The NDC has been set up with the objective of ensuring improved business continuity across the wide network of the government's IT systems. The centre has been designed to provide all ministries with multi-tenant high-availability data storage facilities to host their wide array of information as well as to offer disaster recovery solutions. It currently hosts national level projects such as the government's e-Services portal, eTendering system and ITA's internal infrastructure projects and systems.
Support to ministries
Ministries can now utilise NDC's facilities that include co-location device hosting, high-capacity storage, provision of online/offline data backups, onsite/offsite fire-safe storage of media combined with 24X7 network operation management, storage and backup. In order to ensure continuous support to NDC's clients, a round-the-clock help desk services have been set up.
In a statement, Macki said the opening of the National Data Centre comes as an implementation of the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to upgrade the e-Government services and cope with modern technological developments witnessed by the world in the information technology arena. Macki also said that the government is currently undertaking a study to establish a bigger 'national data centre' to provide a safe milieu for government and non-government data.
The contract to build the centre was finalised in January 2008 with a view to realise the 'Digital Society of Oman' to secure e-Government services, while assuring business continuity. Several high-level dignitaries including Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry, general secretary of the Ministry of Finance, undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Communications, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, CEO of Omantel, CEO of PEIE, board of directors of ITA, a number of senior officials and dignitaries attended the launch ceremony. Mohammed bin Nassir Al Khusaibi, secretary-general of the National Economy Ministry and chairman of ITA, said that the e-services portal project is at the test and assessment stage.
"Efforts are being made to upgrade the e-Service sectors taking into consideration the various aspects of the technical and technological studies that ensure the success of these projects."
"This National Data Centre of the Sultanate of Oman is built as a state-of-the-art facility to achieve the required level redundancy at all stages, and will soon be certified for highest availability.
"The centre facilitates the integration of governmental systems seamlessly within the government network. A team of Omani professionals have been involved both at the design and installation stages of this project and have built capability to manage its operations as well," said Dr Salim Al Ruzaiqi, chief executive officer of ITA.
The second phase of the data centre will see continued operations of the facility managed by a pool of Omani professionals.
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Quelle/Source: Middle East North Africa Financial Network, 04.05.2009
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