Liberum Navitas will unite Russian investors to create a national IT infrastructure

2022

Establishment of a list of investor selection criteria

On April 11, 2022, Liberum Navitas announced the formation of a list of criteria for selecting investors to participate in the project to create a federal data center network. Key ones: sustainable priority interests of business development in Russia; portfolio of major successful projects, including infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, IT, etc.; Willingness to invest in national highly intelligent systems.

Additional requirements include full participation in the implementation of the project, including at the level of providing financial and business competencies; Investment networking; willingness to work with government institutions and R&D.

It is equally important that a strategic investor be interested in investing his financial and business resources in strategic projects designed to ensure the true technological independence of our country, the stability of the functioning of domestic business through the use of his own IT platform for the safe storage, exchange and use of data - in the face of unprecedented sanctions pressure.

An investment project to create a federal data center network was launched in the second half of 2021. This concept envisages the deployment of multifunctional information centers and a backbone high-speed data network. The reference geographical points here are fifteen cities of the Russian Federation, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.

As of April 2022, the Liberum Navitas partner network is fully ready to solve this problem. At the same time, the general contractor has already identified the starting regions, prepared all the necessary technological documents and is ready to begin the practical implementation of the project on the ground. Liberum Navitas is both the developer of the project and its co-investor.

Initially, this project was a response to the need to urgently solve the problem of chronic shortage of commercial data centers, which threatened to become a significant deterrent to the development of domestic business. This problem worsened and became, without exaggeration, critical, including because foreign resources became, in fact, inaccessible. On the other hand, it is the elaboration of the project of the federal data center network that makes it possible to solve the pressing problems of the Russian economy, and the project itself becomes an extremely promising object for strategic investments and the creation of domestic hi-tech products and services of the latest generation.

Identification of priority regions for construction of the first data centers

Liberum Navitas, the creator and operator of the Russian federal data center network and cloud services on February 25, 2022, announced the priority regions from which practical implementation will begin. They became: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Work is underway to select specific sites for construction.

The project to create a network of commercial data centers in the Russian Federation started at the end of 2021. Its implementation provides for the creation of "turnkey" 15 reference objects for storing, analyzing and protecting access to data. At the same time, all data centers will be connected by a new VOLS, which can ensure the reliable transfer of information in accordance with the current and future tasks of the business. Each data center - both in capitals and in regions - is a single working space, including, in addition to machine halls and engineering systems, coworking, offices, business and recreational areas, etc.

The architectural and planning concept of the project states that the area of ​ ​ the development of the data center in Moscow will be 31,413 m2, and for the typical regional data center - 16,355 m2. At the same time, the Liberum Navitas strategy allows both the acquisition of land in ownership and their long-term lease (for a period of 25 or 49 years).

As of February 2022, specific technical conditions are being worked out in these regions - connectivity to power networks and other communications; transport Availability parameters targeted land use issues; the surrounding business infrastructure and. ecology

Liberum Navitas estimates the deadlines for obtaining building permits for each facility in three months - from submitting all the necessary documentation after agreeing on requirements with local executive authorities. In turn, the development of project documentation is about four months.

Choosing a site for each specific data center as a link of a single federal network is extremely important, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - The fact is that our concept considers the data center fundamentally differently than it has been accepted for many years. In our understanding, this is a fundamentally different information, business and business environment, where each enterprise is both a consumer and a service provider. Therefore, there can be no trifles: you will have to take into account everything, up to the proximity to metro stations, the appearance of the surrounding buildings, etc. It is encouraging that the regions share our approach and are determined to help implement the project and achieve practical results. I note that there is strong support for the Development Corporations, which provide important methodological, advisory and organizational assistance at the local level.

2021

Official start of DPC construction

Liberum Navitas, the creator and operator of the Russian federal data center network and cloud services, has officially launched a project to build a data center in the supporting regions of the Russian Federation. The project is designed for two years; as of December 2021, it is being implemented by attracting private investment. The typed architectural solution of modern data centers was approved by Liberum Navitas management on December 14, 2021.

The backbone of the Liberum Navitas partner and service infrastructure, which became the basis for the quick launch of this large-scale project, is a pool of customers and partners, in cooperation with whom the company has already tested and implemented a set of standardized services in accordance with the needs of specific regions.

So, as specified in the company, in Moscow and the region, the company launched the Data Rescue service, in which Liberum Navitas guarantees customers recovery from various failures and provides a service for backing up critical information when it comes to business applications.

