Data Center Consolidation: T-Systems delivers world's largest transformation project

T-Systems has completed the world's largest transformation project: In six years, Deutsche Telekom's IT service provider has reduced the number of its data centers around the globe from 89 to 13, while increasing the compute and storage capacity by approximately 25 percent.

Customers now benefit from state-of-the-art data center technology and flexible cloud services. T-Systems is saving an annual three-digit million euro sum with the modern, more efficient infrastructure technology.

"We are particularly proud of the fact that we were able to implement the transformation without any loss of quality in customer operations," explained Jörn Kellermann, responsible for IT production at T-Systems. The transformation comprised a total of 5,200 migration projects with around 23,600 compute servers alone, 60 percent of these in Germany. They were carried out in close cooperation with the clients concerned, so that they could simultaneously convert their IT operations to modern technology, leaner processes and innovative, digitized business models.

Efficient cloud operation and substantial CO2 reduction

Despite fewer data centers, the sheer computing power that T-Systems can offer has risen by roughly 25 percent. Taking advantage of continued improvements in technology, as more power is packed into smaller footprints, T-Systems new platforms deliver higher performance.

In addition, the design allows fast capacity increases when required, as in the recently opened Biere II data center in Saxony-Anhalt.

"Our data centers are highly scalable and automated. The infrastructure is consistently geared to the cloud," said Kellermann. T-Systems relies throughout on so-called twin data centers, which always "mirror" the processed data for more security. The environment also benefits: CO2 emissions for computer center operations have dropped by 56 percent.

The data center transformation contributes to T-Systems' strategy of supporting business customers with the intelligent management of infrastructures and services: on site, in the private cloud, and in the public cloud.

T-Systems works closely with the major cloud platform providers Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Deutsche Telekom subsidiary also offers its own Open Telekom cloud for special data privacy requirements in the public cloud.