OREANDA-NEWS. March 19, 2007. UNIMILK and IBS DataFort experts are developing a strategy of reservation and recovery of critical information systems, reported the press-centre of  IBS. UNIMILK consolidates 25 dairy enterprises in Russia and 2 dairy enterprises in Ukraine. Using proactively the latest information systems and technologies UNIMILK is successively fulfilling the strategy of business development by increase of its manageability. In summer 2006, UNIMILK experts started developing of business continuity strategy and performing on its base solution for reservation of critical IT systems.


"Annually, UNIMILK produces more than a million tons of dairy products. Milk is a socially significant product which we deliver not only to shops but also to hospitals, kindergartens, schools," says Alexander Lensky, the Development Director of UNIMILK. "We can't permit standstills neither in production nor in purchasing or selling not only because we might suffer financial losses due to short period of raw materials and prepared products keeping but also because we just can't leave millions of our customers without the products of vital importance".

"All company’s 27 plants work in the centralized ERP system, and crucial business processes depend on its efficacy. The policy for providing working continuity of critical corporative IT systems is primarily an understanding of our responsibility to our consumers. To solve this task, we looked for a reliable partner having all necessary competences and expertise as well as reliable infrastructure. IBS DataFort has met all those requirements absolutely," Alexander Lensky сonfirms. At the first stage, IBS DataFort experts audited IT infrastructure and analyzed risks in the operation of UNIMILK corporative information system (IS). UNIMILK centralized IT infrastructure is able to increase manageability but at the same time it makes high demands on fail-safety and continuity supporting operation in 7 time zones, 2 countries, in 24*7 mode with 17*7 high load. The audit has revealed crucial processes and systems.


During the next stage, IBS DataFort experts and UNIMILK IT team developed strategy of reservation and recovery of mission-critical information systems and created technical solution on its base for IS reservation in IBS DataFort data center. From the point of business continuity, the complex including MS Dynamics Ax + Oracle 9.i. was found to be crucial. The complex was passed into on-line replication between main and reserve data centers with a distance more than 10 km. Based on developed reservation and recovery strategy, a detailed Disaster Recovery Plan (plan for IS recovery in the case of breakdowns) was drawn up. It is designed to choose necessary actions in crisis situations, to regulate reservation and recovery procedures. In process of plan developing, IBS DataFort experts have prepared an unique method for emergency valuation and taking decision to pass to reserve hardware-software complex.

After approval of the recovery plan and IS reservation, project equipment for reserve complex was placed in IBS DataFort data center. Having been tested the system was put into commercial operation. Further cooperation between the companies assumes regular testing of reservation procedures and updating of the Plan for UNIMILK business continuity. According to Alexander Lensky, "As the project results we have got regulations and procedures which will allow secure recovering of IT systems and accurate forecasting of their recovery periods. Moreover, having placed reserved system in Data Center of IBS DataFort we provide the highest security level for ourselves, also. Due to professional work of experts of our IT service and IBS DataFort now UNIMILK company meets the highest standards of Business Continuity".

"To insure from emergency and to decrease financial and reputation losses is a natural wish of any leader", Yury Samoilov, the Director of IBS DataFort, says. "However, as our experience indicates, many companies are still hoping for the best. The fact that one of the leading Russian companies, UNIMILK company, not only understands its risk of possible losses in the case of emergency but also takes preventive measures to minimize it and to grade its consequences shows high level of this company's maturity".