No less relevant for the Russian market was the LN service for the quick and individualized translation of IP companies and organizations into the cloud. This service is provided at the expense of the underlying author's SOI technology ("Specialized Cloud Infrastructure").

Another opportunity that domestic enterprises were able to take advantage of in 2021 was the cloud VKS system BBN WebConf from Liberum Navitas. It is intended precisely to manage the relevant access rights and increased protection during on-line events and negotiations.

After launching the first phase of the federal data center network project, Liberum Navitas selected several key partners whose competencies and resources make it possible to achieve significant results very quickly. Among them: GrandMotors, T8, Milecom, LN Stroy; at the same time, the pool of partner companies Liberum Navitas, including at the expense of both industrial leaders and regional market players.

It is no coincidence that we launched the All-Russian data center project, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - Working in the IT industry for more than twenty years, we are well aware that the main task of technologies and companies that can introduce them is to radically change the way of doing business, lifestyle, and set truly breakthrough vectors for the development of the economy and society as a whole. And you need to do this quickly, get real results, correct them, rise to a new stage. In our country there is everything to conceive, promote, and implement the most ambitious large-scale projects that all of us need.

Approval of architectural and planning solution for DPC construction

Liberum Navitas, the creator and operator of the federal data center network and cloud services, approved a single architectural and planning solution for the construction of data centers in Russian regions on December 14, 2021. The project provides for the creation of an information and business space based on unified technological, design and urban planning principles. Now private business, state enterprises and authorities will be able to use all the services that form the basis of the activities of any organization - according to a single standard and with clear guarantees of the level of their provision.

Prior to this, the traditional data center was perceived only as a purely utilitarian space, in which elements and components are located that ensure storage and exchange, data the launch of remote services and basic engineering. The Liberum Navitas approach allows you to review this attitude towards data centers, considering them as the backbone of the global information infrastructure. countries

The data center will now be organized as follows. Firstly, it is mandatory to create a front space for the placement of information and educational zones, coworking, office premises, places for rest, apartment hotels, cafes, etc. Secondly, in the back zone, where server, telecommunication and engineering equipment is installed, new regulations are provided for the protected access of company employees to their hardware and software resources and data. This is achieved through specialized systems and modules using multilevel identification and authorization mechanisms, including using biometrics. At the same time, for authorized personnel of customers who have the right to work inside the data center, after initial authentication, access will be facilitated as much as possible. Thirdly, all services that any enterprise will be able to receive in the innovative data center space will be provided in a single window mode. This means that the client, regardless of the location of the data center and the geography of doing business, will have the opportunity to use the entire range of services and resources he needs, and at a fixed price and as soon as possible. This organization of work of each node of the federal network will be ensured through standardization of regulations, miscalculation of the necessary capacities in each region, a single management system, analytics, service desk work, end-to-end monitoring of subsystem load and their integrated administration.

In accordance with these requirements, a standard design of the regional data center Liberum Navitas was developed. Its basic characteristics are as follows: the design area of ​ ​ the object on two floors will be about 19.5 thousand square meters. meters. On the ground floor there will be a machine room for the placement of 500 server racks (while the project includes the possibility of expanding capacities to 1000 or more racks). At the same time, in capitals, where business needs to place their resources in data centers are growing especially rapidly, the design capacity of the data center will be about 2,000 racks, also with the possibility of doubling their number (with a total object area of ​ ​ 31 thousand square meters). We emphasize that the ability to quickly increase capacity is realized almost instantly.

We thought through, calculated and began to implement an all-Russian project aimed at real support for the construction of the digital economy, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - And this is far from a "project," but a complex complex task, which we intend to solve in a fairly short time. We presented our vision of what a data center should be; launched the first stage of work on the implementation of this initiative. Of course, we do this together with our partners, each of whom is a leader in his field. The pool of such companies is constantly expanding. And here we are talking about true synergy: together we will be able to achieve a result quickly, giving domestic business all the opportunities to implement its most ambitious plans.

Selection of Milecom as a partner in the Siberian and Ural regions

Liberum Navitas, the Russian center for the design, construction and operation of data centers and cloud infrastructure, continues to expand the pool of strategic regional partners that will be involved in the construction of the federal data center network.

