Astra Infrastucture Cloud (AIC)

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• What is IaaS
• PaaS - Platform As A Service

2024: Astra Infrastructure Cloud Presentation

Astra Group and ICL Techno On May 20, 2024 presented a joint integrated solution - a software and hardware complex (PAC) based on a secure platform for building a private cloud Astra Infrastructure Cloud (AIC), assembled by ICL Astra Services, a joint venture of Astra Group and ICL Group.

Russian vendors join forces and create convenient complex systems to ensure the workflow. This technological integration will allow customers to effectively build work and not think about product compatibility. For Astra Group, the cloud business model is the next significant driver of growth and development after the start of the import substitution program. Clouds are becoming more affordable, secure and cost-effective, helping companies optimize costs, accelerate import substitution and digitalization processes. The cloud strategy for optimizing IT infrastructure is developing in three directions - private and public cloud based on its own technologies and products, as well as partnership with current leaders of the Russian cloud services market. All elements of this tactic are permeated with common values ​ ​ - security, based on vendor development and technology, a profitable total cost of ownership.

The joint PAC Astra Group, ICL Techno and the joint venture ICL Astra Services is designed to deploy the private cloud environment to the customer's computing sites and provide virtual machine infrastructure in the private cloud landscape. PAC can be used in various operating scenarios, such as basic infrastructure, placement of information systems, placement of information security tools, portals and sites, as well as an information collection point and monitoring.

The PAC AIC line will include three versions - the basic Starter, advanced PreCloud and enterprise Cloud. The basic version is intended for installation in small organizations or branches. The PreCloud version can be deployed in a separate company or division. The older version of Cloud is focused on implementation in large holdings and corporations with a geographically distributed structure. Revisions of the PAC differ in the level of automation and scaling. Starter is designed to use from 3 to 10 hosts (3 hosts - 1 PAC), PreCloud - from 10 to 30, and Cloud - over 30 hosts. When hosting more than 10 PAC hosts, you need to switch from Starter to PreCloud.

The hardware part of the PAC, built on Techno ICL equipment, is five universal physical 2U servers, on which the load is running, 1 10Gbit switch for accessing the system and virtual machines, 1Gbit switch for controlling and monitoring the complex, UPS (uninterruptible power supply), ITU (firewall) to monitor and filter traffic for data and load protection, and one storage JBOD shelf ( DSS ). The software part of PAC Starter includes the following basic components: host secure operating system Astra Linux Special Edition, domain controller and management system ALD Pro, PC virtualization platform "SV Brest," backup system RuBackup, integrated monitoring platform Astra Monitoring and physical equipment management service DCImanager.

The PreCloud PAC will include all of the above software components. In addition, PAC PreCloud includes a single management and update console, BILLmanager software-defined DSS, and a service automation system. IT infrastructures Astra Automation

The AIC Cloud PAC will use the older versions of the BILLmanager management console, unlimited licenses for Astra Linux Server OS, as well as a load balancer (LBaaS), a cloud management system (MultiCloud). Software Defined Networking (SDN) support will be implemented. All other components correspond to the PreCloud AIC configuration.

The entire software stack is the in-house development of Astra Group. Technical support on any issues related to the work of PAC will be provided by Astra Group specialists represented by its service companies - ICL Astra Services and Astra Consulting. The start of sales of PAC Starter is scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2024, PAC AIC PreCloud - for the 1st quarter of 2025. The release of the Cloud edition is scheduled for Q3 2025.

We offer the market a ready-made, secure private cloud platform with everything you need. Astra Infrastructure Cloud complexes provide the customer with carefully selected, tested and integrated domestic software and hardware components. These are easily scalable and secure solutions for deploying private clouds. PAC from Astra Group and ICL Techno provides flexible infrastructure, which makes it the best choice for building a private cloud in any organization - from small businesses to a large holding, - said Anton Shmakov, technical director of Astra Group.

{{quote 'The market of software and hardware systems over the past few years has come a long way from single developments to massive complex solutions. We pay special attention to the development of the direction for the development, creation and implementation of PAC, - said Andrey Razin, Deputy Executive Director of ICL Astra Services (part of Astra Group). - When creating a cloud PAC, we played the role of a binding element: we combined secure solutions from Astra Group and domestic hardware from ICL Techno, and now together we are bringing to market a product that will allow you to quickly and quality deploy cloud solutions for any workflow. The company plans not to limit itself to cloud solutions, but to supply to the market together with Astra Group and ICL Group a large range of PACS for various infrastructure tasks. }}