Kozhikode Calicut University is going ahead with its plan to have a hyper converged infrastructure server system to store documents and files. The university had recently called for tenders for choosing bidders.
According to sources, a digital document filing system is being used right now. This, however, is often found to be slow, and the current server does not have the capacity to store the increasing number of files, including certificates of lakhs of students.
The move had its share of objections from the beginning itself. P. Rasheed Ahammed, Syndicate member, had pointed out at a Syndicate meeting on September 9 that it was inappropriate to spend around ₹2 crore to buy what he called an obsolete technology. He claimed that the project could be implemented using advanced technology by spending just ₹20 lakh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Ahammed said that elastic computer service was used in cloud computing system. A secure hybrid cloud system could be the most convenient and cost-effective way. The charge will be based on the usage. The other advantages are easy upgrading, low installation and maintenance costs, secure data access, and the ability to connect to an existing server via virtual private network.
He claimed that if the hyper converged infrastructure system-based virtualisation and private cloud was implemented, the number of virtual machines could not be increased after a limit, and new servers and components may have to purchased in the future. Their maintenance and operational costs will be an additional financial burden. The entire system will have to be replaced after 10 years. Mr. Ahammed suggested that the State-run National Informatics Centre provide cloud services and there were other service providers as well.
Meanwhile, sources in the Calicut University Computer Centre said that the data security could prove to be a problem if an open cloud system is implemented.
ADVERTISEMENT