The U.S. government is reportedly upping its counts for data center consolidation, with plans to now close at least 1,200 data centers across the country within the next 3 years. Initially, the government planned to close 800 data centers, but has expanded the list in recent months. Currently, the government intends to close 525 data centers by the end of this year, including 215 that were already closed in 2011. Budgetary pressures are a key factor, but the emergence of new technologies and methodologies, from cloud to virtualization to master data management, help facilitate the downsizing. To stay on top of all the trends, subscribe to Database Trends and Applications magazine. https://www.dbta.com/subscribe