Does counting data centers miss the point? -- FCW

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://fcw.com:80/articles/2013/01/25/fdcci-goals.aspx","20130127110055","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1359284455"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>Does counting data centers miss the point? -- FCW</title> <meta name="description" content="The number of closures is an easy measure in the ongoing data center consolidation effort, but it's hardly the most important one."> <meta name="keywords" content="Steven VanRoekel, Mark Forman, federal data center consolidation initiative, FDCCI">  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/img/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"/>  <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-6779162-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://ssl' : 'https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script>  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/favicon.png"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20130127110055cs_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/css/style.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20130127110055cs_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/css/bx_styles.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20130127110055cs_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/css/jquery.mCustomScrollbar.css" type="text/css"/>   <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/design/global/js/core.js"></script> <script src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/js/login.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/js/jquery.mCustomScrollbar.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/js/jquery.mousewheel.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/js/jquery.bxSlider.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> $(document).ready(function(){ $('#slider').bxSlider({ displaySlideQty: 3, moveSlideQty: 1, autoControls: true }); $('.relatedSpecific').after("<br class='clear'>"); $('#extraContent table').before("<br class='clear'>"); $(".day").mCustomScrollbar(); }); </script> </head> <body id="Body1"> <form name="form1" method="post" action="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/25/fdcci-goals.aspx" id="form1"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATE" id="__VIEWSTATE" value="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"/> </div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> var id = ''; function FocusSearchBox(ctl) { id = ctl;} function BlurSearchBox() { id = '';} document.onkeypress = function disableKey(e) { var evtobj = window.event ? event : e;var unicode = evtobj.charCode ? evtobj.charCode : evtobj.keyCode;if (unicode == 13) {if (id == '') {window.event.keyCode = 0;} else {document.getElementById("hdnSearch").value = id;document.getElementById(id.replace("txt", "btn")).click();} } } </script> <script src="/web/20130127110055js_/http://fcw.com/ScriptResource.axd?d=lA4YcjqYGqEtyoU9SXv1fQNKpBVAd6uY2C59BfMJQTQ9nr7Lr6gxPie6DPWr94TstFBGwfF2UXhKpdYzXUsQ-WVmHM4v8Czi7POlmms2P0tIAYy0_EKlV3DxrXSWozwLP8RJ1gBcASOW15ht9rI28NaFfdkyWcTVyUMRpmy8LWEqVrXz0&t=ffffffffed75c4af" type="text/javascript"></script> <div id="wrapper"> <script type="text/javascript"> var gIntersitial = 20000 ; </script> <div id="intersitialMask"></div> <div id="intersitial"> <div class="adClose"><a id="adclose" href="javascript:;">Close this Advertisement</a></div> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=S01;tile=1;sz=640x480;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=S01;tile=1;sz=640x480;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=S01;tile=1;sz=640x480;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">showIntersitial();</script> </div> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t1;tile=2;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t1;tile=2;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t1;tile=2;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> <div id="headerWrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="ctl07_divBlockBox" class="logo"> <div id="ctl07_divBody" class="summary"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/home.aspx"><img title="FCW: The Business of Federal Technology" alt="FCW" src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/img/fcw-logo.png"></a></div> </div><div class="headerTools blockBox clearfix"> <noindex>  <div class="trending"> <ul class="topnavlist"><li class="navblock">Trending:</li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/trending/fiscalcliff.aspx">Sequestration</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/trending/second-term.aspx">Second Term</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/trending/skills.aspx">Skills & Training</a></li><li class=" last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/trending/outlook-2013.aspx">Outlook 2013</a></li></ul> <br class="clear"/> </div>  </noindex> <noindex>  <div class="adminLinks"> <ul class="topnavlist"><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/about.aspx">About