Kazakh Railways selects IBM technology
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefNational Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (Kazakh Rail) has selected IBM to provide hardware and software to help optimize its freight and passenger operations. The system includes an IBM z10 mainframe computer.
As part of an $8 million contract, IBM will help Central Asia’s largest rail operation establish a new system based on two disaster-proof data centers in the city of Astana.
With advanced recovery capabilities, the new system will help Kazakh Railways safeguard and recover critical information and reduce possible downtime in the case of a systems failure Kazakh Railways’ estimates, a day of downtime costs the company an estimated $6 million. The IBM system will help to reduce downtime related to a systems failure from several hours to as little as 20 minutes.
“Reliable and fault tolerant systems are crucial for our company’s operations. Even the smallest systems failure can lead to enormous financial losses,” said Ermek Keyzatov, vice-president for Business Development, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy. “IBM has proven experience in providing smart transportation systems to railway operators across Europe and worldwide and was chosen by Kazakh Railways to help ensure the uninterrupted operation of our passenger and freight operations.”