The company signed a cooperation agreement with Milecom, the operator of its own extensive infrastructure of high-speed VOLS (covering more than 20 regions) in the Urals and Siberia. The partnership provides for the use of the capacity of the own high-speed network of VOLS Milecom to ensure stable communication between network nodes in the data center, which will be located on the territory of the Ural and Siberian Federal Districts. At the same time, the telecommunications infrastructure of Milecom will become a reference for the rapid deployment of the communication component of the project in these regions.

In Siberia and the Urals, Liberum Navitas plans construction five data centers, the capacity of which should meet the needs of the business states and in the processing and storage provision of secure access to data to and services in these regions. At the same time, the key feature of the project is the standardization of planning and architectural solutions, the set and quality of services, as well as guarantees for service on conditions. SLA In the near future, the parties will approve the terms of reference for VOLS, prepare a detailed engineering project and all the necessary documentation. Further, Milecom will begin work on the search and selection of performers to carry out work on laying fiber-optic networks for the tasks of the project.

Liberum Navitas is the initiator and single responsibility center for the implementation of this large-scale project. The company's strategy provides for the selection of key partners in the main areas of activity necessary for the rapid deployment of the federal data center network in each of the target regions of the Russian Federation. These include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novy Urengoy, Novosibirsk, Sevastopol, Sochi, Tyumen, Khabarovsk.

"Having started a data center network project, we initially decided to rely on professional and capable regional partners. As part of this strategy, we selected Milekom to solve telecommunications problems in the Ural and Siberian regions, whose competencies, experience and real capacities are fully consistent with our strategic tasks, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - I note that this approach allows you to get the first results within the next year, significantly reducing time-tomarket. "

Selection of GrandMotors as Energy Supply Partner

Liberum Navitas on November 17, 2021 announced the selection of one of the Russian engineering companies GrandMotors as a key partner in the field of integrated energy supply and maintenance as part of a project to deploy a federal data center network.

The partnership agreement provides for the joint work of Liberum Navitas and GrandMotors on the entire range of tasks in the field of energy supply, including the development of TK, design, supplies, commissioning and further maintenance of energy complexes - according to common standards for all facilities of the data center network.

In November 2021, it is planned to install about nine thousand racks with the possibility of their increases - depending on the geography and needs of customers.

We are purposefully and consistently expanding our partner program, working with the best companies and organizations. Energy supply for facilities important for the smooth operation of state and business structures, such as data centers, is one of our most important tasks, and there is no right to make a mistake, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - I am sure that the competence of GrandMotors, its experience and ability to work within a single team will be the key to success in this area.

The creation of a powerful network of data centers working according to common standards throughout the country is a timely and correct initiative, "said Igor Topilsky, development director of GrandMotors. - At the same time, it is very big responsibility. We are ready to take part of it, since it is the energy sphere that is one of the areas of activity that we know thoroughly. And the thoughtfulness of the project created by our key partner Liberum Navitas is the most important factor in its accurate and timely implementation.

Agreement with "T8"

Liberum Navitas announced on November 11, 2021 that it would enter into a strategic partnership agreement with T8.

A key area of ​ ​ cooperation will be the design and construction of highly reliable inter-code communication networks with the provision of broadband access to network services and other open resources - both for the needs of the data centers themselves and their customers. T8 specialists will work on creating the design of inter-code networks, preparing technical tasks for their design, supply of telecommunication equipment and its subsequent installation when forming fiber-optic communication lines with a throughput of 100 to 600 Gbit/s in each spectral channel.

The main goal of the project is to provide a single standard of quality of commercial data center services for state and commercial enterprises throughout the country, regardless of geography. At the same time, the total capacity of the project will be 9,000 racks (with the possibility of their doubling).

Starting to solve such a large-scale problem, we strive to attract only the best partners whose experience and competencies are repeatedly confirmed by real projects and are not in doubt, "said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas. - Of course, T8 is such a company - innovative, highly professional and reliable. We will continue to use this approach, carefully selecting the companies that will participate in the project and play a leading role in the implementation of specific areas.

Having carefully evaluated the concept of creating a trusted data center network proposed by Liberum Navitas, we saw the technical potential laid down in this project, "said Konstantin Marchenko, Deputy General Director for Strategic Development of T8. - That is why we have decided to sign a strategic partnership agreement, and we are starting to work together on a number of technical aspects, detailing plans and schedules.