Us</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://1105govinfo.com/pages/brands/fcw/overview.aspx">Advertise</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/contact.aspx">Contact Us</a></li><li class=" last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://1105-sub.halldata.com/FWnew&PK=FWEBTS">Subscribe</a></li></ul> <br class="clear"/> </div>  </noindex> <noindex>  <div class="socialLinks"> <ul class="topnavlist"><li class=" rss"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/rss-feeds/all.aspx">RSS</a></li><li class=" lkn"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www.linkedin.com/company/fcw" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li class=" fb"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://www.facebook.com/FCWnow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li><li class=" gpls"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://plus.google.com/b/106941915920971773318/106941915920971773318/posts" target="_blank">Google</a></li><li class=" last twt"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://twitter.com/fcwnow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li></ul> <br class="clear"/> </div>  </noindex> </div> <div id="nav"> <noindex>  <div class="topnav"> <ul class="topnavlist"><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/policy.aspx">Policy</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/management.aspx">Management</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/exec-tech.aspx">Exec Tech</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/people.aspx">Who & Where</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/the-hill.aspx">The Hill</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/agencies.aspx">Agencies</a></li><li class=""><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/portals/opinion.aspx">Opinion</a></li><li class=" last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/resources.aspx">Resources</a></li></ul> <br class="clear"/> </div>  </noindex> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=3;sz=972x32,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=3;sz=972x32,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=3;sz=972x32,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="contentTopWrapper"> <div id="contentTop"> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=4;sz=974x32,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=4;sz=974x32,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=TS01;tile=4;sz=974x32,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> <div id="pContentTop"> </div> <div id="sContentTop"> </div> <div id="xContentTop"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="extraTopWrapper"> <div id="extraTopContent"> </div> </div> <div id="contentWrapper"> <div id="content"> <div id="pContent"> <style type="text/css"> .social_share #ss { float: left; margin-right: 18px; } </style> <div class="social_share"> <div id="ss"> <script src="//web.archive.org/web/20130127110055js_/http://platform.linkedin.com/in.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="IN/Share"></script> </div> <div id="ss"> <div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=213804045416377"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script> <div class="fb-like" data-send="false" data-layout="button_count" data-width="450" data-show-faces="true"></div></div> <div id="ss"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-lang="en" data-count="none" data-via="FCWnow">Tweet</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script> </div> <div id="ss">  <div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="none"></div> </div>  <script type="text/javascript"> (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); </script> </div> <div id="level0"> <div id="article"> <p id="ctl27_KickerText" class="kicker">Data Centers</p> <h3 id="ctl27_MainHeading" class="title">Does counting data centers miss the point?</h3> <ul id="ctl27_ByAuthor" class="byline"> <li class="author">By Frank Konkel</li><li class="date">Jan 25, 2013</li> </ul> <div class="remove imageCap"> <img class="remove" title="Does counting data centers miss the point?" alt="Steve VanRoekel 102012" src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/25/~/media/GIG/FCWNow/People/V/Vanroekel_steven.ashx"> <p>Closing data centers is a means to an end, not the end itself, says U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel. (FCW photo)</p></div> <p>One of the key measurements of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative is how many data centers have been closed. But focusing on that as if it were the end in itself is a mistake, said U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel.</p> <p>The closures are more a means to an end, a necessary first step toward optimizing the federal government’s IT systems, he said -- an argument echoed by others in both industry and government.</p> <p>VanRoekel was one of several federal officials who discussed data center consolidation at a Jan. 22 hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (Read more FCW coverage of the hearing <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/24/data-center.aspx">here</a>.)