Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Need to Complete Inventories and Plans to Achieve Expected Savings
GAO-11-565
Published: Jul 19, 2011. Publicly Released: Jul 26, 2011.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Over time, the federal government's demand for information technology has led to a dramatic rise in the number of federal data centers and an increase in operational costs. Recognizing this increase, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has launched a governmentwide initiative to consolidate data centers. GAO was asked to (1) assess whether agency consolidation documents include adequate detail for agencies to consolidate their centers, (2) identify the key consolidation challenges reported by agencies, and (3) evaluate whether lessons learned during state government consolidation efforts could be leveraged at the federal level. To address these objectives, GAO assessed the completeness of agency inventories and plans, interviewed agencies about their challenges, and evaluated the applicability of states' consolidation lessons to federal challenges.
In launching its federal data center consolidation initiative, OMB required the 24 participating agencies to submit data center inventories and consolidation plans by the end of August 2010, and provided guidance on key elements to include in the inventories and plans--such as hardware and software assets, goals, schedules, and cost-benefit calculations. The plans indicate that agencies anticipate closing about 650 data centers by fiscal year 2015 and saving about $700 million in doing so. However, only one of the agencies submitted a complete inventory and no agency submitted complete plans. Further, OMB did not require agencies to document the steps they took, if any, to verify the inventory data. For example, in their inventories, 14 agencies do not provide a complete listing of data centers and 15 do not list all of their software assets. Also, in their consolidation plans, 20 agencies do not reference a master schedule, 12 agencies do not address cost-benefit calculations, and 9 do not address risk management. The reason for these gaps, according to several agency officials, was that they had difficulty completing their inventories and plans within OMB's timelines. Until these inventories and plans are complete, agencies may not be able to implement their consolidation activities and realize expected cost savings. Moreover, without an understanding of the validity of agencies' consolidation data, OMB cannot be assured that agencies are providing a sound baseline for estimating consolidation savings and measuring progress against those goals. Agencies identified multiple challenges during data center consolidation, including those that are specific to OMB's consolidation initiative as well as those that are cultural, funding-related, operational, and technical in nature. For example, in attempting to fulfill OMB's requirements, 19 agencies reported difficulty in obtaining power usage data. In addition, 9 agencies reported challenges in maintaining services during the transition to consolidated services. Moving forward, it will be important for agencies to focus on mitigating such challenges as they implement their consolidation plans. Many state governments have undertaken data center consolidation initiatives in recent years and have encountered challenges similar to those reported by federal agencies. Specifically, 19 states reported lessons learned that could be leveraged at the federal level. For example, a West Virginia official reported that since the state had no funding for data center consolidation, it used the natural aging cycle of hardware to force consolidation; that is, when a piece of hardware was ready to be replaced, the new applications and software were put onto a consolidated server. Also, officials from North Carolina reported that organizations are typically concerned that by consolidating data centers, they will lose control of their data, service levels will decline, or costs will rise. The state learned that during the process of consolidation, the organizations' concerns should be documented, validated, and addressed. GAO is recommending that the Federal Chief Information Officer, department secretaries, and agency heads take steps to ensure that agency data center inventories and consolidation plans are complete. Most agencies agreed with GAO's recommendations. Defense and SSA did not agree to complete all missing elements of their inventories and plans. Based on OMB guidance on the importance of these elements, GAO maintains these recommendations to be reasonable and appropriate.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Management and Budget | To better ensure that the federal data center consolidation initiative improves governmental efficiency and achieves cost savings, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should direct the Federal Chief Information Officer to require that agencies, when updating their data center inventories in the third quarter of each fiscal year, state what actions have been taken to verify the inventories and to identify any limitations of this information. | In July 2011, OMB issued guidance to the 24 Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative agencies requiring them to submit complete consolidation plans by the end of September 2011, and to also provide a signed verification letter from their CIO which attests to the completeness of agency and subordinate organization consolidation plans, actions agencies took to verify their asset inventories, and any limitations of inventory and consolidation plan information. In March 2012, OMB further expanded on this guidance by requiring that all agencies, by the end of the fourth quarter of every fiscal year, submit an updated consolidation plan along with a signed verification letter similar to... what was required in 2011.