Plan for the creation of the All-Russian data center network

Liberum Navitas, a Russian center for the design, construction and operation of data centers and cloud infrastructure, announced to TAdviser on October 19, 2021 the launch of a major federal investment project to create an all-Russian network of data centers, united by a single fiber-optic communication line. The project provides for the construction and commissioning of 15 reference data centers, which will become the basis of an integrated domestic infrastructure for storing, analyzing and providing secure access to large amounts of information. Users of this network of data centers will be state structures and commercial enterprises of any scale - from the largest holdings to startups.

In Russia, the construction of a federal network of data centers for 48.6 billion rubles begins.

Conceptually, the creation of a federal data center network provides for the provision of high-quality sets of services and security tools throughout the country, regardless of region, built according to common quality standards and based on universal architectural and construction solutions. In October 2021, work is already underway on the final design of a typical data center. At the same time, the network will ensure the real availability of information repositories for an overwhelming number of regional users.

The project is designed for two years; the costs of its implementation are estimated at 48.6 billion rubles. Liberum Navitas and its partners intend to invest about 10% of this amount, and these funds will be spent, first of all, on the development of a technical assignment, conceptual, architectural and technical design, design concept and prototyping - this takes from six to eight months. The further investment stage provides for preparatory work (5% of the total project cost - about 2.4 billion rubles) and, in fact, technical implementation (71% - 34.5 billion rubles). Finally, as part of the third stage, the following will be carried out: comprehensive control (4% - 1.95 billion rubles), commissioning, comprehensive testing and verification of all components of the network (3% - 1.5 billion rubles), as well as passing the necessary certification procedures, including at the state level. In total, the second and third stages will take a year and a half - such a short time will be provided by the author's technology of rapid construction and the commissioning of complex commercial data centers.

It is planned to attract domestic large strategic and venture capital investors working both in Russia and abroad; the financial participation of the State has not yet been envisaged. The company specified that as of October 19, 2021, the project is provided with start-up financing. The payback period is estimated at two years - from the moment of putting all facilities into commercial operation. According to Liberum Navitas analysts, investments in storage infrastructure are one of the most promising and profitable areas for business and investment.

15 large cities of the Russian Federation were chosen as hub locations, the creation in each of which of a large data center, connected by VOLS with other nodes, will provide a wide territorial coverage - taking into account the real needs of the state and the data business.

Reference cities include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Kaliningrad, Sevastopol, Sochi, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Tyumen, Novy Urengoy, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok. Each data center has 500 server racks. In turn, in Moscow, where the largest data center of the federal network will be built, the number of racks will reach 2,000. Thus, the total capacity of the project will be 9,000 racks - with the original possibility of doubling their number due to the modularity of the applied technical solutions.

As a result, the country will have a national data storage and processing infrastructure; more than 2,000 jobs will be created; There will be a source of additional income for the country; A sustainable ICT environment will be formed for the opening of IT and related businesses. All this together will be an important step in supporting real digital transformation programs (both in the state and in business). This is especially important, since the lack of available computing resources is a serious deterrent to this process, according to Liberum Navitas.

The company noted that during the implementation of the project, the main priority will be given to Russian manufacturers of equipment and software - up to 80% of the budget will be directed to the purchase of domestic technologies and services. Already at this stage, Liberum Navitas is negotiating strategic alliances with leading Russian developers and suppliers.

The company's specialists have developed a special methodology for accepting all work on the project. In particular, it provides for an end-to-end and cross-sectional assessment of the viability of each stage according to a whole set of parameters: timeline, timing of microsteps, achieved results, quality of documentation, range of services, unification, customer base, actual cost and profitability.

The need to create a powerful infrastructure for storing, processing and transmitting information throughout the country is one of the key tasks facing business. As of October 2021, the country does not have a properly organized data infrastructure. This is unacceptable, especially against the background of the rapid development of digital technologies and the emergence of truly breakthrough technological spheres. Therefore, business and technology investors must join forces as soon as possible to solve this problem as soon as possible. Yes, we launched a large, complex investment project, but I think it is wrong to shift the financial burden of its implementation to the state. The country has quite serious investors, including in the IT market, a lot of professionals who are able to solve the most large-scale problems. Accurate budgeting, time schedule, well-thought-out architectural IT solutions, verified milestones, metrics and checkpoints make project implementation possible already, excluding the very concept of "long-term." Everything can be done in two years. We and our partners have already begun to implement the project, and I am confident that the pool of our like-minded people who want to participate in this task will steadily expand, said Airat Mustafin, CEO of Liberum Navitas.