</p> <p>At the hearing, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) suggested that the data centers were put in place originally for good reasons, and asked how the government decided which ones to close -- or even whether they should be closed at all.</p> <p>The question gave VanRoekel the chance to explain that closing a data center means moving its information elsewhere, not losing it. The overall effect is to retain the data, but lower the cost of storing and using it. </p> <p>"In essence, we are going to optimize and close data centers by shifting the resources of one to other ones – to more efficient data centers – not taking away certain services, not deprecating any service we provide," VanRoekel said. "And if anything, while we make that shift, we modernize those systems and provide an even better service. It’s a really nice opportunity to build efficiency and effectiveness at a much lower cost."</p> <p>Agencies are attempting to realize long-term savings in different ways, with each creating their own plans of action, according to David Powner, director of IT management issues at GAO.</p> <p>In theory, when an agency closes a data center, it will realize savings from reduced energy consumption, eliminated facility costs and reduced labor, but a big chunk of potential savings depends upon how the agency optimizes its existing IT infrastructure.</p> <p>Getting rid of a few obsolete servers that run singular applications can certainly save money, but if an agency is simply moving old, inefficient applications and systems to another facility, they’re losing big savings in the long run, said Rob Stein, NetApp’s public sector vice president. The key is to take the opportunity to make real changes in strategy. </p> <p>"I think the cost benefits are huge if agencies go to a shared environment where multiple tenant applications use the same infrastructure, server, storage, networking and software in a secure manner," he said. "That way, they are reducing their real estate costs by closing centers and reducing the hardware and software infrastructure they need, too."</p> <p>Mark Forman, former administrator for e-government and IT at the Office of Management and Budget, has expressed doubts about agencies’ willingness to "consolidate away the complexity" of client/server applications.</p> <p>But Stein said some agencies are doing just that and saving large amounts of money in the process, considering data storage and management is one of the biggest expenses in the federal government’s $80 billion IT budget. </p> <p>The National Institutes of Health, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Department's Enterprise Services Center and the State Department have cut data storage costs as much as 80 percent using NetApp’s software, Stein said.  </p> <p>EMC, IBM, HP and Oracle provide agencies with similar products. </p> <p>Added benefits of the shared environment are non-disruptive upgrades, increased scalability and easy integration with numerous software and hardware platforms. As Stein put it, technology is out there that allows "agencies to do a lot more with a much smaller chunk of real estate." </p>   </div> </div> <noindex> <div id="ctl29_EmailThis" class="email"> <p><a id="ctl29_Email" href="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Forms/EmailItem.aspx?EmailItem={A2CC428F-AE96-4D4A-AB70-29913F0CCA0F}">E-Mail this page</a></p> </div> </noindex> <noindex> <div id="ctl31_PrintFormat" class="print"> <p><a id="ctl31_Print" href="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Articles/2013/01/25/fdcci-goals.aspx?p=1" target="_blank">Printable Format</a></p> </div> </noindex> </div> <div id="sContent"> <noindex> <div id="ctl33_pnlSearch" class="search"> <fieldset> <input name="ctl33$txtSearch" type="text" id="ctl33_txtSearch" onfocus="FocusSearchBox('ctl33_txtSearch')" onblur="BlurSearchBox()"/> <select name="ctl33$ddlCollections" id="ctl33_ddlCollections"> <option selected="selected" value="FCW_Web">FCW</option> </select> <input type="submit" name="ctl33$btnSearch" value="Search" id="ctl33_btnSearch" class="submit"/> <p id="ctl33_AdvancedFormLink" class="advanced"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Forms/Advanced-Search.aspx">Advanced Search</a></p> <input type="hidden" id="hdnSearch" name="hdnSearch" visible="false"/> </fieldset> </div> </noindex> <noindex>  <div id="popular"> <div class="tabbedFields"> <ul class="tabMenu"> <li><a href="javascript:;">Most Popular Articles</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:;">Most Emailed Articles</a></li> </ul>  <div class="tabContent"> <h3><a id="ctl35_PopularItemsRepeater_ctl00_StoryHeadlineHyperLink" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/25/flu-social-media.aspx">Predictive analytics allows feds to track outbreaks in real time</a></h3> <h3><a id="ctl35_PopularItemsRepeater_ctl01_StoryHeadlineHyperLink" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/23/social-media-analytics.aspx">Agencies learning to measure social media impact</a></h3> <h3><a id="ctl35_PopularItemsRepeater_ctl02_StoryHeadlineHyperLink" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2012/11/07/election-recap.aspx">Obama