December 5, 2011 — Full-service GETS (Georgia Enterprise Technology Services) agencies with servers in the data center at Two Peachtree Street in Atlanta faced two key business problems: over-consumption of power and a high risk of server hardware overheating. In 2011, IBM led a server consolidation project to bring together multiple teams – including AT&T, GTA and the Georgia Building Authority – to solve the problems. Early stakeholder buy-in and communication enabled the project to be successfully completed in three months.
The use of virtualization technology allowed for the reduction of 91 servers to just 10. An additional 12 servers were decommissioned. This effort reduced the total hardware footprint in the room by 93 pieces of hardware, thereby increasing efficiency, redundancy, protection and stability. The project is estimated to save the state an additional $1,100 per month by decreasing the consumption of power.