Clifford Chance (CC) is to close two European data centres as the firm consolidates its data storage across the continent from four locations to just two.

The magic circle firm is in the process of closing its Paris and Amsterdam data centres, and will now instead use just two existing European bases in London and Germany.

The consolidation will not result in any job cuts, as both the Paris and Amsterdam centres are outsourced to data specialists Redbus and KPN respectively, but the move marks the end of the outsourcing contracts for both bases.

The German centre, located in the Eschborn suburb of Frankfurt, currently employs 30 members of staff, while the London data centre is run by CC's in-house IT team in the firm's Canary Wharf HQ. The termination of the outsourcing contracts could potentially create one or two in-house IT jobs at the firm.

However, CC has not ruled out further outsourcing of IT services in the future. The firm already runs much of its IT support function out of its India offshoring centre, which employs more than 300 staff working in IT analytics and research as well as providing finance and business services.

In addition to the four Europe bases, CC has one centre in New York and one in Hong Kong. The firm previously had data centres in all of its international offices, but reduced the number around six years ago.

CC chief information officer Paul Greenwood said the consolidation had come as part of the IT department's business plan, which includes a commitment to minimise the firm's IT infrastructure by the end of the five-year period from 2010 to 2015.

He said: "We had already consolidated extensively and this is another step in that direction. It saves the firm money and allows for a fuller service. By consolidation you get the benefit of scale that you could not justify if you had several smaller teams, such as 24-hour support and swift disaster recovery."