The Municipality of Ovar is implementing a digital transformation project that includes the implementation of ModSecur IT Container as a second data center. The goal of this new infrastructure is to create redundancy and greater IT security for the Municipality.
Ovar City Council had already identified structural needs in the IT area. “For many years we stopped investing completely. The emergence of Covid 19 gave us the necessary impetus to finally start investing in the data center”, says Dr. Ruben Ferreira, municipal councillor from Ovar.
The main point of this modernization was the creation of a second data center and the choice was the ModSecur IT Container, implemented by Maxiglobal.
Redundancy and security: the principles of IT modernization
The main data center of Ovar Municipality was implemented by Maxiglobal in 2010. However, due to lack of investment in the sector, it was already quite deteriorated. “Our data center was created with the aim of growing and modernizing. We did not continue the investment because of the crisis that broke out in 2011”, tells us Eng. Nelson Brito, responsible for the Municipality’s IT department. Cooling and availability problems were a constant, so the current infrastructure was updated.
After this update, it was felt necessary to acquire a new data center to create the redundancy and resiliency that any current infrastructure must have. “We consider that what makes sense is to have two equipments in operation”, adds Eng. Nelson.
ModSecur IT Container: flexibility and modularity
The option chosen by the Municipality of Ovar was the ModSecur IT Container. “We had several buildings where we could build a data center. But we thought: what if we want to change? If we want to get out of here? What seemed ideal to us was to have a modular and portable data center. Since the container responded to all technical needs, it was the best choice”, reveals Eng. Nelson.
The implemented solution is an outdoor data center, created in container modules. It guarantees high availability, scalability and security. It has expandability and was designed to comply with Tier 2 for UPS and cooling systems. In terms of physical security, the container features protection against CF120min fire, water, dust, humidity and vandalism.
One of the strengths of this kind of solution is the ease of transportion and future expansion, adding new modules. This is an essential feature for the Municipality. “If we ever need the location where the container is installed, it will be easy to move it to another location and we guarantee that the data center will grow and evolve according to our needs”, adds Dr. Ruben Ferreira.
Advantages of implementation
For the Municipality of Ovar, this implementation has been very advantageous, namely in terms of safety and refrigeration. “We know that we will not have failures. Our systems will always be available and even if there is a break, it will be imperceptible by users”, says Eng. Nelson Brito.
Another added value of the solution is the constant monitoring of the infrastructure, which is equipped with ModSecur EMS, an environmental and alarm monitoring appliance. “Previously, the data center access control was complex and now it is completely modernized and alarmism is a huge advantage for us. I can know if the generator is working, for example, and I know who accessed the data center, which increases security levels”, concludes Ruben Ferreira.
