Energy giant E.on is consolidating its data centres from 26 locations across Europe to just three sites in Germany and the UK, as part of its One IT initiative.

One IT is a four-year programme due to be completed next year. It will affect E.on’s entire workforce of 80,000 users, of which about 16,000 are UK-based.

The consolidation plan is one of the technology elements of “One E.on”, the company’s wider people strategy, said Ross Taylor, managing director of E.on IS UK, the UK arm of the firm’s IT subsidiary.

“One E.on is our cultural programme to make all E.on employees feel they work for the same company. One IT is about providing standardised IT shared services to every E.On company across Europe,” he said.

E.on’s extended network, which runs across Europe as far east as Romania, allows it to source the development work for its IT programme from a “near-shore” location. The company uses in-house resources in Hungary, without needing to work with outsourcing companies in India, said Taylor.

Consolidation is one of a range of projects that will help to reduce the firm’s carbon footprint.

Improved communication and collaboration, thanks to tools such as voice over IP, is already making a difference, said Taylor.

“As an energy company, we have a big carbon footprint and we must also focus on the footprint we have as a UK business of 16,000 people,” said Taylor.

“We’re a long way into the process of server virtualisation, trying to reduce the footprint of the services E.on IS provides, using software rather than hardware services,” he said.