To save data from disasters, BMC to outsource storage….Sharvari Patwa
Back-up plan the centre will have all the relevant data stored with bmc and will update it every 24 hours
Back-up plan the centre will have all the relevant data stored with bmc and will update it every 24 hours
Owing to lack of expertise in Information Technology, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to outsource the project of storage and maintenance of all its vital database to a private company.
The civic body will soon appoint companies to maintain an alternate database of all its computerised operations and records. The data centre, which is along the concept of a disaster recovery site, will have all the relevant data which is stored with the BMC and will be updated every 24 hours.
While top IT companies are vying for the contract for which the tender will be floated at the end of this month, the civic body wants the data centre to be situated outside the city. “We will hopefully finalise on a company which can set up the data centre outside the city as it has to be in an earthquake-resistant zone,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Aseem Gupta.
“As of now, we do not have any back-up of the data we generate and store everyday. In case of a natural disaster or even a terror attack, we will be crippled and all services will be affected,” he added.
The centre is expected to be ready within the next three months. “About six-seven major IT companies have shown interest to develop the alternate data centre,” said an official. IT Companies based in Hyderabad, Nashik, Navi Mumbai and Bangalore have approached the BMC for the project.
“The disaster recovery site will store and process all the data and information imperative for day-to-day running of the civic body. In case a disaster disables our servers and systems, we could use data from the site, the official added.
Currently, the BMC has a data centre in Worli, which is one of its most vital installations. The data centre receives, processes and stores every data regarding various departments of the administration. It also controls the computerised operations of the BMC which helps in facilitation of SAP, the web portal and other online operations including payment of taxes through web or SMS.
“The data centre requires high level of management and technical expertise. As of now, we have been managing our data centre at Worli, but instead of establishing the data centre on our own, we are outsourcing the project to a company which has expertise in this field,” said Gupta. According to civic officials, the private company will have to ensure high safety systems as the data provided by BMC will be essential and vital.
In his budget speech this year, Municipal Commissioner Subodh Kumar had said, “With the disaster recovery site in place, BMC services will not be interrupted even due to natural calamities and all the data will be secured.”
A provision of Rs 5 crore was proposed in this year’s budget for the development of the site. The cost is expected to increase over the next year, said officials.
According to officials, all major projects in the last few months have been getting delayed as the BMC is unable to successfully conduct e-tendering of projects.