Texas Data Center Services (DCS) offers mainframe, server, bulk print and mail, and co-location services to state agencies. The program was initiated in 2005 by the Texas Legislature, 79th Session (R) with the intent to:
- Consolidate disparate legacy agency facilities
- Reduce statewide costs for services
- Modernize aging equipment and
- Increase security and disaster recovery capability
DCS currently provides services to 27 state agencies, representing some of the largest technology environments and approximately $160 million in annual data center expenditures (including hardware, software, and services).
For more information on the legislation, please visit Texas Govt Code 2054 and HB 1516 (79th Legislative Regular Session).
Governance Model
In 2010, DIR and the participating DCS agencies restructured governance for the DCS program. The new governance model — titled Owner Operator Governance — involves agencies and DIR at all levels of decision making. The participating agencies are divided into five partner groups which choose their governance representatives. This unique approach enables involvement and encourages communication across the broad and diverse DCS enterprise. This structure is backed up by a decision rights matrix and defined escalation paths that clearly define each committee’s responsibilities and how they work together to solve problems. Using this collaborative approach, participating agencies and DIR have prioritized applications for transformation across the enterprise, reviewed and issued RFO documents, and developed technical standards to be deployed across all agencies. For further information on DCS governance, click here.
Transforming Operations
Transforming the diverse, complex, and decentralized data center environment of participating agencies is a task as big as Texas. Texas state government technology operations have evolved over decades, employing a variety of different technologies. The transformation team is charged with understanding each agency’s business requirements, analyzing the current technical environment, and establishing a plan to migrate operations to the state data centers. This approach includes remediating or updating agency applications to the data center standards and standing up the applications on all new equipment in the state data centers.
Critical Services
The Texas DCS program provides infrastructure support used by a variety of different programs for citizens and agencies. Some programs, like Unemployment Insurance, Child Support Enforcement, and the Lone Star Card, help individuals and families access financial support for basic necessities. Others, like the Department of Family and Protective Services IMPACT program help caseworkers track their clients. Still others, like email and financial records, work behind the scenes to keep state government functioning effectively and with proper transparency and controls.
State Data Center System
The DCS program was created to encourage the use of the state data centers by agencies. The state data centers operate through a contract with IBM that seeks to balance statewide standards with flexibility to meet specific agency needs. Through the DCS contract, IBM and its partners operate the legacy agency data centers across the state and are working with agency customers’ IT staff to migrate services from the legacy facilities to the efficient, hardened state data centers. As of March, 2010, mainframe and bulk print and mail services have been consolidated and server services are in the process of being consolidated.
DIR Fee
DIR provides contract management and oversight functions for the DCS contracts, including serving as a liaison and escalation point between customer agencies and the service providers, interpreting the contracts on behalf of the state, and processing invoices and payments. DIR has Interagency Contracts (IACs) with participating agencies covering the services and terms of the relationship between the customer agencies and DIR. DIR charges a fee of 2.95% of the customer’s monthly invoice (service provider charges) to recover costs associated with managing the program.
Send questions to datacenterservices@dir.texas.gov.
