Formulating victory with supporting IT<\/p>\n
Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
Formula One racing is the premier motor sport in the world, and
\nalso the most exciting, judging from the recent races that took
\nplace in Asia, South America and Europe.<\/p>\n
Seeing the world's most expensive racecars go head-to-head
\nflat out around the track signifies the high levels of confidence
\neach team has with their cars and drivers. But equally important
\nfor victory or reaching the checkered flag is the information
\ntechnology systems behind each team.<\/p>\n
Formula One is a highly competitive and challenging
\nenvironment that is at the leading edge of technology. Base
\nmaterials, car components, engine parts, vehicle frames and
\nothers components are pushed to the extreme, getting the most
\nspeed and maneuverability necessary to win the race while
\nensuring the safety of both driver and car.<\/p>\n
As a major sponsor, being a part of Formula One (F1) is not
\njust about brand awareness or selling products, but also for
\nshowcasing and improving knowledge and machinery. The cars of
\ntoday were perhaps tested on F1 cars of the past, as the
\nautomotive technology is passed down to consumers. It can be said
\nthat the McLaren (www.mclaren.co.uk) cars of legendary drivers
\nAryton Senna and Alain Prost can now be driven by anyone who buys
\na Honda.<\/p>\n
And as Information Technology (IT) becomes more and more
\nrelevant around the world, engineers and car manufacturers
\ncontinuously strive to use the best and latest IT solutions to
\nfulfill their goals. As such, a F1 team must work together with
\nits technology partners to ensure their cars continuously outpace
\nthat of their competitors.<\/p>\n
Computer Associates (CA) is one such partner for McLaren
\nMercedes. Brian Shemilt, divisional senior vice president of
\nGlobal Field Marketing for CA, (www.ca.com), says the company
\nwelcomes the intense environment to push their technology to its
\nlimits and contribute to the team.<\/p>\n
McLaren uses CA technology to protect its mission-critical IT
\nsystems. Their multi-million dollar cars provides non-stop
\ntelemetry data, vital to ensure the high performance of the
\nvehicle. Based on this data, race engineers can review
\nperformance-related issues such as lap times, fuel consumption,
\nbrake wear, maximum speeds as well as steering parameters that
\ncan be improved instantaneously.<\/p>\n
Using CA's BrightStor High-Availability software, McLaren can
\nmake sure that their critical data continues to flow, stored in
\ntheir servers with redundant backups. Most importantly, with the
\nhelp of another technology partner in Siemens Mobile, McLaren can
\nrelay the data in real-time to their factory in Woking, England,
\nfrom wherever the race is being held.<\/p>\n
Also, using Unicenter Enterprise Management, the team can
\neasily install, configure and monitor their multiple servers,
\ncomputers and laptops across different platforms whenever they
\nmove to a new racetrack. Making sure the entire IT and
\ncommunications infrastructure works, from driver pit radio
\nsystems to telemetry data analysis, can result in important
\npoints for the World Championship in Formula One.<\/p>\n
As a company that provides software to manage eBusiness, CA's
\nassociation with F1 has demonstrated that its software can handle
\nthe rigors and abuse of extreme business as well as scientific
\nenvironments. "That's the ultimate proof," says Shemilt, "If
\nyou've got a car running around the track at 190 miles an hour,
\nyou cannot afford to lose communications, and that's exactly the
\nsame in business."<\/p>\n
Nowadays companies can no longer afford to have their finance,
\ncommunications or security systems go down even for a minute as
\nthe world becomes more competitive. With the Internet revolution,
\npeople are used to getting their information, data or service
\nimmediately. A downed server is no longer an excuse because it is
\nnow preventable.<\/p>\n
Whatever ills may be on the horizon, it is the pioneers that
\nalways move forward, armed with the knowledge and hardware to
\nensure they can navigate the potential pitfalls they face while
\ninnovating new tools to ensure their survival. These tools are
\nnow available, but are we using them?<\/p>\n
Considering the various disaster variables of floods, riots,
\npower failures, viruses, sabotage and others, how many companies
\ntoday in Indonesia are truly ready to continue doing business
\nshould any one of these events take place? Like the Formula One
\ncars driven by Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, just reaching
\nthe finish line is a major victory. Winning, of course, is always
\nthe goal.<\/p>",
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