Back to the future: data center consolidation in the states

Deltek Analyst Randi Powell reports.

Data center consolidation continues to be a top priority for many state chief information officers (CIOs) who hope to reduce cost, optimize IT infrastructure, and pursue green IT methods. While most states strive for the same outcomes consolidation efforts can produce, not every state has taken the same path to get there.

Deltek’s latest report reviews data center consolidation initiatives in 14 states over a span of 10 years. The report, released last week, looks specifically at common data center consolidation solicitation requirements and examines existing data center backgrounds. The most common consolidation paths focus on facilities, hardware/software, and services, each of which offers a different opportunity to the vendor community.

Data center facility consolidation aims to reduce operating expenses associated with maintaining several data centers statewide while trying to ensure a centralized location does not increase risk. This approach increases performance by streamlining IT services and lowering energy usage. The biggest concerns with data center facility consolidation are security, capacity, and power consumption.

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