Office of the Secretary of Defense Saves More Than $800K Annually Through Virtualization
GTRA.org - December 12, 2008
(PRNewsChannel) / Harrisburg, Pa. / The Office of the Secretary of Defense Office of the CIO avoided nearly $6 million in server acquisition costs and will have saved more than $800,000 annually in connection fees due to it’s virtualization efforts, according to Emmett Webster, Director, Governance & Information Assurance, OCIO, Department of Defense. With tightening budgets and mandates requiring agencies to “go green”, IT executives under pressure to re-evaluate their infrastructure and IT spending to meet new cultural and legislative realities gathered at the Government Technology Research Alliance (GTRA) Symposium to discuss Virtualization.
Emerging technologies have surfaced to help IT executives achieve their goal of environmental efficiency, but it takes serious commitment from each agency to make it happen. Implementing these new strategies can force an agency to step outside their comfort zone to make very important decisions about using a new set of standards. Webster noted “the success of the project was due to the aggressive server virtualization and shows that it is not only achievable but proven to be a success.”
Focused strategies with many steps necessary to complete the lifecycle of Green IT initiatives including business plan development, garnering management approval, and project execution. During the panel, Daud Santosa, Chief Technology Officer at the National Business Center at the Department of Interior said “In order to support the 21st century, our business success will depend not only on business mission and economics, but also on technological sophistication, superiority and direct experience in modernizing the infrastructure that supports our business.”
The data center study “Go Green Power Play” estimates the federal government could save potentially about $192 million annually or nearly $960 million over five years by deploying "green" technologies. The government is doing its part to help promote the green movement with organizations like the GSA encouraging agencies to make the switch.
GTRA Panelist Steven Kempf, Acting Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner for Acquisition Management, Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), GSA, and an executive highly involved in GSA’s Green initiatives, policies, requirements and resources said, “FAS is working diligently to assure that it is providing a complete range of green IT products to support federal government needs and take seriously the responsibilities to be a leader in green IT.”
About GTRA: GTRA brings together executive-level government technology Security, Enterprise Architecture, Green IT and Health IT leaders to collaborate, strategize and create innovative solutions. The semi-annual GTRA Symposiums address the topics identified through research with the government Council members and industry experts. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, knowledge is exchanged in a peer-to-peer forum, resulting in actionable government-wide strategic plans and cutting-edge solutions. Through a unique collaborative methodology, GTRA is revolutionizing the way government does business.
Contact:
Amanda Vlastas, GTRA
Email:
Phone: (415) 819 3828
Website: www.gtra.org
Source Web Site: GTRA.org
