In an ironic twist of fate, an inspector general is criticizing the Energy Department for wasting energy. In a May 25 audit report examining the Energy Department’s data center management, Inspector General Gregory Friedman noted that the agency had seen some progress but found multiple areas that needed additional work. Nine locations in particular were deemed to be significant space and energy wasters. Some data centers and server rooms were not used to full capacity, and more than 74,000 sq

There’s a growing wind in the sails of microservers, a new type of datacenter computer that is extremely energy efficient and tailor made for the cloud- and Internet-style workloads that are increasingly common at agencies and other big enterprises. Dell joins some smaller players and recently introduced its initial line of microservers, Intel has begun shipping the first of several processors designed specifically for use in microservers, and Facebook officials say they have big plans for the diminutive computers.

It was a good idea and no doubt launched with the best intentions, but it might be time to reconsider Vivek Kundra’s chances for success in reducing the number of federal data centers. The obstacles ahead of the federal CIO’s Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) are numerous and growing: already-scarce funding at risk of further reduction, no hard consequences for lack of compliance, and a short timetable for developing plans that many agencies are struggling to meet.

A task force of industry groups and government agencies released recommendations today to help data center managers measure and report on overall data center efficiency by using four categories of Power Usage Effectiveness. As business demands and energy costs for data centers rise, owners and operators in industry and government have put a premium on the energy efficiency of the data center as a whole, frequently using energy efficiency metrics. However, the metrics are not always applied clearly and consistently.

Federal auditors today said the Internal Revenue Service could save more than $3 million over four years by improving air cooling circulation at two data centers. However, IRS officials said that savings estimate may be inflated because it does not take into account the cost of implementing the improvements at the centers in Memphis, Tenn., and Martinsburg, W.Va. Data centers can be more than 40 times as energy intensive as conventional office buildings because of the high power requirements for the computers and the equipment used to cool them.

Knowledge is power, as everyone in government knows. But to get and maintain power, you first need a place to store all that knowledge and then deliver it when and where it’s needed. In government, just as in private industry today, that’s the job of the data center, a facility that houses computer systems and associated components such as telecommunications and storage systems. Data centers include everything from backup power supplies and redundant data communications connections to environmental controls, such as air conditioning and fire suppression, and — not least — high-end security devices. All of that equipment costs money and gobbles up precious energy resources.

Experts say deciding whether to remodel an existing data center or build a new facility often comes down to the following questions. Will the current facility support reconfiguration? Not all buildings can be retrofitted to meet new weight, cabling, cooling and energy requirements, said Chris Hardin, president of CDH Consulting, which specializes in data center projects. Engineers should also verify whether other costly risks, such as the disturbance of asbestos, would result from making fundamental changes to the shell of an older building.

As the federal government quickly works to distribute funds via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, much still remains unclear about how agencies and departments will appropriate funding, while simultaneously achieving transparency and regulatory compliance. Economic stimulus package appropriations total $787.2 billion, with key funding initiatives to support technology, science and research, infrastructure improvements, education, energy, healthcare and training. Spending provisions within ARRA require agencies to have projects under way within 120 days of enactment, dramatically shortening the typical two year business development timeline.

Nowadays, it seems nearly every government application is expected to be available continuously without interruption, regardless of circumstances. Avoiding the potential for data loss and downtime through careful continuity of operations planning (COOP) is clearly important. When disaster strikes, crucial operational services and technologies are expected to be available and federal organizations do place a high value on being prepared, because the practical ramifications of failing to do so can be devastating. News reports have followed organizations when they experience an interruption in services or suffer a loss of data. In these situations, constituents can lose confidence in an organization’s viability in a crisis and its ability to protect assets such as personal information, even human lives. At times, even the loss of a single service, such as e-mail or web connectivity, can cost millions of dollars. In the last few years the advent of virtualization as well as ...

Government organizations must overcome hefty challenges to meet evolving IT mission goals in 2009 as the impact of the ongoing economic crisis, along with wars overseas and an extensive economic stimulus program are complicating their efforts to modernize, consolidate and transform data center operations. For instance, while a general rule for data center hardware has typically been three to five years between upgrade and/or replacement, in the current economic climate, government IT organizations are extending life cycles and leveraging legacy systems to squeeze more from existing IT assets, particularly servers, storage, and power equipment. Meanwhile, regardless of the state of the economy, the amount of data to be managed continues to grow exponentially, especially as new types, such as video, continue to gain in popularity. At the same time, the sweeping changes ‘stimulated’ by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will likely have the biggest long term ...

“The typical interest in green and sustainability is around the data center and energy efficiency, but organizations across the spectrum are beginning to realize there are other dimensions,” said Harsh Sharma, chairman of the Object Management Group’s Sustainability Special Interest Group. “How green is your data? That’s another important dimension.” But with a few exceptions, government entities, like everyone else, appear to be focused on hardware when it comes to green initiatives. A CDW Government report on energy-efficient IT listed the top three energy-saving measures among federal agencies interviewed for the study: migrate to LCD monitors, buy Energy Star-compliant gear and pursue server virtualization.

The Social Security Administration intends to use green information technology solutions in the new $800 million data center that will replace its existing facility. SSA will use money from the economic stimulus law to help identify and install energy-efficient IT solutions at the new National Support Center, which handles Social Security benefits, according to a plan released May 18 on the Recovery.gov Web site. Green IT solutions are designs, practices and devices that reduce environmental impact and limit energy consumption. The agency will be working with an IT consulting firm to help identify the green requirements, the plan states. “The sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental impact resulting from the project are dependent on the initial building design, IT equipment selections, and ongoing operations of the data center," the plan states. "We are committed to incorporating energy-efficient IT solutions as part of the ongoing operations of the National Support Center.”