USPS To Combine Four Data Centers into One

A branch of the U.S. Postal Service with more than 90 offices plans to combine four data centers into one energy-efficient building, Reuters reports.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) will move all its IT assets to the new facility, which it plans to build in only ten months. The data center will include a new voice/data network, high density in-row cooling and modular power systems.

It will also use a natural cooling system, taking advantage of cold air in winter months to help regulate internal temperatures. The initiative is forecast to save the government thousands of dollars off of its electric bill each year.

Last year president Barack Obama launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative, which aims to remove redundant IT infrastructure and reduce costs.  According to the Office of Management and Budget, the number of federal data centers rose from 432 in 1998 to 1,100 in 2009, Reuters reports.

A report last year found that 77 percent of government agencies at federal, state, and local levels are implementing at least some form of server, storage or client virtualization.

But a survey out in February found that only 13 percent of federal agencies are ready to comply with the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative and a related executive order, the OMB Stewardship Scorecard.