(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The ICT department of the Rwanda Development Board is readying construction on the National Data Center, which will act as the country’s central data storage facility and store applications used by government institutions, according to a report by AllAfrica.com.
Government agencies will access a range of applications from the new data center, including Smartgov, messaging and collaboration, unified communications, travel approval, human resources and payroll systems, as well as other applications that are still being developed.
The move will help NDC to reduce IT related costs, particularly in the areas of equipment, human resources and related infrastructure.
The announcement comes a week after the RDB selected email solution AtMail for its email system, where government agencies will be able to access a single platform for customizable email accounts and mobile messaging.
Complying to international standards, the NDC will be one of the best facilities in the region.
According to Nkubito Bakuramutsa, the deputy CEO RDB/IT, the data center build marks “an important moment for IT in the country in that it will not only host Rwanda’s applications but can as well host applications for other EAC member countries.”
The initial cost of building the NDC is projected at US$ 5.2 million, but the overall costs might total somewhere around US$17.2 billion because of overriding costs such as buying equipment and migrating data to the NDC.
Swedish firm Coromatic has been contracted to build the NDC, which it anticipates will be done between September and December.
At this time, the data center’s management will be outsourced to a private operator.
The NDC will offer a full range of security features, including 24-hour CCTV monitoring, digital access codes and a finger print reader for doors, a movement-detection alarm system and special walls that resist extreme fire for a full hour.
The data center will be used by both the public sector, as well as private.
The Minister in charge of information and technology in the President’s office, Romain Murenzi, says that Rwanda is taking an active approach to becoming a regional ICT hub, aiming for all IT infrastructure to be in place by 2012.
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