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The MDIT, along with the state's Department of Treasury and Department of Management and Budget, issued a request for information last Thursday seeking industry feedback on forming a public-private partnership to build and operate the facility.
"This marks another big step in our effort to establish high-tech investment in Michigan," state CIO Ken Theis said in a statement released by the MDIT. "A data center built through public-private partnership will allow all levels of government in Michigan to benefit, by getting the most of our taxpayer dollars."
According to the RFI, the state is seeking feedback from companies or groups of companies that are interested in financing, building and operating the new shared data center, in addition to providing shared IT services to state agencies and others.
The RFI also reveals that Michigan is hoping to use alternative energy sources to power the data center.
"MDIT is proposing an extended contract, including an appropriate sharing of risks and responsibilities, for the new data center design, construction and maintenance with additional IT/operational services to be determined," the RFI said. "A public-private partnership is one potential delivery model for this solution."
The data center, entitled Great Lakes Information and Technology Center, would ultimately reduce government operating costs by decreasing the number of overlapping systems run by cities, counties and state agencies, said Theis.
According to the plans, the facility would provide cloud-based application hosting and managed services to public organizations in Michigan.
The data center could potentially attract technology-related economic development and be used to provide offshore application hosting and storage for private companies.
The state is aiming to begin construction on the data center in October.
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