Case Study: AOL achieves a cloud-first transformation—retiring 14,000 servers, reducing costs and cutting its carbon footprint 42% with Apptio

How AOL Uses Data to Lead a Transformation to Cloud

AOL, a global digital media company serving hundreds of millions of users, faced the challenge of modernizing a decades-old technology estate—moving from captive data centers to a cloud-first model while rationalizing acquisitions, controlling rising costs, and giving business units clear cost/performance visibility to support rapid growth.

Using a Technology Business Management (TBM) approach and automated cost-performance models, CIO James LaPlaine built an iterative, CFO‑backed program that delivered interactive monthly invoices and normalized cloud and on‑prem costs. The result: 14,000 production assets retired, a data center sold, central technology costs down 23% while transaction volume grew 127%, a roughly 42% reduction in carbon footprint, and concrete savings such as $350,000/month for one property—while establishing ongoing cloud cost monitoring and decision-making transparency.

AOL

James LaPlaine

Chief Information Officer