A Hi-Tech Data Center

When it comes to e-governance, Himach­al Pradesh is one of the leading states in India where a number of e-govern­ance initiatives have started seeing the light of day. An example of this is commonly seen when you drive down the rural roads and find Lok Mitra Kendras or Common Service Centers (CSCs) at many places. Tak­ing the e-governance drive further, now the state government has em­powered Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation with what is claimed as a state-of-the-art data center.

It was set up under a public-pri­vate partnership. Orange Business Services, the enterprise commu­nications arm of France Telecom-Orange, has commissioned the data center for HPPCL, the leading state-owned power generating util­ity in Himachal Pradesh.

The state government is excited about the deployment since it believes that the data center deployment is a step forward for the state in its efforts of IT modernization in key sectors such as power generation. The data center, managed by Orange for 5 years, will facilitate the rollout of SAP applications and services at HPPCL.

It is obvious that it will help the department streamline its process and contain leakages. In addition, the new set-up will help HPPCL in bringing efficiency and hence better services. Why it is important is because hydro-electric is one of the biggest revenue resources for the state and it will help the state to enhance its revenues through the allocation of power.

A press release issued by Orange Business Serives refers to the Principal Secretary Power to the HP government and the management of HPPCL where he expressed appre­ciation for the efforts to bring alive the data center on time.

The press release also quoted Bala Mahadevan, CEO, Orange Business Services, India, saying, With our domain expertise and technical capabilities of manag­ing complex infrastructure de­ployments, we are well placed to expand our enterprise solutions and deliver large government and public sector projects."

Powerhouse of Power

HPPCL will now be able to run seamlessly various complicated business functions such as records, inventory, logistics and billing services. This facility will further strengthen HPPCL's operations and help improve efficiency in deliver­ing power services in the state.

The infrastructure includes fully equipped high-end computing, network and security solutions. Aimed at improving efficiency and removing operational complexity with multi-vendor management, the services provided by Orange include around-the-clock onsite integration, project management and managed services. The provi­sion for a single window helpdesk will also enable the swift resolution of power related issues.

The state has manifested its continuous effort to automate their working through the usage of hi-tech technology. However it would be interesting to see the turnaround that the data center is expected to bring in the working of HPPCL.