FBI data center consolidation takes shape

The FBI and local government leaders broke ground on Oct. 5 in Idaho for what the law enforcement agency said will be a "milestone" in its effort to consolidate its data center operations.

The $100 million, 100,000-square-foot data center facility in Pocatello will be the center of its operations in the western U.S., much like its existing data center in Clarksburg, W.Va., is for its eastern operations.

The Pocatello project will consolidate and optimize "dozens" of data centers, infrastructure, information and services as part of a broad multiyear IT transformation, according to an FBI statement.

The Department of Justice needs to up its game in data center consolidation, according to the Government Accountability Office's Data Center Optimization report. The Justice Department was one of 20 agencies that didn't meet GAO targets as of February 2017.

Richard Haley, assistant director of finance and facilities with the FBI, told local Pocatello news organizations that the project was Department of Justice-FBI project to consolidate over 100 current data centers currently in the DOJ down to just three centers -- the Pocatello site, the Clarksburg site and its Washington headquarters.

The consolidation in Pocatello, the agency said in an Oct. 5 statement, will strengthen the cybersecurity posture for all Department of Justice components that will use the facility, as well as improve collaboration and information sharing. It will also increase the department's ability to execute advanced analytics, while decreasing overall operational costs.

The FBI said the new facility builds on its 30-year presence in Pocatello where it currently has components of nine divisions, with responsibilities ranging from investigations, intelligence analysis, IT and human resources management.