View More |
| Office of Management and Budget | To better ensure that the federal data center consolidation initiative improves governmental efficiency and achieves cost savings, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should direct the Federal Chief Information Officer to require that agencies complete the missing elements in their respective plans and submit complete data center consolidation plans, or provide a schedule for when they will do so, by September 30, 2011. |
In July 2011, OMB issued guidance to the 24 Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative agencies requiring them to submit complete consolidation plans by the end of September 2011. In March 2012, OMB further expanded on this guidance by requiring that all agencies, by the end of the fourth quarter of every fiscal year, complete all elements missing from their consolidation plans and to submit an updated consolidation plan.
|
| Office of Management and Budget | To better ensure that the federal data center consolidation initiative improves governmental efficiency and achieves cost savings, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should direct the Federal Chief Information Officer to require agencies to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their plans. |
In July 2011, OMB issued guidance to the 24 Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative agencies requiring them to submit complete consolidation plans by the end of September 2011, which were to reflect consolidation challenges experienced to date and to integrate lessons learned.
|
| Office of Management and Budget | To better ensure that the federal data center consolidation initiative improves governmental efficiency and achieves cost savings, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should direct the Federal Chief Information Officer to utilize the existing accountability infrastructure by requiring the Data Center Consolidation Task Force to assess agency consolidation plans to ensure they are complete and to monitor the agencies' implementation of their plans. | The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has taken steps to implement our recommendation, including assigning key responsibilities to the Data Center Consolidation Task Force related to assisting agencies with their consolidation efforts. In 2012, to help improve the completeness of agency's consolidation plans, the Data Center Consolidation Task Force conducted a peer review process. The purpose of the peer review process was for agencies to get feedback on their consolidation plans and potential improvement suggestions from a partner agency with a data center environment of similar size and complexity. The Task Force also held monthly meetings to, among other things, communicate and...
|
| Department of Education | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Education agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Education) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Department of Education's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to power...
|
| Department of Agriculture | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Agriculture agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Agriculture) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Department of Agriculture's updated inventory addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to IT servers...
|
| National Science Foundation | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including NSF) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, NSF's updated inventory provided complete information on physical servers, virtualization, energy usage, network storage, and data center information.
|
| Department of Energy | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Energy has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Energy) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2015, the Department of Energy had implemented our recommendation by substantially addressing previously missing elements, such as information related to power...
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Homeland Security agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Homeland Security) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of July 2014, the Department of Homeland Security's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as...
|
| Department of Justice | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Justice agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Justice) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Department of Justice's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to physical...
|
| Department of the Treasury | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The Department of the Treasury has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including Treasury) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2015, Treasury's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to network storage, electricity usage, and facility staffing.
|
| Department of the Interior | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of the Interior agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of the Interior) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Department of the Interior's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information...
|
| Office of Personnel Management | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Office of Personnel Management agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Office of Personnel Management) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Office of Personal Management's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as...
|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Health and Human Services has initial steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Health and Human Services) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services had implemented our recommendation by substantially addressing previously...
|
| U.S. Agency for International Development | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including USAID) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of July 2015, USAID's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to physical servers,...
|
| Social Security Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including SSA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, SSA's updated inventory provided complete information on physical servers, virtualization, energy usage, network storage, and data center information.
|
| General Services Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The General Services Administration (GSA) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including GSA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of July 2015, GSA's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to physical servers, virtualization,...