wins. Now what? </a></h3> </div>  <div class="tabContent"> </div> </div> </div>  </noindex><div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R1;tile=5;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R1;tile=5;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R1;tile=5;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Promo_S1;tile=6;sz=300x90,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Promo_S1;tile=6;sz=300x90,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Promo_S1;tile=6;sz=300x90,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> <div id="ctl41_divListBox" class="listBoxManual"> <h3 id="ctl41_h3Header">Resources</h3> <ul> <li id="ctl41_lvManualList_ctrl0_liListItem"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/whitepapers/2012/09/hughes-managed-services-help-agencies-grow-wp-090412.aspx?tc=page0">Choosing the Right MSP Provider</a> </li> <li id="ctl41_lvManualList_ctrl1_liListItem"> Cloud First or Identity First? </li> <li id="ctl41_lvManualList_ctrl2_liListItem"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/webcasts/2012/10/gdit-unified-comm-101612.aspx?tc=page0">Unified Communications: Helping Agencies Connect</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R2;tile=7;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R2;tile=7;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R2;tile=7;sz=300x250,300x600,300x480,300x850,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> </div> <div id="xContent"> <div class="xContentCenter"> <div id="ctl47_divListBox" class="featuredBox"> <h4 id="ctl47_h4Header" class="L1CommonDLBheader">Featured</h4> <ul> <li id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl0_liListItem"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/24/private-sector-innovation.aspx"><img src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/~/media/GIG/FCWNow/Topics/Innovation/gearhead.ashx" alt="concept art innovation"/></a> <h3 id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl0_h3Title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/24/private-sector-innovation.aspx">Can feds look to private sector for innovation inspiration?</a></h3> <div id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl0_dvComments" class="dlb_comments"></div> </li> <li id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl1_liListItem"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/23/issa-vanroekel-spending-hearing.aspx"><img src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/~/media/GIG/FCWNow/People/P/powner_at_hearing.ashx" alt="GAO Dave Powner"/></a> <h3 id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl1_h3Title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/23/issa-vanroekel-spending-hearing.aspx">Waste in IT spending takes many forms</a></h3> <div id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl1_dvComments" class="dlb_comments"></div> </li> <li id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl2_liListItem"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/22/outlook-2013.aspx"><img src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/~/media/GIG/FCWNow/2013/January/meter_sq.ashx" alt="meter"/></a> <h3 id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl2_h3Title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/22/outlook-2013.aspx">2013: The road ahead</a></h3> <div id="ctl47_lvItemList_ctrl2_dvComments" class="dlb_comments"></div> </li> </ul> <div id="ctl47_dvPagination" class="pagination"> <ul> </ul> </div> </div></div> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R3;tile=8;sz=300x250,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R3;tile=8;sz=300x250,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=Box_R3;tile=8;sz=300x250,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="extraWrapper"> <div id="extraContent"> <div id="ctl53_CommentsList"> <a name="Comments"></a> <div id="comments"> <h3 id="ctl53_h3ShowComments">Reader comments</h3> <p> </p> </div> <div class="commentform"> <h3> Please post your comments here. Comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately after submitting. We will not post comments that we consider abusive or off-topic.</h3> <fieldset id="user-details"> <label for="CommenterName"> Name: (Optional)</label><input name="ctl53$CommenterName" type="text" id="ctl53_CommenterName"/> <label for="CommenterEmail"> Email: (Optional)</label> <input name="ctl53$CommenterEmail" type="text" id="ctl53_CommenterEmail"/> <label for="CommenterLocation"> Location: (Optional)</label> <input name="ctl53$CommenterLocation" type="text" id="ctl53_CommenterLocation"/> </fieldset>  <fieldset id="user-message"> <label for="CommentText"> Your Comment:</label> <textarea name="ctl53$CommentText" rows="6" cols="50" id="ctl53_CommentText" style="width:240px;"></textarea><img id="ctl53_CaptchaBox1_CaptchaImage1007" src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/Captcha.ashx?id=7422" style="border-width:0px;"/> <span style="display:block;">Please type the letters/numbers you see above</span> <input name="ctl53$CaptchaBox1$CaptchaGuess" type="text" id="ctl53_CaptchaBox1_CaptchaGuess"/><input