Detailed analysis: From description to evaluation

Considering all information given, all tenders were subjected to a detailed analysis where the final price comparisons were made. As a conclusion resulting from the complete product and provider evaluation COMPAREX included a recommendation for Austria Tabak’s further proceedings with its final "Executive Summary", which made it possible to start putting the project into action as early as possible.

Price comparisons with TCO calculation

The quotations submitted, including the information needed for the direct price comparison over 36 and/or 60 months, were contrasted, so that a Total-Cost-of-Ownership reflection was possible. Indeed the service part was weighted quite differently by suppliers, nevertheless a sufficiently precise statement could be found so that the project could be executed throughout all stages without additional costs.

Proposition for selection and further recommendations

From the suggested solutions that had been handed in for the server concept, one recommendable proposal had emerged. The individual system-components were based on most modern technology and joined to a useful, interoperable overall concept.
The configuration was conclusive from a technical point of view with some improvements still to be considered. Together with the upgrade of the storage systems it was recommended to expand the archive system by a further tape drive to 3 TB (in the third stage) in order to create sufficient capacity for the data backup in the desired backup time slot. Furthermore the storage system should be equipped with an additional control unit per site in order to allow creating sufficient Snapshots (25 per RAID-controller).

Putting into practice: simultaneous realization

The stages I and II are basically finished and found their okay in December 2001. The initial three phase concept was designed as a step-by-step expansion for two and a half years. While the proposals offered were realised (again with COMPAREX’s assistance), Austria Tabak decided to finish the stages I and II simultaneously. That concerned server-concept, backup/restore, SAN and secondary computing centre with a part of the removal (to a site in the same street, but opposite and at a distance of approximately 300 metres) that was being made for security reasons. In the next years, the (rather subordinate) stage III will mainly comprise the software-updates and similar tasks.

Growth expectation guaranteed

Presently, Austria Tabak can guarantee an availability of the server/client structure to an extent of 99,5 percent. Dkfm. Heinz Benal confirms, "without this, we could not have been able to guarantee this figure any longer. In addition to the aspect of safety, the increase in performance by the factor 2 has to be mentioned, which will contribute to the growth within the next approximately five years." Add to it the assistance in installation, in administration and a better data reflection. In the case of a greater loss of components, like in a catastrophe, it is possible to make the system available again within a day.

Professional proceeding with COMPAREX

"What I have highly esteemed was COMPAREX’s  transparent, professional proceeding in that nevertheless difficult process of analysing these different (especially storage-) philosophies and in processing them as well," Dkfm. Heinz Benal remembers. Also the struggling for a clear statement concerning the individual tenders is remarkable. It’s not always like that. In some expert opinions advantages and disadvantages are found here and there, but inconsistently, so that in the end you are as clever as before. In this case however, we had a good feeling of getting support in decision making.

Dkfm. Heinz Benal: "Clear statements concerning the individual tenders"

The next cooperative task was a consultation concerning the selection of a Firewall-solution that should meet future requirements in a better way. The project, however, was stopped by the takeover of Austria Tabak by Gallaher, "as the English already have a Firewall in operation which, among others, was about to be considered more closely for us as well. Since Gallaher had informed us about good experiences with that, we could do without the analysis and evaluation which we had in mind. The new Firewall was already implemented in December 2001."

Austria Tabak: more than two centuries old

Austria Tabak, an internationally active industry and commercial combine set up in 1784 as a state company, converted into a joint-stock company in 1939 and with an orientation to the stock market since 1997, is based on two strategic fields of operation: tobacco industry and trade. The industrial activities contain the production of tobacco products and the trade in this merchandise. Further more the commercial enterprise Austria Tabak is represented in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Estonia in leading market positions. Today the shares are in the possession of the British Gallaher-group to almost 100 percent.