|
| Department of Commerce | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The Department of Commerce has taken steps to implement our recommendation. Specifically, Commerce submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and, in July 2012, we found that the plan to be complete. Regarding Commerce's data center inventory, as of June 2015, the department had implemented our recommendation by addressing previously missing elements, such as information related to power capacity, electricity usage, and facility staffing costs.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of Homeland Security (DH) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses the challenges in obtaining planned congressional funding and the immense amount of stakeholder coordination involved in consolidation. Further, the plan discusses how DH has built the collection of lessons learned into the fifth and final closeout stage of the department's documented consolidation approach.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011, and the plan discusses both consolidation challenges and lessons learned. Specifically, the plan discusses consolidation delays due to technology and resource constraints and how EPA consulted a range of IT consolidation practitioners and experts from government and industry to identify proven practices and lessons learned.
|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011, and the plan discusses both consolidation challenges and lessons learned. Specifically, the plan discusses changes in consolidation strategy mandated at the executive level and delays in the procurements required for consolidations. The plan also discusses the department's review of commercial and public best practices in developing VA's 2011 consolidation plan.
|
| Department of Education | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Education has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Education) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the department has continued to consider challenges and lessons learned in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, officials from Education's Office of the Chief Information Officer, who had responsibility for the department's data...
|
| Small Business Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Small Business Administration (SBA) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including SBA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, SBA officials with responsibility for the agency's data center consolidation-related efforts discussed challenges related to ensuring funding is made...
|
| Office of Personnel Management | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including OPM) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges and lessons learned in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, OPM officials with responsibility for the agency's data center consolidation-related efforts described challenges...
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including NASA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, NASA officials, including the Service Executive for Computing Services, who had responsibility for the agency's data...
|
| Department of the Treasury | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of the Treasury has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Treasury) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the department has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in December 2013, officials from Treasury's Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Systems and Chief Information Officer, who had responsibility for...
|
| Department of Defense | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Defense submitted an updated consolidation plan in November 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses challenges such as continuing budget resolutions delaying the implementation of consolidation plans and funding, as well the required investment in labor, new and more efficient hardware, upgrades to computer facilities, and increased operating costs, associated with consolidation. The plan also discusses lessons learned, such as the value of adopting a strategy to transfer applications and infrastructure to a shared services provider. The plan also discusses the importance of establishing moratorium on...
|
| Department of Labor | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Labor has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Labor) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the department has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, officials from Labor's Office of the Chief Information Officer, who had responsibility for the department's data center consolidation effort,...
|
| Department of Transportation | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Transportation agreed to consider, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including Transportation) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the department has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, Transportation's Director for IT Compliance indicated that the department had identified challenges related to: budgeting...
|
| Department of the Interior | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of the Interior submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses procedural and cultural challenges relating to consolidation, as well as challenges related to validating and implementing organizational change. Further, the plan discusses lessons learned about the complexities and constraints related to cross-component hosting and migration, data center cost drivers and limitations of legacy accounting systems and processes, and aligning infrastructure refresh with consolidation needs at the component organization level.
|
| Department of State | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of State submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses a primary consolidation challenge of balancing resources between equipment operation and consolidation and the relationship of this issue to securing and prioritizing funding. The plan also discusses lessons learned related to customer outreach and focusing on data center-by-data center closure.
|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses the difficulty with projecting electricity cost savings because of the very small percentage of HHS data centers that are currently metered to measure electricity usage and that this number was insufficient for projecting corresponding cost savings with any degree of confidence. Further, the plan notes that the department has evaluated lessons learned from the implementation of previous consolidations and incorporated that evaluation into a model to calculate the projected cost...
|
| U.S. Agency for International Development | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including USAID) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, USAID officials with responsibility for the agency's data center consolidation-related efforts described challenges...
|
| Social Security Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Social Security Administration (SSA) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including SSA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, SSA officials with responsibility for the agency's data center consolidation-related efforts discussed challenges related to measuring actual electrical...
|
| General Services Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The General Services Administration (GSA) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011, and the plan discusses both consolidation challenges and lessons learned. Specifically, the plan discusses such construction challenges as vendors not meeting schedules, non-responsive vendors, and IT equipment delivery delays. The plan also describes how lessons learned from data center organization allowed GSA to realize greater space and energy efficiencies.
