Media Release

11/2010
22 March 2010

Government Releases Data Centre Strategy

A strategy guiding the Australian Government’s procurement and management of data centre services for the next 15 years has been released today.

Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance and Deregulation said the Government had endorsed the strategy as the whole-of-government approach to managing the Australian Government’s data centre requirements.

“The Australian Government’s current data centre footprint is close to 30,000 square metres,” Lindsay Tanner said.

“With demand for data centre services increasing every year, it was anticipated that footprint would double in coming years.”

Lindsay Tanner said that through the coordinated approach to managing data centre activities detailed in the strategy, the data centre space required by Government could actually be reduced.

“The strategy sets out a plan for consolidating sites and increasing the utilisation of servers and storage. This will significantly reduce the costs and importantly, the environmental impacts, associated with operating data centres.”

“By aggregating demand across Government we will also be able to procure services that better meet the data centre needs of the federal public sector.”

The Government will establish a panel of suppliers from which agencies will be required to procure all data centre services. The first approach to market will be made in the second half of 2010 via AusTender.

Lindsay Tanner said: “The primary aim of this Strategy is to deliver better services to Australians, at lower costs to the taxpayer. But we also want to encourage innovation and competition within the data centre industry.”

A summary of the Australian Government’s Data Centre Strategy is available at www.finance.gov.au

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