0 Blackberry approached to open data center in Batam

The Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BP FTZ) has proposed that BlackBerry open its data center at the agency’s IT center in Batam. Currently, prospects for the data center industry are very promising after the issuance of Government Regulation No.82/2012 on the management of electronic transactions and systems in October last year. The agency’s director for one-stop integrated services (PTSP) and publications, Dwi Djoko Wiwoho, said on Wednesday that the BP FTZ had made offers to several companies, including BlackBerry, to open data centers at its IT center, which has just begun operations. 

“We want BlackBerry to look at the advantages that our IT center offers. Moreover, the company has yet to open a data center in Indonesia. Our marketing division has approached BlackBerry to encourage it to open a data center here,” said Djoko. He said the 2012 regulation on the management of electronic transactions and systems was good news for the BP FTZ, which has spent the last two years developing its information technology center. Geographically speaking, Batam is located a long way from tsunami and natural disaster mitigation areas. 

Therefore, the agency’s IT center could be used as a disaster recovery center for both private companies and governmental institutions storing their data there. “We are hoping they will accept our proposal, or at least pay attention to what we can offer,” said Djoko. He said broadband Internet capacity in Batam was good. Batam's position as the optic fiber network hub in Indonesia for the Asia-Pacific region was a plus for the BP FTZ. “This is just at an initial stage. We don’t know whether they will accept our offer or not,” said Djoko. 

The process to give the agency’s IT center Singapore Standard 507 certification as a Disaster Recovery Facility Provider is still underway. The center is also developing data center facilities to meet the tier-3 942 classification set by the Standard Telecommunications Industry Association. The IT center, which has eight rooms and 143 shelves, is located on 1,220 square meters of land. The center is connected to all BP FTZ work units via a 105-kilometer optic fiber network. 

The center also comes equipped with a fixed-line telephone network and voice over Internet protocol. It is also connected to the Palapa Ring optic fiber network. Batam is located outside geological fault-lines, so it is safe from any risk of tsunamis. (ebf)

source : the jakarta post