Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Making Progress, but Planned Savings Goals Need to Be Established

Citation
Government Accountability Office, Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Making Progress, but Planned Savings Goals Need to Be Established (GAO-16-323) (Mar. 3, 2016) (full-text).

Overview
The 24 agencies participating in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative have collectively made progress on their data center closures efforts. As of November 2015, agencies identified a total of 10,584 data centers, of which they reported closing 3,125 through fiscal year 2015. Notably, the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, the Interior, and the Treasury accounted for 84% of these total closures. Agencies are also planning to close an additional 2,078 data centers &mdash; for a total of 5,203 &mdash; by the end of fiscal year 2019.

In total, 19 of the 24 agencies reported achieving an estimated $2.8 billion in cost savings and avoidances from fiscal years 2011 to 2015. In particular, the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and the Treasury accounted for about $2.4 billion (or about 86%) of the total. Further, 21 agencies collectively reported planning an additional $5.4 billion in cost savings and avoidances, for a total of approximately $8.2 billion, through fiscal year 2019.