The investment includes setting up a new data center, replacing the company’s mainframe computers and expanding data storage capacity.
Buenos Aires, February 2018.- Aerolíneas Argentinas is implementing a USD 9.8 million investment to modernize its IT systems. In this context, a new data center has been set up, two powerful computers are now being incorporated and the company will expand its data storage capacity.
The aim is to have a more efficient and secure IT infrastructure with a better performance, in order to obtain more stable data systems.
The migration of the company IT center to its new data center, located at the Aerolíneas premises in Ezeiza airport, was completed this month. It consists of an isolated area, with UPS equipment and generators to make up for possible power outages, as well as cooling systems and fire control systems.
“We have completed this migration in record time, thanks to the highly committed and focused work of our suppliers (IBM and BVS/Cisco, among others) and of all our team: this involves a significant quality improvement in IT standards and in the reliability we can provide to the operation,” said Guillermo Desimoni, IT Director of Aerolíneas Argentinas.
The new data center has received a TIER III Certification: i.e. 99.98% reliability, it is water-resistant and has duplicate security systems to avoid disruptions, a gas fire-suppression system, and state-of-the-art thermal and electronic network stability; the room is antimagnetic, which protects the equipment.
The “box” for the data center was built three years ago, but the installation and the wiring had never been carried out and the IT equipment had not been relocated. To perform such tasks, the same firm that had executed the first stage of the work, Acceco, was hired to complete it and to obtain the relevant certifications.
On the other hand, Aerolíneas has already acquired new central data-processing equipment. The previous units, IBM 740, 750 and 780, among others, were not compatible with the current needs of the company due to their aging; therefore, they are now being replaced by two new IBM P880C, with more capacity and speed. Nine older-technology processors are thus being replaced by two state-of-the-art processors. IBM staff worked all weekend to complete the migration and installation of this new equipment.
The investment also includes an agreement with BVS/Cisco to replace the wiring of the area, which was 20 years old.
Finally, there was a call for bids to update and expand data storage capacity and software libraries, to ensure higher speed and improve reliability. The new equipment will be added to others that the company bought a few years ago for USD 2 million but that have not been connected to the system until now.
At the same time, certain IT processes were reengineered, so that some tasks are now performed “in the cloud,” thus economizing the company’s IT capacity. For example, the Lotus Notes system was “shut down” and Office 365 was acquired for the administrative tasks of the company. This system is no longer installed in Aerolíneas’ own computers but in an online system, which results in savings and a more efficient use of resources.
With this investment, Aerolíneas aims to optimize the processing of the growing amount of information it generates, to better protect its technological assets, to ensure the availability and continuity of its operations, to optimize maintenance costs and to mitigate points of failure.
PRESS CONTACT
Marcelo Canton – AEROLÍNEAS ARGENTINAS
Press & Media Relations Manager
marcelo.canton@aerolineas.com.ar
+54 11 3723-9067
ABOUT AEROLÍNEAS ARGENTINAS
Founded in 1950, Aerolíneas Argentinas is one of the leading companies in South America. From its operational base at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, the company flies to 22 international destinations in the Americas and Europe. Together with Austral Líneas Aéreas, Aerolíneas Argentinas operates flights to 37 destinations in Argentina, and provides dynamic connections between Argentina and the region through its re-inaugurated operations center at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. Aerolíneas Group is currently carrying out a program for the renewal of its fleet, consisting of Airbus 330, Airbus 340, Boeing 737-700/800, MAX and Embraer 190 aircraft. Since September 2012, Aerolíneas Argentinas is a member of the SkyTeam global alliance.