OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2011. IT Company has completed the project on introduction of Microsoft infrastructure services in branch network of Slavianka OJSC under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Works on standardized infrastructure replication in all the branches were completed in only 1,5 months. As a result the common infrastructure environment has been created on the basis of 213 servers at scales of geographically distributed network, IT-infrastructure manageability and security have been improved and its support cost has been reduced.

Slavianka OJSC is the Russian largest company in the field of housing management of military communities of the Ministry of Defense, operational support and comprehensive servicing of barracks and quarters, and water supply networks. Currently the Management company Slavianks OJSC carries out modernization of funds and develops the efficient work with population in 73 existing branches, as well as arranges divisions in hard-to-reach country regions. The introduction of innovative approach to management with the use of modern information technologies was staked on in this project. RetailComp Company was involved as prime contractor to carry-out the comprehensive modernization of Slavianka IT-infrastructure.

During the global project implementation on creation of modern telecommunications infrastructure of the company the main tasks were separated out. One of them came to improvement of branches manageability from the central office and provision of all Slavianka branches with the common geographically-distributed information structure instead of manifold solutions. One of the conditions of infrastructure services introduction was the extremely tight timetable – deployment of all solutions in all the branches should be implemented in 1, 5 months.

IT Company, having the rich experience of geographically dispersed companies’ automation, proposed the Customer the most optimal solution on introduction of Microsoft infrastructure services in branch network within the shortest possible time and in result was appointed Executor of this project.

Work commenced in April 2011. At first professionals of IT Company developed technical solution and mechanism of automated replication of branches infrastructure, and then conducted pilot introduction and “prototype” testing in Moscow division. Modern standardized infrastructure was based on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.

Typical solution on branch infrastructure standardization includes installation and connection of three servers to the network, adjustment of VPN-tunnel to Moscow office on the basis of Juniper, set up of virtualization platform based on the Microsoft Hyper-V and adjustment on two physical servers in virtual environment of four servers with several roles. It is the common directory service Active Directory, files and printing services, terminal access, management of information security and configurations’ life cycle. Besides, the backup system based on Microsoft Data Protection Manager was provided for one of the servers, and the Customer's business applications and management server of MS SQL data were installed on the third physical server.

Since mid of May, after successful testing and approbation of technical solution in Moscow department, its replication has began in 72 branches with operative deployment of services on 213 servers. IT Company professionals developed master-disk, engineer connected it to the server on-site – and the further process of installation, adjustment and testing of server infrastructure have been launching automatically by clicking one button. One branch modernization took 1-2 days. The project is unique for its extremely high level of deployment automation of IT-infrastructure on all territory of the Customer, effective paralleling of operations and practically eliminating human factor from installation and adjustment processes.

“Today we understand that efficient management of accounting, operating and maintenance of such dispersed fund is impossible without introduction of technological innovations. Information systems allow us to improve quality and efficiency of public service. In a result of cooperation with IT Company all our branches were included into standardized IT-infrastructure within scheduled term”, – comments Oleg V. Zemskov, the IT Department Director of Slavianka OJSC. We have reached the new stage of infrastructure development, that will allow reducing costs for its maintenance, as well as significantly improving information manageability and security networkwide. Quality improvement of IT services providing will certainly lead to easy and efficient servicing of our guests and regular customers. It can be declared with all responsibility that Slavianka takes active part in the certain measures on management modernization that were headed for by our country management.