OREANDA-NEWS. September 1, 2009. I.T. Co has completed a complex project at Stavropol State Agrarian University. In the course of the project execution company specialists have created a modern multimedia hall, built a computing complex, and implemented university automation system components — I.T.-University. The university was also supplied with the necessary computing and organizational equipment: computers, printers, scanners, etc.

Stavropol State Agrarian University (SSAU) is one of the winners of the contest held among higher vocational education institutions implementing innovation education programs. Program presented to SSAU - preparation of Innovation model of education, scientific, production cluster for development of efficient preparation system for Russian agrarian specialists. This project proposed achievement of a number of objectives, some of which were given to I.T. Co.

One of the objectives that I.T. Co. faced was creation of a multimedia hall to hold meeting, scientific conferences, entertainment events and other important for the University activities. This part of the project included development of a solution consisting of the following components:
conference communication system
sound amplification system
technological television system
video commutation and recording system
information display system
scenic lighting system
control system.

“In order to understand the significance of this project we need to consider, at least, that lighting power of the projector installed at SSAU activity hall is 30 thousand Lm, and its weight is 150 kg. There only about 10 of such devices in operation in Russia right now,” — says Alexander Levashov, Head of I.T. Co. Communication and Multimedia Systems Department. "The centralized control system developed by our specialists is a simple and intuitive instrument to control the entire complex of subsystems. Control is exercised from the operator's computer with just one program. It can function in manual and automatic mode."

Another objectives before I.T. Co. was development of a data processing center. This objective required supply and installation of the necessary equipment, using it to design a complex of technical facilities for university network technologies automated information support center. This complex must facilitate high speed data processing and transmission for various server applications (WWW, e-mail, terminal access, database, file storage, etc.).

The University chose a solution based on IBM blade servers. This solution is distinguished by compact size, relatively "simple" scalability, and further development. Moreover, the solution ideally matched the University's plans related to implementation of data backup and virtualization technologies. Now the computing center consists of 8 dual-processor blade servers.

“Cluster built using blade technologies has simpler control than, for example, traditional IT infrastructure with rack servers. Sometimes systems of blade servers allow for more than two-fold increase in the number of resources controlled by one administrator (servers, switching gear, and storage systems). Moreover, solutions of this class have several other advantages, such as higher reliability, lower power consumption, reasonable operational costs,” — says Vladimir Livinskiy, Head of I.T. Co. Data Processing and Storage Systems Department.

The third component of the complex project was related to implementation of individual university automation system components I.T.-University at the learning-practical center (LPC) Mini-bank. This center was created at the SSAU Finances and Banking Department to prepare high quality specialists for lending organizations. LPC teaches students to operate a training banking system that models main operations of a bank's client department.

In line with the University's objectives a decision was made to customize and implement two I.T.-University components. One of them — I.T.-University: Access Control — consists of video surveillance, video monitoring, and access control (ACS) subsystems. Combined these systems provide efficient protection from penetration of the learning center territory by third parties, control movement of staff, students, and visitors, and allow for tracking of the time they spend at the LPC.

The next stage of this subproject was development of software to display data on the screen of information booth that was also supplied by I.T. Co. This solution was based on module I.T.-University: Information Support for Learning Process.

Information booth software is designed to carry out operations with accounts and provide various information services. At SSAU the booth is used to access general information about the University, Financial and Banking Department, about LPC Mini-bank, and personal information about status of "own" main personal account in the banking system. Personal information becomes accessible after user identification by the booth. For the identification purposes the user has to enter PIN or use a smart-card that also performs the function of pass-key to the learning center territory.

Vladimir Truhachev, Dean of Stavropol State Agrarian University: “Today our University can truly be called the center for consolidation of ideas, knowledge, experience, new intellectual and scientific technologies capable of affecting agrarian education, science and production optimization. Therefore one of the priority tasks we face today is development of virtual environment within the University using modern technologies, facilitating professional training of future agrarian specialists.”