IT strategy of "Federal freight company"

Digital Design together with Microsoft company developed for "The second freight company" (in October, 2012 it is renamed into "The federal freight company"), one of the largest cargo railway operators of Russia, IT strategy for 2012-2014. This document assumes implementation in VGK within three years of 47 target IT projects within nine strategic initiatives.

At the time of foundation of "The second freight company" at the end of 2010 the IT service was faced by a task in the shortest possible time to organize information support of activity. Now in VGK nine automated systems providing operational problems of the main business processes function. The overall level of automation of business is sufficient for the solution of operational accounting of basic processes and conducting accounting and tax accounting at the moment, however further business development requires, both development of already applied systems, and implementation of advanced technologies of management of business.

Kozhukhovsky Mikhail, the director of business development, Digital Design, comments: "The second freight company" was in very unusual situation as it appeared in the conditions of explosive growth. In February, 2011 she only began real work, and now, only one and a half years later, owns by more than 170 thousand cars – about the fifth part of all Russian park of the rolling stock. Respectively, business processes of the enterprise changed so promptly. And before IT service which should automate these business processes it is worth – foreseeing very difficult task what requirements will appear during further rapid development and to organize their effective solution already now".

Bridge Anton, the leading expert on technologies and strategic development of Microsoft in Russia, tells: "Development of IT strategy for such large and fast-growing enterprise as "The second freight company" - difficult, but very interesting challenge. We are glad that our company was attracted to its solution. The best experts of department of consulting and technical support of corporate customers of Microsoft in Russia jointly with specialists of Digital Design managed to propose the bright solution which not only meets today's requirements of railway giant, but also considers new tasks which will arise in development of the company".

Specialists of Digital Design and Microsoft conducted examination of business processes of "The second freight company", audit of a current status of automation and IT infrastructure and analyzed the current IT projects. On the basis of the general business objectives of "VGK" experts developed the purposes and the directions of development of IT which would provide the necessary level of support of ambitious plans: by 2015 – to occupy slightly less than a quarter in the general goods turnover on network of Russian Railways, and further an exit to the IPO. On the basis of it the plan of achievement of a target status of IT was made.

"The second freight company" will pay the maximum attention in the next three years to control automation by transportations, contents and operation of the rolling stock and customer interaction and also to creation of a performance management system of the enterprise. The last will be implemented almost "from scratch". It is intended for effective management and information analysis. The basis of the solution is formed by the corporate information storage (CIS) integrating all range of tools of the business analysis. KIH will submit to the staff of "The second freight company" "the uniform version of the truth" - the up-to-date and reliable information consolidated from different sources characterizing a current status of the enterprise and dynamics of its development.

At upgrade of IT infrastructure implementation of a common information space, improvement of integration of automated systems and ensuring continuity of IT services will be one of the main vectors of development. As conceptual architectural concepts it is possible to select centralization of resources with wide use of virtualization of servers and applications. The IT strategy of "The second freight company" also assumes the organization of the process approach and control automation of IT.

"the IT will develop in the companies within multiplatformity – at each vendor we selected the best solutions most of which approach under our tasks, - Zaytsev Sergey, the acting head of the department of IT of the Moscow representative office of JSC The Second Freight Company tells. – "VGK" is open for the most advanced technologies. In particular, for top managers the mobile workplace on iPad tablets was implemented, management of IT will be constructed based on recently appeared Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012. The combination of modern technologies to the best practices and methodologies will allow IT service to become the reliable partner for business who is actively helping to increase efficiency of activity of the company"