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| | MeriTalk Testifies Before Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
 On May 14, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a field hearing at George Mason University to investigate progress of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) and cloud computing - are these programs saving taxpayers' dollars?
The hearing discussed the new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, tasking the Federal CIO to track and report on performance measures, extend the time frame for achieving planned cost savings, and improve the execution of important oversight responsibilities. Panelists included: Teresa Carlson, Amazon Web Services; Bernard Mazer, CIO, Department of the Interior and chair of the FDCCI Task Force; Steve O’Keeffe, MeriTalk; and Kenyon Wells, CGI Federal . To read more from Steve O'Keeffe's blog click here; testimonies are also available here.
| | Army Lauded for Leadership Among Federal Peers 
FDCCI has Federal agencies scrambling to cut down on data center space. Making its mark as a leader on this initiative, the U.S. Army has aggressively worked to inventory its extensive, nationwide, and international data center operations to identify the best and most appropriate consolidation efforts. To date, the Department of Defense (DoD) is the clear leader in its closing of a total of 139 data centers. Of those, the U.S. Army held its own impressive campaign, closing approximately 85 data centers – amounting to about 61 percent of overall DoD closures. Colonel James C. Parks III, Chief of the Data Center Consolidation Initiative within the U.S. Army’s Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 Office, was awarded the MeriTalk 2013 Optimize Data Center Award for Excellence in Data Center Consolidation Leadership. To read more on the award winners, please click here.
| | Q&A with Doug Brown, Senior Data Center Specialist, Brocade Federal  MeriTalk sat down with Doug Brown, senior data center specialist at Brocade Federal to discuss the future for Federal data centers:
What is a key challenge for agencies trying to meet the FDCCI mandates? How can agencies make their data centers more efficient? Any tips on how agencies can update their data center network infrastructure in today’s budget-conscious environment? For more on Doug’s insights, click here.
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- MeriTalk Testifies Before Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Army Lauded for Leadership Among Federal Peers
- Q&A with Doug Brown, Senior Data Center Specialist, Brocade Federal
- New Study: Despite Progress, Feds Challenged to Show FDCCI Cost Savings
- Data Center Award Winners Honored for Excellence
- Upcoming Events
- Second Annual Data Center Brainstorm Explores the Latest in FDCCI
- DCX Sponsors
- At the Download – Data Center News and Resources
| New Study: Despite Progress, Feds Challenged to Show FDCCI Cost Savings | 
Consolidation, consolidation, consolidation – it’s been the mantra of Federal agencies ever since OMB launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI). However with only 18 months left until the 2015 deadline of closing 1,200 data centers, agencies are beginning to realize consolidation is not without challenges. According to a new MeriTalk and NetApp report, “The FDCCI Big Squeeze,” agencies note a struggle to demonstrate quantifiable cost savings and many are skeptical that they will meet the deadline. To download the complimentary FDCCI Big Squeeze study click here. | Data Center Award Winners Honored for Excellence | 
MeriTalk’s Data Center Exchange honored its 2013 Optimize Data Center Award recipients at a ceremony during the Data Center Brainstorm on March 7. The awards recognized excellence in government data center consolidation programs. Winners included NOAA, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy. Learn more about our winners in each of the four categories – click here to read about the award-winning programs March 2014 Third Annual 2014 Data Center Brainstorm
Thursday, March 13, 2014
8-3 p.m.
The Newseum, Washington, D.C. | Second Annual Data Center Brainstorm Explores the Latest in FDCCI | 
This year’s second annual Data Center Brainstorm convened at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and brought together more than 150 government and industry data center professionals. The group discussed the biggest challenges facing data center leaders today.
With 30 Federal agencies represented, attendees heard from keynote speaker Roger W. Baker, former assistant secretary for Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs. Sessions covered application transformation, mega data centers, and how to address management, metrics, and mandates. Speakers joined us from Commerce, FAA, GAO, Interior, NIST, NOAA, NNSA, NRC, OMB, and USDA. Videos and photos from the 2013 Brainstorm are available at http://www.meritalk.com/dcx-brainstorm | At the Download – Data Center News and Resources | Modular Data Centers: Weighing the Pros and Cons
Apr 8, 2013
FCW
Oversight Committee Passes IT Reform Act, Giving CIOs Budget Authority
Mar 20, 2013
NextGov
Data Center Initiative to Become Part of PortfolioStat
Mar 13, 2013
FCW
Data Centers Aren’t Shrinking, but Responsibility is Shifting (Infographic)
Mar 8, 2013
FedTech |
