Oman Air implementing New IT Solution
Date: 24 August 2008
Oman Air appointed Gulf Business Machines (GBM), one of the largest IT solutions and service providers in the United Arab Emirates, satisfying the technology requirements of local, regional, and international businesses, also IBM’s representative in the region – to successfully implement state-of-the-art IT business continuity solution.
GBM is enhancing Oman Air’s present IT infrastructure by implementing a new data recovery center providing the airline with a leading edge solution ensuring flawless continuity of services in the event of a failure of the main IT system. This solution allows all IT systems to be duplicated and backed up in real time and stored safely for immediate use.
The GBM solution includes the implementation of CISCO Systems networking components, involving replacing and laying fiber and UTP cabling as well as implementing Veritas-based replication for critical servers. The project began in late 2007 and will be fully operational in the coming weeks.
“As the Airline business grows ever more dependent on IT services, the need for an alternate data centre with a proper data disaster recovery solution to ensure continuous availability of systems has become very crucial for operations,” said Oman Air’s Head of Information & Computing Habib Bhacker Habib.
According to GBM General Manager Olivier Mouries, “Oman Air has an excellent IT infrastructure, nonetheless they needed a data recovery centre in place to address their growing business needs. The success of this project is due to the excellent GBM / Oman Air teamwork and dedication, using strong project management resources and methodology. With the launch of the centre, Oman Air reaches a major milestone in its business development.”
Mr. Habib Bhacker Habib Head of Information & Computing in Oman Air explained that the airline partnered with GBM based on their detailed proposal that fully met the airline’s business requirements. GBM is also highly experienced in this field and has carried out many large-scale similar projects in the region. “We wanted to put in place uninterrupted IT services to better meet the needs of our customers, and GBM was chosen as an ideal partner because of the quality of service and value-add we received from them,” he added.
Mr. Maqbool Ramadan Al Maimani, Information Technology Manager in Oman Air and Project Manager explained, “Keeping in mind the current and future expansion requirements of Oman Air, the focus has been on implementing the best and most cost effective Disaster Recovery Solution. GBM will ensure that the data recovery centre provides the best solution for today’s critical needs and will be a stable and cost-effective platform for the airline to meet its future requirements to ensure complete customer satisfaction.
Pointing out on the importance of this project, Corporate Communications and Media of Oman Air explained that business continuity is essential, and when the unexpected happens, we want to be ready and resilient. In this IT-intensive world they said, reliable data backup and recovery is crucial, and critical applications need to be available no matter what. Protection against any kind of downtime is necessary, and if vital data and applications go unprotected when an unexpected outage occurs whether it is caused by a minor software glitch, a virus outbreak or natural disaster at stake are customer relationships, productivity and possibly huge sums. This is why every company needs a business continuity plan. They further stated that the Omani Aviation sector has indeed undergone significant changes over the last few years at both the airport and airline level, and being the service provider in Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport, Oman Air continuously monitors operations and seeks to upgrade facilities to ensure that the airport is equipped with the most up-to-date means of technology, to reduce operating costs, ensure greater flexibility and control, in addition to meeting the expectation of the customers.
On the subject of choosing the Gulf Business Machines Company (GBM) to carry out the project, CC&M of Oman Air highlighted that the company’s roots stretch back to more than 18 years, furthermore are IBM’s Sole Distributors, excluding selected IBM products and services, in the GCC with the exception of Saudi Arabia. As the largest locally situated IT solutions and service provider, GBM satisfies the technology requirements of local, regional, and international businesses and governments in the region. The company's comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions and services also includes the offerings of a range of international business partners, including Cisco Systems with whom GBM has enjoyed since 2003 Gold Partner status throughout the region. They notified in conclusion that the company offers award winning, globally acclaimed solutions and the security of a strong regional presence, extensive reach, and unrivalled market knowledge.