SITA unveils R55m network centre

The State IT Agency (SITA) yesterday demonstrated its new R55 million hi-tech Network Operating Centre (NOC), at its Centurion, Pretoria headquarters.

The NOC is an integrated system that proactively monitors activities and malicious data coming into the national network and leaving the network, explains SITA acting CEO Femke Pienaar.

In addition, the centre will implement efficient incident and malware resolution, service level agreement management, as well as capacity, change and configuration management, across all government departments.

Pienaar says the launch of the NOC, which also incorporates a Security Operating Centre, is the result of 18 months of comprehensive planning.

In the past, a major concern for SITA was that the previous outdated Government Common Core Network lacked proactive data monitoring, and incidents would have been passed from section to section.

All security or WAN-related incidents had been handled separately, using a silo approach. WAN staff monitored WAN services and data links only, while security staff only monitored intrusions and violations of security levels.

In light of this, SITA sought a strategy to develop a consolidated view of network components.

A R40 million chunk of the investment was spent on the software, while R15 million was invested on the actual centre, says the agency. SITA has signed an agreement with Converged Communications Services to monitor and maintain the next-generation network (NGN).

The NOC allows for central around-the-clock monitoring, and operators detect and solve network problems before SITA`s clients are even aware of the problem, SITA added.

During the demonstration, Pienaar pointed out that the NGN has one of the most advanced multi-function suites in the world and the centre features different classes of virtual private networks, VOIP services and video streaming.

"SITA is convinced that the new service will enhance government`s service delivery capacity,” noted Pienaar. “When a network incident occurs, the applicable system or tool detects the incident and an automated trouble ticket is sent to the Action Remedy System (ARS).

“The ARS will then, in turn, route the trouble ticket to the applicable group of engineers. After the incident is corrected, a closed trouble ticket will be sent to the ARS. The incident is then closed. The entire process is automated and, essentially, there is no human interference.”

Pienaar added the SITA NOC has the biggest installed video wall in Africa. With its 36x127cm plasma screens, this is a first for the continent, she explained.

Navin Singh, GM of Converged Communications Services, claims the NOC was a natural progression for SITA. "The NOC is an aggregation of all the systems coming together into one unified management platform that you can pre-empt events coming in, monitor the utilisation of the network and provide a high-quality service.”

Singh notes the three-year journey to develop the centre led to creating a scalable system that improves business intelligence and can monitor the entire e-government system more effectively than its predecessor.

According to Pienaar, in future, SITA would like to see more government involvement as there are still fragmented elements within government departments and SITA would like to see this change.

The network management software comprises Cisco`s IP Solution Centre, HP Openview NNM (Network Node Manager), Cisco LMS (LAN Management System), CA eHealth and IBM Tivoli Netcool.

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