Report: Pentagon's data center needs could scuttle cost-cutting

July 19, 2012

Citing OMB data, Federal Times revealed that the Defense Department runs more than twice as many data centers as any other agency.

As noted by federal government news watchdog ExecutiveGov.com, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report finds that the Department of Defense's growing demand for data center services could potentially hold back larger government efforts to cut energy costs. According to original reporting in Federal Times by Nicole Blake Johnson, the CRS has stated that the Pentagon’s energy cost savings estimate does not include upfront costs needed to shut down or consolidate data centers.

The CRS found that there is no accurate energy use data available for most DoD data centers, making it hard to track savings and establish baseline measurements of energy costs, as reported by Federal Times's Johnson. Citing OMB data, Federal Times revealed that the Defense Department runs more than twice as many data centers as any other agency. The CRS also reportedly found the Defense Department uses 63 percent of all energy consumed by federal buildings and facilities.

Via a planned upcoming move to cloud computing, the Pentagon reportedly estimates that it could save $58 million per year from 2013 to 2018. Additionally, the DoD reportedly plans to eliminate 428 data centers from its current number of 772 by 2015.