Closing time

The 2010 Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) and the 2014 Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) led to the closure of thousands of data centers - with ‘data center’ being redefined last year to include smaller sites - bringing over $1 billion in savings, but not going far enough, or fast enough.

In August 2016, the government finalized its Data Center Optimization Initiative, which laid out further plans for greater efficiency and a shift to the cloud, with FITARA remaining in force.

Hitting the target closure timeline has proved tricky, however, particularly for the US Army, which is meant to shut down 60 percent of its nearly 1,200 data centers by fiscal 2018, but is not expected to reach that goal. Neither are numerous other agencies.

“2018 probably isn’t enough time to get this done,” Dave Powner, director of IT issues at the Government Accountability Office, said at MeriTalk’s Data Center Brainstorm (via Meritalk).

He added that FITARA and the accompanying initiatives had led to 4,400 data center closures, but that they were still behind schedule, with some 5,600 data centers currently active.

“A key recommendation moving forward is extending the sunset provision in FITARA. The question is how long to extend it. If an agency really can’t optimize by 2020, should they be in the business of managing a data center? They need to ask themselves that. If agencies can’t operate these things, they need to think long and hard about getting out of the business.”

Some agencies have performed better than others, Powner said. Of the active data centers, only 120 have embraced server utilization tools, including those at NASA and the Social Security Administration.

While the overall goal is to close 25 percent of large data centers and 65 percent of small data centers, Veterans Affairs aims to close just 8 percent, and the Department of Transportation plans to close 4 percent of its large data centers over the next two years.

“VA’s done very little on data center consolidation,” Powner said. “It’s sad what our veterans have.”

FITARA requires agencies to submit transparency plans detailing cost-cutting measures, but that has also not gone as expected.

Powner said that 12 agencies outlined plans with potential savings of $600 million, while ten agencies submitted plans without savings involved, and the Defense and the Office of Personnel Management agencies submitted nothing.

He added: “We need to have agencies commit more to these savings. This is where we need leadership from [The Office of Management and Budget].”