data center consolidation – Internetblog.org.uk

IT executives doubt time line of government data consolidation plan

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:40:19 +0000

The United States government has pledged to consolidate its data centers from its current over-bloated structure into a more efficient form. A survey of 143 federal IT executives reveals that 63% of believe the consolidation will take place, but an even greater 74% think it will take longer than the government estimates to carry out the plan.

Nearly half of respondents said it would be reasonable for their agency to give up data centers under the plan. Around the same number of people expressed concern about using services from a private firm, however.

Some 86%of the executives believe that government culture is the biggest obstacle to consolidation. Most agreed that sharing data centers between government agencies was the most viable option for trimming the fat. If the government is successful, it will have conducted the largest data center consolidation ever.

U.S. government to consolidate data centers

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:11:25 +0000

Following the current trend among corporations to consolidate IT infrastructure, the U.S. government is making plans to drastically reduce the number of data centers in operation and make its computing more efficient.

Over the last decade, the number of federal data centers has more than doubled to 1100. These facilities consume 6 billion kwH of power yearly. If action is not taken to increase efficiency and save energy, this figure could jump to 12 billion kwH.

Data center consolidation is good for hardware vendors because the government will have to invest in new servers and other equipment to make the change. As far as human resources go, however, a number of server admins and other employees could find themselves jobless as a result of this new trend. Having fewer data centers means there will be less of a need for technicians, security guards, janitorial staff, and other positions.