|
The government this week announced an ICT long-term strategic partnership alliance with HP, the information and communications technology multinational, aimed at stimulating ICT business here.
The agreement, which follows a similar deal struck with Microsoft, is expected to be signed in the first week of June 2004, followed by specific details on its implementation. A Memorandum of Understanding finalised on Tuesday will serve as the basis for a “vertical strategic alliance” for an initial period of three years between the government and HP in a bid to “attain a first class information society and economy in Malta”.
The agreement will provide for HP’s support to the Ministry of Information Technology and Investments in the implementation of e-Government services as well as in helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) invest in information technology and get EU funding.
Investments Minister Austin Gatt said: “Alliances with major world players like HP help us explain to the world that Malta truly has potential of being a world class ICT centre of excellence … Our agreement with HP add value to the relevance of Malta on the global ICT stage, making us a showcase of the highest technological standards.”
He said the government was also keen on utilising the alliance for updating the public sector in ICT.
“We very much appreciate that the Ministry of Information Technology and Investments has chosen HP as a strategic partner to support Malta’s ambitious e-Government objectives,” said Francois Bornibus, Managing Director and Vice-President Customer Solutions Group of HP Europe, who had words of praise for Malta’s achievements in e-Government so far.
He said HP will act as a strategic technological partner for the government to extend the access to information and communications technologies in the Mediterranean region and contribute to make Malta a “living proof” of the realisation of the e-Europe vision.
He said HP is also willing to help the government set p a training academy for local industry and SMEs.
“SMEs are absolutely critical for the growth of the country,” Bornibus said. “We want them to know about the technology to help them improve their business, and we will also be giving them easy access to EU funds.”
Megabyte Ltd will be HP’s commercial partner.
Case study on Freeport operations launched
Following up on the strategic partnership announced this week, HP and Maltese partner Megabyte have launched an HP-based case study on how the partners delivered a world-first computer solution to the Malta Freeport.
The Case Study describes the installation of the new IT solution which will support Malta Freeport’s ambitious business objectives by enabling continuous operations and high levels of customer service.
“The High Availability UNIX Cluster Solution designed by Megabyte and HP ensures that the Freeport’s critical systems remain operational 24 hours a day, even if there are hardware malfunctions and software errors. Maintenance on this state-of-the-art system, which was installed by our company, can also be carried out at any time without affecting at all the Freeport’s operations that today provide an essential and significant contribution to Malta’s industrial, economic and financial base,” comments Megabyte’s General Manager John Ambrogio.
Megabyte’s HP-based solution enables Malta Freeport to achieve its set uptime target of 99.99%. In view of the Freeport’s operations, HP and Megabyte have ensured that the solution provided is scalable and can grow with the business.
“The new system is based on HP’s AlphaServers. TruCluster Server software, which delivers high value to the Freeport since it requires virtually no down-time, provides unlimited scalability, and allows for dramatic reductions in the system management costs of the infrastructure. With its Cluster File System and Single System Image, TruCluster ranks number one in cluster functionality. Adding this to the high performance of the Alpha Processor provides a winning combination of state-of-the art technology,” adds Ambrogio.
“The Malta Freeport’s computer solution is a secure and reliable example of what HP technology can, with the active participation of Maltese expertise, provide to essential pillars of Malta’s infrastructure. The process of developing and implementing such computer solutions adds value to leading enterprises and national organisations that are vital contributors to Malta’s economy,” said Dott. Alberto Caprara, HP’s Regional Manager responsible for Malta.
The Campus Wide Disaster Tolerant Cluster is made up of two HP ES40 Alpha Servers, configured with a SAN based on two HP MA8000 storage arrays with hardware replication in such a way that failure of one site will not result in loss of data or down-time.
The cluster setup does not have any single point of failure, since multiple redundant components are used in the design of the system. The data replication feature ensures that even with the failure of a complete site, the Freeport can continue with container handling operations.
