Waukesha, Wisconsin City Gov't goes Green in their Data Center

In Government Technology, Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age, Waukesha, Government is highlighted as an early mover in the green effort, and specifically calls out their Green Data Center Efforts.  This momentum resonates with conversations I've had with Microsoft's Gary Falis, Sr Director for Pubic Sector Sales who has called attention that local gov't are some of the earliest adopters of Green Technology.

A domino effect of local government green initiatives is sweeping the nation. The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) recently announced that more than 700 mayors have signed the USCM's Climate Protection Agreement, committing to pursue numerous green measures. 

In Waukesha, Wis., however, a major green rollout was implemented before the pressure to conform started, and many local governments soon plan to do many of the things Waukesha has already completed.   

Data centers are typically a massive power drain for governments, making green data centers critical power savers. Waukesha deployed a more energy-efficient cooling system in its data center, which at roughly 680 square feet, is larger than the facilities in most nearby cities, said Bret Mantey, IT director of Waukesha.

"It compares to the county data center closely, but not as large as, say, Milwaukee. All other cities in the county are a broom closet in comparison," Mantey said. 

The city uses blade servers and server virtualization to reduce the number of servers it powers in the data center.