In summer 2024, the company's parent office decided to transform business processes to ensure full autonomy of the Belarusian representative office.
This required upgrading the IT infrastructure, since geopolitical factors threatened to shut down networks and, as a result, stop business operations. At that time, the infrastructure of the Belarusian office largely depended on equipment from Western manufacturers, who stopped supporting software and hardware solutions in the region.
This situation exposed the client's business to significant risks. Termination of the network connection with the head office based in Noginsk would mean isolation of the Belarusian representative office and loss of access to the corporate network, which would lead to unpredictable downtime in the office.
These risks could directly affect the operational efficiency of the company. For example, the warehouse management system (WMS) would stop functioning due to loss of communication between the plant and the centralized data processing center (DPC), which would paralyze warehouse and logistics processes.Key Challenges
- Conduct a survey of the existing network infrastructure at the head office and at the production site.
- Develop a technical solution for building a new version of the network infrastructure.
- Develop a methodology for the step-by-step switching of the existing infrastructure to the new one.
- Perform work on commissioning and putting into operation of new equipment and changing the configuration of existing equipment.
- Provide technical support and consultation for the Customer's personnel at the initial stages of the new IT infrastructure.
Work on the design and implementation of a new IT infrastructure for the Belarusian representative office began under significant restrictions.
The main challenges of the project were:
— Lack of access to existing equipment that was no longer supported by manufacturers;
— The need to complete all work in a short time frame to ensure a smooth transition before the possible shutdown of the parent company's IT services;
— Limited time "windows" for implementing changes, aligned with the production schedule to minimize the impact on the work process;
— A shortage of IT specialists on the client's staff, which complicated the implementation of the project and required additional support.
Despite these conditions, in a short period of time - just four months - the ICL Services team managed to carry out a large-scale transformation of the IT infrastructure:
Development and implementation of network infrastructure
Elements of the core and wireless network infrastructure were created and configured from scratch. The implementation was carried out in stages within the allocated technological windows so as not to disrupt the client's production processes. 2. Design of the new network infrastructure
The network core was designed using equipment from domestic manufacturers. This made it possible to avoid dependence on foreign suppliers and significantly reduce potential risks associated with support.
Technical support and consultations
During the initial stages of operating the updated infrastructure, ICL Services specialists provided consultations and technical support for the client's employees, helping to promptly resolve issues and ensure stable operation of the system.
Additional measures were also taken to achieve fault tolerance and ensure the security of the corporate network:
— Replacement of network equipment with solutions from friendly countries, which ensured uninterrupted support and a high level of technical support;
— Strengthening the security of the corporate network using Russian-made firewalls to protect data from external threats and cyber attacks;
— Modernization and ensuring fault tolerance of the entire infrastructure to minimize the risks of downtime and maintain the availability of key business processes.
Results
- We prepared and launched the new IT infrastructure within the established timeframe.
- We ensured the continuous functioning of business processes, eliminating production downtime.
- We adapted the client's employees to work with new services and equipment.