Virtualization and City Cloud in Ostrowiec
The Municipal Office’s information resources have been transferred to a modern server room. Asseco installed and configured all network infrastructure devices, performed migration of applications and databases.
On 15 January, the Municipal Office of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski celebrated completion of the project to launch new servers for the Municipal IT System.
The Municipal Office’s information resources have been transferred to a modern server room. Asseco installed and configured all network infrastructure devices, performed migration of applications and databases from servers located in the Municipal Office premises, as well as transferred the Municipal IT System safely into the new environment. The value of services provided by Asseco reached nearly PLN 4 million gross.
“We consistently implement projects involving the development of IT infrastructure. The newly launched server room will make it possible to provide cloud computing to all organizational units in our municipality. It will also facilitate access to centralized public services in the future,” said Jarosław Wilczyński, Mayor of the City of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
The server room has been equipped with modern blade-type servers, efficient mass storage systems for archiving and backup, as well as data transmission systems working at 10 Gb/s speed. It meets international standards for this type of facilities. Furthermore, it houses broadband telecommunications connections, two independent power connections, dedicated power circuits, emergency power supply (UPS) devices coupled with a power generator, as well as a redundant cooling system. The security of IT resources is guarded by a central monitoring system which, among others, cooperates with an automatic fire detection and extinguishing system.
“This is a perfect example of a rational approach to avoid costly investments on the part of organizational units within a municipality. Moreover, centralization enables reduction in the cost of use and more efficient utilization of resources. Whereas, cloud solutions enrich the centralized system as a tool for flexible resource sharing,” commented Andrzej Dopierała, Vice President of the Management Board at Asseco Poland.
The ability to create virtual private networks, or dedicated internal segments within a computer network, without access to the public network, allows for secure isolation of the database maintenance services from public networks, such as the Internet.
The launch of new servers for the Municipal IT System is just one of the projects implemented by the Municipal Office of Ostrowiec, within the task called “e-Świętokrzyskie Province – Development of Information Infrastructure for Local Government Units”. At an earlier time, the municipal organizational units have been provided with a modern VoIP technology communications system, supporting teleconferencing and video conferencing. That was possible thanks to the previous project whereby the organizational units were linked by a fiber-optic network. The Municipal Fiber-Optic Network in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski comprises more than 50 kilometres of fibre-optic cables that connect 57 municipal entities, including municipal companies and educational establishments.
It is worth mentioning that the total value of IT projects completed by Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski in the period from 2006 to 2013 exceeded PLN 14 million, with the municipality’s own contribution reaching just PLN 2.3 million. This is how EU funds may be used rationally to create the necessary foundations to serve inhabitants effectively and launch public e-services.