Cochran wants NCCIPS assurances

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), during a hearing sought confirmation that the Department of Homeland Security is committed to programs that promote cost savings. Cochran specifically pointed to the data center consolidation project at Stennis Space Center (SSC), Miss. The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee was holding a hearing on the president's FY-15 budget request from the Homeland Security Department when the issue arose. Cochran said DHS has led the government in finding cost savings through the consolidation of data centers, notably the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage (NCCIPS) at Stennis. He sought assurances DHS is committed to moving forward. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he believes Congress has provided sufficient funding to complete the consolidation project at Stennis. Developed over the past decade, the NCCIPS is the primary DHS data center for the initial consolidation of federal data assets. The project is already resulting in annual savings of $17.0 million and could save an estimated $3.0 billion by 2030, according to Cochran. The U.S. Navy, the departments of Transportation and Veterans Affairs and other agencies have chosen to locate critical assets at NCCIPPS. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal, 03/14/14).