Ribbon cut for FBI data center in Pocatello
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - The FBI and its partners at the Department of Justice (DOJ) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new data center in Pocatello on Monday.
The facility broke ground in October 2017. The new data center will optimize infrastructure, information and services, according to a press release.
It will consolidate almost 100 DOJ data centers across the nation.
"Rather than running over a hundred stand-alone facilities with duplicate costs," said Paul Abbate, the associate deputy director of the data center.
It also expands the existing FBI facility, which has been a part of the Pocatello area since the 1980s.
"That's what we see here. This is building further of the technological infrastructure so that we and the Department of Justice and the FBI and the other components have the capacity that we need to do that, which all goes towards our mission of protecting the country and our citizens. That's the bottom line," Abbate said.
The data center consists of 100,000 square feet of secure space as well as an additional 40,000 square feet of office space. The consolidation will help reduce the FBI's operational costs, create efficiencies and modernize the technological architecture, according to the press release.
"That's the idea to consolidate it all and achieve those savings," Abbate said.
Most cost savings will come from consolidated energy use.
About 300 personnel have already been hired for the data center, which has been functioning for weeks. There's the possibility for more growth, as the facility can handle about 250 more employees.
"It's really a wide variety of functions and roles that we have here from across the entire organization," Abbate said.
By combining data centers from across the nation into 3 central locations, the DOJ can enhance collaboration, information sharing and execute advanced analytics.
The new data center will provide the flexibility needed to focus on and quickly respond to mission requirements, according to the press release.
The FBI chose to expand Pocatello's center because of the existing facility and technological infrastructure, according to Abbate.
Plus, the community has been welcoming.
"We just love the community and the people here as well. It's provided us a wealth of opportunities to recruit and hire, and really the community has embraced the bureau and the department, and vice versa," Abbate said.
The facility cost more than $100 million to build.