type="submit" name="ctl53$SubmitBtn" value="SUBMIT MESSAGE" id="ctl53_SubmitBtn" class="submit"/> </fieldset>  </div> </div> <noindex>  <div id="ctl55_relatedSpecific" class="relatedSpecific"> <div class="items"> <h3 id="ctl55_RelatedTitle">Related Articles</h3> <ul> <li><a id="ctl55_RelatedItemRepeater_ctl00_ItemHyperLink" href="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Articles/2012/11/19/data-center-savings.aspx">Data center savings hard to predict</a><span></span></li> <li><a id="ctl55_RelatedItemRepeater_ctl01_ItemHyperLink" href="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Articles/2005/09/01/FEMA-uses-closed-NASA-facility.aspx">FEMA uses closed NASA facility</a><span></span></li> <li><a id="ctl55_RelatedItemRepeater_ctl02_ItemHyperLink" href="/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/Articles/2005/03/24/IG-sees-minimal-progress-for-USVISIT.aspx">IG sees minimal progress for US-VISIT</a><span></span></li> </ul> </div> </div>  </noindex> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055js_/http://jlinks.industrybrains.com/jsct?sid=967&ct=GCN_RUN_OF_SITE&tr=FCW_SITE&num=3&layt=960x180&fmt=simp"></script> <div class="ad"> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> //<![CDATA[ ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random() * 100000000); document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/adj/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t2;tile=9;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=' + ord + '?"><\/script>'); //]]> </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/jump/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t2;tile=9;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/N5978/ad/eof.fcw/;Topic=Program_Management;Topic=Data_Center;Topic=Management;Topic=Technology;item=a2cc428f_ae96_4d4a_ab70_29913f0cca0f;pos=lead_t2;tile=9;sz=728x90,1x1;ord=123456789" border="0" alt=""/> </a> </noscript> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footerWrapper"> <div id="footer"> <div id="ctl61_divBlockBox" class="blockBox footerLinks"> <div id="ctl61_divBody" class="summary"> <ul class="copyrightNew"> <li>©2013 1105 Media, Inc.</li></ul> <ul class="siteMapLinks"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/policy.aspx">Policy</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/management.aspx">Management</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/people.aspx">Who & Where</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/the-hill.aspx">The Hill</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/agencies.aspx">Agencies</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/articles/list/opinion.aspx">Opinion</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/resources.aspx">Resources</a></li></ul> <ul class="companyLinks"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/home.aspx?m=1" target="_blank">Mobile site</a></li> <li>FCW App - Coming Soon!</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://digital.fcw.com/" target="_blank">Digital Edition</a></li></ul> <ul class="companyLinks"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/about.aspx">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://fcw.com/pages/contact.aspx">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://1105govinfo.com/pages/brands/fcw/overview.aspx" target="_blank">Advertise</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www.1105reprints.com/" target="_blank">Reprints</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://1105-sub.halldata.com/FWnew&PK=FWEBTS" target="_blank">Subscribe</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://1105media.com/terms.html" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www.1105media.com/privacy.aspx" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a></li></ul></div> </div><div id="ctl63_divBlockBox" class="blockBox footerLegal"> <div id="ctl63_divBody" class="summary"> <img src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/design/gig/fcw/2012/img/1105-logo.png" alt="1105 Government Information Group"> <br> 8609 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 500<br> Vienna, VA 22182-2215<br> 703-876-5100</div> </div> <div id="Copyright_copyright" class="copyright"> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www.1105govinfo.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="1105 Government Information Group Logo" src="/web/20130127110055im_/http://fcw.com/articles/2013/01/25/~/media/GIG/GIG%20Logos/1105logo_website.ashx" width="136" height="26"> </a><br><br>8609 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 500<br>Vienna, VA 22182-2215 <br>703-876-5100<br> <p>© 1996-2013 1105 Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only.<br>To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, visit: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127110055/http://www.1105reprints.com/">www.1105Reprints.com<p></a></p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ Sys.Application.initialize(); //]]> </script> </form> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Does counting data centers miss the point? -- FCW