IRS Finishes Consolidation

Unisys Corp. of Blue Bell, Pa., has completed a nearly four-year-long effort helping the Internal Revenue Service consolidate its mainframe computing operations, the company announced.

Unisys consolidated 12 data processing centers into three centers and 67 mainframe computers down to less than 20. The company said the project, considered one of the most complex consolidation efforts in the government, was finished on time and within budget.

The IRS now has data processing centers in Martinsburg, W.Va., Memphis, Tenn., and Detroit. With the consolidation, IRS is improving operational efficiencies by enabling customer service representatives to respond to calls more quickly and by expanding customer service hours.

The consolidation program also enhanced the agency's data storage and data protection capabilities, laying the groundwork for future modernization efforts and electronic business transactions.