It seems amnesia is in fashion in D.C. OMB's data center consolidation admission that it stumbled across an additional 1,000 data centers was greeted by more smirks than surprise. Now that gives a whole new meaning to "government oversight." But, it seems that server farms aren't the only thing the Federal government's mislaying. According to a new MeriTalk study, "Uncle Sam's Lost & Found - $15.4B," Federal agencies are challenged to lay hand on information in their own databases and servers.

So, let's look at the numbers from the study. Feds note that one quarter of the time they cannot find the information they need within the four walls of their agencies. 44 percent of Feds say that they don't have visibility into their agencies' data assets. The average Fed searches blindly for files five times each day. Further, navigating to what you need can be worse from home - 42 percent of Federal teleworkers tell us it's harder to locate Federal files from their remote offices. So, why's it such a mess? Half of the Feds point the finger at sloppy colleagues - who don't file things properly. 46 percent of Feds point to a search-and-information-location training deficit.

So, things are a little untidy. Whose desk is perfect? The study calculates that Feds spend some $15.4 billion each year hunting for needles in their agencies' haystacks - this puts a whole new complexion on our FOIA and open government challenges. Don't forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming study Webinar on Thursday, December 9 at 2 p.m. EST. And, no need to Google the study - you can find it right here.