State Scientific Library acquires new space for cultural heritage

State Scientific Library acquires new space for cultural heritage

We have long strived to be an innovative, modern, and forward-thinking library. In addition to utilizing modern RFID technology, we are also creating digital content that we wish to preserve for future generations. We started developing the solution for processing, storing, and presenting this content on our library portal, in collaboration with Soitron, over 10 years ago. The creativity, professionalism, and timelessness of their proposed solution convinced us to continue our partnership when we needed to expand our storage due to the increase in digital content volume. 

Mária Halienová, Head of the Information Technology Department 

Background

As part of its contract with the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic to provide public services and carry out specialized library activities, the State Scientific Library also focuses on the digitization and preservation of cultural heritage. It aims at providing high-quality library and information services by using modern information and communication technologies. The library has its own YouTube channel, organizes online scientific conferences, and makes electronic books available through the BOOKPORT service.

The library also provides various other modern data services, such as the collection and processing of a large volume of data in the form of audiovisual recordings, audio files, or photographic documentation. This ever-growing digital content requires space for storage, processing, and preservation. Having had a long history of working together, the customer approached us to resolve the issue of data storage and expand the capacity of their current storage arrays.

Project implementation process

After the initial consultation with the customer, we began exploring storage solutions from various manufacturers. We considered different methods of data storage and access, including archiving with a special emphasis on the data use, day-to-day handling of films, photographs, and other elements of digitized culture.

The key was to find a reasonable balance between storage capacity, functionality, and cost. Quick access to data and responsiveness during data handling were also an important factor. For this reason, we decided to add a few fast NVMe drives to the disk array for quicker processing of specific data types. The disk arrays were connected via aggregated 2x10Gb Ethernet connections.

The installation and deployment of the new NAS disk array went smoothly, thanks to our extensive experience with the customer’s infrastructure.

After a few months of positive experience with the disk array, the customer decided to further expand the storage capacity with the same solution from the same manufacturer. In the second project, we took advantage of the lessons learned in the first installation and connected the second disk array, along with additional disk trays, to the existing infrastructure.

This way we simply and effectively created space for several more years of data storage. The customer now has the ability to work with larger volumes of data, and smartly design the storage structure, as well as process recordings with a focus on archiving or potential data recovery.

Results and benefits

efficient storage capacity expansion

fast access to stored data

cost-effective solution

quick installation and storage system availability

Customer Profile

The State Scientific Library in Prešov is a governmental budgetary organisation established and managed by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. As a public cultural, informational, scientific, and educational institution providing librarian, bibliographic, scientific research, and publishing activities, it systematically builds and provides access to its library collection while also offering library and information services. It serves the citizens of the Prešov region, primarily professionals, scientists, educators, and students, as well as state and local government bodies, and the business sector.

Customer Profile

Synology disk arrays
Cisco Nexus technology

Soitron has built pioneering services in a government cloud environment

SOITRON HAS BUILT PIONEERING SERVICES IN A GOVERNMENT CLOUD ENVIRONMENT

Before the government cloud started to be built, the Slovak state administration had 250 separate data centers. The vision was to get them gradually all “under one roof”. The government intends to save 15 % to 20 % of operating costs representing a saving of EUR 30 million per year.
Case study was published 27.11.2018

Requirements

  • Ensure more efficient use of IT infrastructure resources across the state administration (ministries of the Slovak Republic)
  • High availability of government cloud services up to geographical redundancy
  • Build a disaster recovery connection between two geographically separate locations of the government cloud
  • Effective load balancing down to the level of individual services in the government cloud
  • Develop load balancing service and allocate this service under the existing cloud orchestrator

Technologies used

  • F5 Viprion pre LTM (Local Traffic Module)
  • F5 BIG-IP pre DNS (Domain Name System)
  • Cloud SDN (Software Defined Network)
    orchestrator
  • Cisco networking components

Outcomes and benefits

The benefit of the process automation for the user is faster resource allocation – it will be a matter of minutes or, if subject to an approval process, hours rather than days, as used to be the case traditionally.

Significantly more effective data centre management and savings in operational cost and human resources.

High availability of data centre services, including at the geographic location level, which allows for expanding the use of the government cloud in the future.

More effective operation of government cloud data centres.

Stable and secure enterprise network enhances the prosperity of OMS

Stable and secure enterprise network enhances the prosperity of OMS company

At present, the OMS Company is one of the leading lighting companies in Europe. Similar rapid developments of companies are often accompanied by issues related to IT infrastructure. OMS Company was not an exception. After the disk array collapsed in their server room, data was lost and production was forced to stop for several days, it was more than certain that it had to go through a radical redesign of the network infrastructure.
Case study was published 15.08.2016

Requirements

  • To build a modern and stable IT infrastructure prepared for future development of the company
  • To eliminate drop outs, weak throughput, and network response
  • To protect company network from viruses and other harmful malware
  • To ensure continuous production and operation of the company
  • To simplify IT infrastructure management and disburden the IT
    department of labour-intensive and time-consuming maintenance

Our solution

  • Comprehensive upgrade of the network core and data center
  • Redesigning of the network access layer in administration and technological premises
  • Securing the network – protection of e-mails and data transfers
  • Building a Wi-Fi solution in the highavailability mode with permitted drop-out within 3 seconds

Results

IT infrastructure, which supports business activities of the company and enables its operation without drop outs, and thus without administration and production downtimes

Setup of conditions for effective automation and monitoring of production and logistics

Elimination of threats in the form of virusinfected e-mails and presence of malware

Improvement of the network response and throughput to increase comfort, labour efficiency, and productivity of employees

Stability of the network enabling its administrators to focus on important tasks instead of troubleshooting of common problems

JÁN VACULA

IT Manager of OMS

We realized that the company needed a stable and reliable IT infrastructure, which would work almost without care and with minimum maintenance cost. We saw a big potential in the solution by Soitron, as the designed infrastructure is so modern and stable that it is able to provide us with continual running of our production even in case of further expansion of the company.