Transaero sends thousands of employees to "clouds"

Regarding IT projects 2012 passed for Transaero under the flag of virtualization: the airline virtualized all the server framework, and now replaces normal jobs of users with virtual, the Head of Department of information security of Transaero airline Sergey Gavrenkov told in an interview of TAdviser in October, 2013.

According to him, as of fall to the companies there is the second part of this very big project: more than 700 jobs are virtualized already, and in total they will be several thousands. It is necessary to consider here and that all crews of airline should have virtual work places to which access from their mobile devices is organized, Sergey Gavrenkov says. At the beginning of October, 2013, in particular, Transaero announced obtaining operational permission from Rosaviatsiya to use of iPad as an electronic onboard portfolio.

The Head of Department of information security of Transaero adds that there are no specific terms on completion of virtualization of all jobs. As in airline enough jobs, and part of them - the thin clients who were initially working with terminal servers, and a part - normal PCs and notebooks, are not present economic feasibility all this sharply to stop operating, he explains.

"We give the chance to use a virtual work place depending on the rights, powers and needs of its owner, but to take and replace all at once, making large sums, it is represented to us inexpedient, - Sergey Gavrenkov says. - Therefore as soon as we have a need for a new workplace, or the existing workplace ceases to satisfy to tasks of the specific user, his replacement taking into account technology of virtualization is made at once".

Boeing 777 "Transaero" airplane

Transaero implements virtual work places based on third-party DPCs in which business applications are also hosted: the company has no own data center.

Sergey Gavrenkov explains that as the IT is not core business for Transaero airline, to it it is uninteresting and, moreover, at this stage of development, is already inexpedient to be engaged in the hardware. The company considers that much more profitable and more effectively to charge such things to the specialized outsourcing IT companies.

"Historically we had own server rooms, but at a certain stage of development of the company, growth of scales of business strategic decision was made that we should not be engaged in what for us is not profile and interesting", - the Head of Department of information security of Transaero airline tells.

According to him, its airline uses services of DPCs of several partners and is very happy with that level of fault tolerance which they provide.

It should be noted that the competitor of Transaero -Aeroflot airline - regarding hardware infrastructure goes some other way: so, in March, 2013 the Deputy CEO for IT of Aeroflot Kirill Bogdanov in an interview of TAdviser told that one of key points of IT strategy of the company is creation of uniform DPC in Moscow. Aeroflot has a DPC in Sheremetyevo in which it is going to optimize heat exchanging process and at the expense of it it is essential to increase number of physical servers on the same square (262 sq.m). Besides, it was told about plans to bring the reserve DPC in Moscow located at distance about 10 km from the basic into operation.

Read a complete interview of TAdviser with Sergey Gavrenkov on October 14.