Data Center Optimization: Agencies Report Progress, but Oversight and Cybersecurity Risks Need to Be Addressed

Abstract

In December 2014, Congress enacted federal IT acquisition reform legislation that included provisions related to ongoing federal data center consolidation efforts. OMBs Federal Chief Information Officer launched DCOI to build on prior data center consolidation efforts; improve federal data centers' performance; and establish goals for inventory closures, cost savings and avoidances, and optimization performance. The 2014 legislation included a provision for GAO to annually review agencies' data center inventories and strategies. This report addresses (1) agencies' progress and plans for data center closures and savings; and (2) agencies' progress against OMB's June 2019 revised data center optimization metrics. To do so, GAO assessed the 24 DCOI agencies' data center inventories as of August 2019, reviewed their reported cost savings documentation, evaluated their data center optimization strategic plans, and assessed their progress against OMB's established optimization targets. GAO also compared OMBs revised metrics to key characteristics of an effective performance measure.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1166683

Entities

People

  • Carol C. Harris

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Agriculture
  • Business Administration
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Control Systems
  • Data Centers
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Law
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Reliability
  • Security
  • Standards
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Technology Areas

  • Cyber