data Center Consolidation Plans Expected to Show Big Savings
Posted on Mon, May 23, 2011 @ 04:58 PM
The Office of Management and Budget has mandated that federal data collection centers downsize 800 facilities by 2015. Consolidating these data centers has a unique set of challenges, but when overcome, the potential monetary savings are tremendous.
Federal Data Center Consolidation: Measure to Manage Report
A recent study by the government's IT network, MeriTalk, indicates that the government could save almost 19 billion dollars once data center consolidation efforts are implemented and complete. The study also reveals that while federal agencies are committed to the consolidation, some 40% of IT decision makers who have evaluated the costs of consolidation do not have the money in their budgets to implement the needed measures.
The report shows how some consolidation efforts have already been accomplished with agencies currently realizing about 20% savings in their IT budget. The report also illustrates that while data center collection efforts are already saving money, the potential for future savings is even more meaningful.
Challenges to Consolidation
One of the biggest challenges to data center consolidation is the lack of consistent definitions between the various agencies. Most IT decision makers have consistent data within their own agencies, but there are no standards between the various government agencies. A glaring example of these inconsistencies can be found in the wide variety of criteria and definitions used to qualify the different data centers.
According to the report, agencies are using at least 3 different definitions in their analysis of data centers. Some agencies define a data center as a room at least 1000 square feet that contains servers. Other agencies allow for a room of any size that contains servers, while some agencies qualify any room dedicated to data processing that is larger than 500 square feet.
Conclusions
The report suggests that data center consolidation will be more easily achieved by using a flexible and more efficient IT infrastructure. It further concludes that consolidation is no longer just a mandate-it has become a necessity. Overcoming the challenges to consolidation will be a formidable task, but the benefits will be well worth the effort.
