The July 2011 launch of the United Nations Support Base in Valencia (UNSB-V), Spain marks an exciting new chapter in data and telecommunications management at the Secretariat. UNSB-V is a key component of the new enterprise data centre (EDC) initiative to host all enterprise ICT systems in state of the art facilities with round-the-clock monitoring and support at a lower cost.
The UN Secretariat ICT strategy calls for a consolidated global ICT infrastructure supported by two enterprise data centres that will, in the future, host all enterprise systems (e.g., UN.org, UMOJA and iNeed), as well as those systems for the field (e.g., fuel and rations management systems). UNSB-V is now the backup site for the primary data centre in the United Nations Logistics Base (UNLB) in Brindisi, Italy. This approach unifies the ICT infrastructure as well as the resources to support enterprise systems.
The Organization-wide ICT structural review in 2010 identified 34 data centres and 177 server rooms across the Secretariat. This fragmented ICT infrastructure grew organically based on local rather than Organization-wide need. Ultimately, this approach was costly and required streamlining to maximize effectiveness while minimizing cost. This EDC concept will reduce maintenance costs for the various independent systems and provide better back-up, storage and security for critical Organizational data and ICT capabilities.
The Organization-wide ICT structural review in 2010 identified 34 data centres and 177 server rooms across the Secretariat. This fragmented ICT infrastructure grew organically based on local rather than Organization-wide need. Ultimately, this approach was costly and required streamlining to maximize effectiveness while minimizing cost. This EDC concept will reduce maintenance costs for the various independent systems and provide better back-up, storage and security for critical Organizational data and ICT capabilities.
In the future, new enterprise systems and technologies will be implemented on a common, reliable platform, at a faster pace and will cost less. Some local data centres will continue to host only unique, site-specific applications which, by their nature, cannot be hosted in EDCs.
UNSB-V also enables more efficient disaster recovery and business continuity planning. With the introduction of new enterprise systems, along with other planned enhancements to the global ICT infrastructure, the demands on the Brindisi data facility (UNLB) increased tremendously. Any major failure at UNLB could have a devastating effect on the Organization. There was a pressing need for a secondary, secure, backup or failover site. In the event of a massive disruption, UNSB-V ensures continued access to all enterprise systems, as well as to emergency communications equipment for UN peacekeeping and special political missions.
Another driving force behind the new support base and EDC is the Global Field Support Strategy to provide fast, flexible and cost-effective support to peacekeeping operations. In 2010, the General Assembly approved Valencia as the host location for the secondary EDC for the Secretariat. The Department of Field Support (DFS) and the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) collaborated to ensure that UNSB-V satisfies Organization-wide goals and needs. This inter-departmental cooperation represents a successful leveraging of existing investments and opportunities for the benefit of the Organization.
UNLB and UNSB-V are managed and operated by DFS with strategic information and communications technology oversight by OICT, under a cost-sharing arrangement.
As the implementation of the Secretariat ICT strategy continues, additional stories will be posted on this website.
