GM Readies Major Data Center Consolidation

GM-datacenter

An illustration of the design for a new General Motors data center in Warren, Michigan.

Automaker General Motors will launch a major data center consolidation as part of a larger plan to drastically reduce its reliance upon third-party outsourcing firms, according to Information Week. GM plans to go from 23 sizable data centers worldwide to just two, both in Michigan. As part of that process, the company will refresh its server and storage gear to bring higher levels of automation and efficiency to its infrastructure.

GM currently outsources about 90 percent of its IT services to systems integrators including HP/EDS, IBM, Capgemini, and Wipro. GM's new CIO, Randy Mott, plans to reverse those percentages in about three years, delivering 90 percent of services using GM staff, while outsourcing just 10 percent of its IT operations.

Last year GM announced plans to invest $130 million to build an enterprise data center at its Technical Center campus in Warren, Mich., that will allow it to reduce operating costs by consolidating its IT infrastructure into a more efficient facility. GM estimates that the energy efficiency improvements at the new data center will reduce its operating costs by as much as 40 percent.

Mott came to GM from HP, where he oversaw a huge consolidation that reduced the company's data center footprint from 85 facilities to just six larger sites.

For more details, surf to Information Week and read their story.