|
| Department of Commerce | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of Commerce submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges, as well as lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses challenges such as providing complete inventory information and deploying shared services, and also discusses the accompanying lessons learned of the need for full power metering and the importance of reviewing inventory data, as well as fully defining and understanding shared services requirements.
|
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011, and the plan discusses both consolidation challenges and lessons learned. Specifically, the plan discusses challenges related to budgeting, resources, and managing the level of coordination required given the number of internal and external entities involved in facilities, data center, and IT planning. The plan also states that NRC uses lessons learned and best practices from states and other Federal agencies, as well as private industry.
|
| Department of State | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of State agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation; however, additional actions are needed. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including State) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of June 2015, State's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to...
|
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including NRC) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, NRC's updated inventory addressed previously missing elements, such as data center-related staffing information.
|
| Department of Labor | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. |
The Department of Labor has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including Labor) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of June 2015, Labor's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to electricity usage, power capacity, and facility staffing.
|
| Small Business Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Small Business Administration (SBA) agreed with, and has taken initial steps to implement, our recommendation; however, additional actions are needed. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including SBA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, SBA's updated inventory provided complete information on physical servers, virtualization,...
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including EPA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of July 2015, EPA's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to electricity usage, facility staffing information, and...
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including NASA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2015, NASA's updated inventory addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to electricity usage, power...
|
| Department of Transportation | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Transportation agreed to consider, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including Transportation) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, Transportation's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to power capacity,...
|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including VA) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required to update their data center inventories yearly. As of July 2015, VA's updated inventory substantially addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to electricity usage, power capacity, and...
|
| Department of Defense | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should direct their component agencies and their data center consolidation program managers to complete the missing elements in their respective data center consolidation inventories and plans. | The Department of Defense has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Department of Defense) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the memorandum stated that agencies were still required update their data center inventories yearly. As of May 2014, the Department of Defense's updated inventory addressed previously missing elements, such as information related to physical servers, virtualization, and...
|
| Department of Justice | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. |
The Department of Justice submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses funding challenges, the need to implement change to efficiently address consolidation, and the challenges of consolidating in a federated organization. Further, the plan addresses the department's interaction with other government and commercial organizations to build knowledge and leverage consolidation lessons learned.
|
| Department of Agriculture | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Agriculture agreed with, and has taken steps to implement, our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including the Agriculture) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the department has continued to consider challenges and lessons learned in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, Agriculture's Acting Associate Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Data Center Operations described the...
|
| National Science Foundation | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The National Science Foundation (NSF) has taken steps to implement our recommendation. In March 2013, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum that made significant changes to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative's reporting requirements, including eliminating the requirement for agencies (including NSF) to submit the previously required data center consolidation plans. However, the agency has continued to consider challenges in executing its data center consolidation effort. Specifically, in November 2013, officials from NSF's Office of Information and Resource Management/Division of Information Systems, who had responsibility for the department's data center...
|
| Department of Energy | The secretaries and agency heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development should require their data center consolidation program managers to consider consolidation challenges and lessons learned when updating their consolidation plans. | The Department of Energy submitted an updated consolidation plan in September 2011 and this plan discusses consolidation challenges and lessons learned. For example, the plan discusses the need for significant upfront investment to implement consolidation, which can be difficult as budgets continue to be reduced. Further, the plan discusses consolidation lessons learned, such as the need to assign a certified Data Center Energy Practitioner to each facility who is responsible for the accuracy of data calls and tracking and reporting on consolidation activities. The plan also discusses the establishment of a data center dashboard system to address conflicting interpretation of data call...
|
Full Report
Public Inquiries
Topics
AssetsCentralizationCost analysisData centersDocumentationFederal agenciesInformation technologyInteragency relationsInventoriesLessons learnedReporting requirementsRisk managementStrategic information systems planningStrategic planningConsolidationSavings estimates