Texas seeks help in consolidating data centers

17.04.2006
The state of Texas is seeking proposals from outsourcers to consolidate 31 data centers that run 16 mainframes and 7,000 servers and employ more than 500 people. The move is part of an effort to cut costs and eliminate duplication.

Earlier this month, Texas issued a request for proposals, which are due by the end of May. The state plans to select a vendor for the project by year's end, said Leslie Mueller, assistant director for customer services at the Texas Department of Information Resources in Austin.

The state's IT oversight agency believes that Texas "can get tremendous value" from such a project by eliminating duplications in its infrastructure, said Mueller. Analysis determined that annual data-center operating costs in Texas total about US$107 million.

The state legislature mandated the consolidation in a measure approved last summer. The agency hasn't yet decided how many data centers will remain after the consolidation is completed.

Consolidation Trend

Texas is hardly alone among state governments in planning a consolidation project, but its initiative is one of the largest.