Such a solution is ideal for the Malta Freeport as data security is critical for its business. Since the system is based on two nodes, the solution provided by HP enables the application to run on either one of the nodes. In the rare case of failure of one of the nodes, the application automatically shifts and starts running on the other node, minimising down-time to the Freeport.
The Campus Wide Disaster Tolerant Cluster protects the Malta Freeport’s information systems against a disaster such as power outage, fire, flood or an act of vandalism. Should a disaster hit the customer site, this solution allows Malta Freeport to maintain operations with the unaffected resources, in the worst scenario, at the unaffected site, and go on or resume business activities as fast as possible.
On the other hand, the application can be manually changed over to the other node, when preventive maintenance is required on either one of the nodes. The attractive aspect is that now preventive maintenance can be carried out anytime, even during normal operational hours while the Freeport is operating.
Malta Freeport Senior Operations Manager, Capt. Rado Antolovic, explains, “The HP system implemented has significantly increased the Company’s processing capability and it is enabling the Freeport to reach new heights in operational performance.”
This major investment by Malta Freeport was required so that the business could continue to be in an optimum position to meet its clients burgeoning demands. The importance that all IT systems are geared up to handle operations effectively on a 24-hour basis cannot be underestimated. In particular, the container handling system must be available 24 hours to unload and load containers from the containerships and to stack them in the yard.
Malta Freeport Chairman Mark Portelli said, “Today’s information systems’ demands are complex and we are fully aware that the more information is managed efficiently, the better the Freeport can compete.
Malta Freeport is also obliged to keep a real time record on all container movement so that information about each particular container can be immediately accessed when required. Such an operation requires a flexible and reliable system that can offer sufficient resilience typical of such core applications.
“The new system is providing the Freeport and its clients with accurate real-time information of all container movements round-the-clock whilst guaranteeing security of the information flow,” continued Mr Antolovic
The previously installed single node system was limited in the resiliency it could offer. Failure of this node had very serious consequences on cargo handling operations and repercussions on the Freeport-customer relationship and on the international reputation of the Freeport.
In order to solve the problem Malta Freeport issued a tender, which generated a number of bids. Following a rigorous analysis, Malta Freeport decided to award the contract to a Malta-based company, Megabyte Limited, basing its considerations on cost effectiveness of the technical strength of the package offered and HP’s best-in-class enterprise products which are aligned with and built on open industry standards leading to reduced total ownership costs. Megabyte’s proven track record in maintaining the previous Freeport’s system for over a span of eight years further guaranteed that this Maltese-owned company had the capability, knowledge and consistency in servicing the Freeport.
Installation and testing were carried out during awkward hours when the Freeport could afford the disruptions necessary for the installation. Both HP and Megabyte had to be flexible with their working hours and availability. HP together with Megabyte carried out final certification and commissioning of the system in order to ensure that the system was correctly installed and meets the high standards as set by HP in such critical environments.
“Malta Freeport is confident that with the HP system in place at our facilities, we are ably assisted to provide secure, reliable, and more efficient services for the processing of business transactions with all our clients, ” concluded Mr Portelli
Over the past 15 years, Malta Freeport has become a leading transhipment hub in the Mediterranean. During that time it has developed a distinguished reputation in container handling, industrial storage and oil products handling and has become renowned for its pro-business culture and its ability to adapt quickly to changing trade patterns.
There are optimistic signs for the Freeport’s future and the company is fully determined that it has the expertise and resources to continue participating and competing successfully in the Mediterranean containerisation market. The installation of the new HP system forms part of Malta Freeport’s overall and all-encompassing strategy which besides representing a veritable step forward for the Company’s auspicious expansion potential is also enabling its clients to widen their business horizons and concretise their standing within the global arena.
Malta Freeport is currently linked by regular carrier services to practically all parts of the globe. In fact, clients reach over 115 ports worldwide, over 60 of which are in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
|
