Ensuring Data Availability and Integrity in Critical Infrastructure

The WWZ Group, one of the largest employers in Central Switzerland, faces the challenge of driving digital transformation across various areas. The IT department must comply with regulatory requirements and data protection laws and operate critical infrastructure components on-premises. Axians, in collaboration with NetApp, recommended ONTAP Select to deploy a micro data center as a “first-aid kit” and ensure that operations can be quickly restored in the event of a total failure of the Tier 1 infrastructure. Two identical micro data centers were set up in different data centers; they are protected by redundant hardware components and synchronous data mirroring to ensure data availability and integrity. NetApp provides an independent and automated security solution.

The WWZ Group

As one of the 100 largest employers in Central Switzerland, the WWZ Group plays a significant role in supplying the population and the economy with energy, telecommunications, and water.

The Search for the Optimal Data Infrastructure

Like many companies, the WWZ Group faces the challenge of driving digital transformation across various areas. From time tracking and the materials catalog to complex applications such as the geographic information system (GIS), the IT department is under pressure to comply with regulatory requirements and data protection laws. While the WWZ Group already uses the cloud for standard software such as Office 365, the utility must operate critical infrastructure elements on-premises. This raises several important questions, such as the appropriate method of data storage, the ability to quickly locate archived data, protection against unauthorized access and internet risks, and the implementation of cost-effective redundancies.

“As things stand today, if our entire MetroCluster were to fail, we would be left in the dark for an extended period, since all operational resources—such as password management tools and system management tools—are currently hosted on that cluster. In the future, we’ll be able to access our ‘Datacenter in a Box’ and have the necessary built-in tools immediately at our disposal to implement a disaster recovery scenario.” Stefan Willi, CTO of IT, WWZ Energie AG.

 

Projektübersicht

  • Initial Situation

    At the project’s inception, the WWZ Group’s foundation infrastructure consists of two data centers within a 10-kilometer radius. This setup includes a robust 10-Gbit network and NetApp solutions for high availability (Tier 1) and backup (Tier 2) in a VMware environment. Stefan Willi, the CTO IT at WWZ, emphasizes the need for an additional “first-aid box” with essential tools to handle any potential total Tier-1 infrastructure failure. This proactive approach ensures operational continuity and enables a prompt recovery of operations. As CTO IT, Stefan Willi is responsible for all IT areas, including infrastructure, applications, TV headend, and control systems at WWZ.

  • Objectives

    The aim is to establish a micro-datacenter as a “first-aid box,” securely storing critical resources like password databases, engineering tools, software archives, and more. This setup is essential for efficiently restoring Tier 1 systems, including monitoring and alarm systems, in case of a total failure.

  • Solution

  • Approach

Conclusion