CDS Invests in Disaster-Proofing Its IT Systems
29/06/2011
CDS has always viewed the integrity of its IT systems as one of its most important priorities, particularly given its commitment to providing the highest possible level of customer support for users of its industry-leading CODAS software.
Clients require the product to be extremely robust so that their normal business processes can be maintained on an uninterrupted basis, whether this be order entry, payment card processing with authorisation in real time, import and integration of web-entered orders and payments, vehicle scheduling, invoice and statement production, debtor monitoring or management reporting.
Equally important to customers, however, are the arrangements put in place by CDS to support CODAS users and to maintain that support irrespective of external circumstances. In this wider context, it means being able to protect against any situation which would result in the loss of, or the inability to access, such things as software product archives, source code, development project data, business information and the customer support Query Management System.
For these reasons, therefore, over the last two years CDS has invested very significant time, energy and capital in making its hardware and software infrastructures as ‘disaster-proof’ as possible, utilising the latest advances in technology.
As Graeme Lea, Support Services Manager, commented: ‘Our Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy has taken the form of building a copy of the CDS IT infrastructure at a nearby, though entirely separate, location. Transmitted over a high capacity fibre-optic link, itself subject to constant external monitoring and complex failover protection arrangements, all data changes made at CDS are replicated at the DR site continuously. The DR configuration can take over full functionality from the primary systems in a very short time, allowing for an almost seamless transition in the event of problems affecting the company’s Manchester office or its connectivity to the outside world. As the two sites share no network routes to the Internet, in the event of disaster the DR site presents us with a separate conduit for continued provision of all business operations.’
Taking the concept of disaster-proofing one step further, CDS’ IT systems have been configured to enable staff to continue working – including the provision of full and uninterrupted support to CODAS users – by remote means so that their physical presence in the office ceases to be a prerequisite. The benefits of this approach – not least to customers – were amply demonstrated in early January 2010 when the office was closed for 8 days as a result of snowfalls creating extremely hazardous driving conditions. Full working, including client support, was maintained as the entire company system was available to remote access via state-of-the-art secure login procedures, similar to those employed by banks and other major financial institutions.
Latest News
- CDS and CODAS at FPS Exhibition 2012
- Vehicle Tracking and CODAS Deliverer
- CDS Announces New Management Appointment