Vodafone has talked for years about the pros and cons of taking a group-wide approach to procurement and IT, as opposed to having each national operating company to make its own choices. While it sets overarching strategies, such as the Project Ocean data center virtualization program, attempts to centralize purchasing and operations have generally had limited effect. But group CEO Nick Read aims to change that, as the company looks to save operating costs in future. The telco says it will kick off a major rethink of its IT systems, data centers and service platforms from this year, replacing country-specific systems with tools and products that can be used or sold across its entire European footprint. “These are significant changes…