STPI sets up data recovery centre for small IT units

In a bid to help smaller IT firms safeguard their critical data, the Maharashtra unit of the Software Technology Parks of India's (STPI) has set up the country's first model data centre (MDC) in Pune. Smaller IT firms can lease the MDC facilities to store their critical data.

Joint director, Maharashtra STPI, Sonal Bhatawadekar told Business Standard that STPI will eventually be responsible for 'protecting' such data at MDC, and the same can be retrieved in case of natural or man-made disasters.

Ms Bhatawadekar said top IT companies are already working on having a concrete Disaster Management Plan which requires huge investments and expertise.

Smaller companies however cannot afford such investments. The MDC, hence, is aimed at assisting smaller IT firms with data protection, she explained.

Conceptualised after the disastrous rains in Mumbai on July 26, 2005, the MDC has been set up at Giga Space, a private IT Park in Pune.

"After the heavy rains in Mumbai, which resulted is destruction of data, we had received a lot of enquiries from smaller as well as bigger IT companies about data protection. A decision was made in early 2006 to have such centres. The MDC in Pune is almost ready and we plan to launch the facilities in the near future," said Ms Bhatawadekar.

Bhatawadekar, who heads the project, stated that MDC would have huge data storage capacity, which will be extended time and again. "The centre will have eight racks with 42U memory size each. All the data-servers would be incorporated on these eight racks," she added.

Ms Bhatawdekar said STPI did not have a specific budget for the development of MDC but has used funds from the overall allocation for the Pune operations.

"The final cost is yet to be capitalised." She said being a government establishment, STPI plans to charge optimum amount from IT companies for using thE facility. "The charges would not be exorbitant for sure, as we want more and more firms to safeguard their data at MDC," she added.

The STPI plans to promote this centre within the various IT parks in and around Pune. Heavy data security measures have been taken and if successful, the similar centres might come up in other IT hubs, Ms Bhatawdekar informed.