GEFEST Insurance Company has optimized its IT costs by deploying its information and analytical system test training environment in CROC’s Virtual Data Center.

“Our company is constantly evolving and has more and more information to collect and process. However, irregular tasks such as training new employees or testing new insurance products must also be performed. We have deployed the Oracle-based information and analytical system in the cloud, with all company affiliates having access. This enables us to use just as much computing capacity as is required for training or testing. It is convenient to use a self-service portal to independently manage the use of computing capacities,” says Georgy Vlaskin, Head of Information Technology Administration, GEFEST Insurance Joint-Stock Company.

The customer can enable or disable virtual machines, connect new disc resources and manage their volumes via the portal. In addition, any number of virtual networks can be created and access can be controlled. An automated billing system allows for online monitoring of service scope changes, so IT costs can be carefully controlled as well.

“Every company has tasks where flexibility is required. Clouds help solve this issue by providing necessary IT resources just when you need them, thereby minimizing idle capacity. Transition towards cloud computing requires that an organization has reached a certain level of maturity. In fact, the cloud is one of the most high-tech forms of outsourcing. We offer companies an opportunity to test our cloud service free of charge. Approximately 200 companies used demo access during 2011, and then some have started using the service on a commercial basis. Indeed, this was the path taken by GEFEST,” says Ruslan Zaedinov, Deputy Director General and Head of Data Centers, CROC.

CROC’s Virtual Data Center provides round-the-clock support to customers. This ‘precaution’ is particularly important today when companies are early adopters of cloud technology. Another advantage of CROC’s cloud is its capacity to change dynamically and increase capabilities in line with customer requirements. For example, clouds can be connected to any physical equipment and integrated with the customer’s existing virtual machines; if necessary, cloud platform internal addressing can be managed; and other services are available.

About GEFEST

GEFEST Insurance Joint-Stock Company was established in 1993. Strategic lines of business include insurance of unique and high-tech construction and property risks in various economic sectors, as well as reinsurance.

About CROC

CROC is a leader in IT infrastructure design and implementation and the number one systems integration service provider in Russia (IDC reports, 2002-2011). CROC is one of the five largest IT companies in Russia (RIA Analytics 2012, Expert Rating Agency 2011) and one of Russia’s Top 200 Private Companies (Forbes).