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Kavim Public Transportation
Overview
Kavim is the second largest public transportation company in Israel and has experienced substantial growth and expansion in the last few years. Kavim has a fleet of about 1,100 buses and transports about 70 million passengers a year. Kavim’s IT system is critical for its management and operations on a daily basis. We are subject to all the demands and regulations of the Ministry of Transportation and so the use of IT systems for control and operations is critical for us. Reports and data from any company bus or terminal must be obtained in real time to send to our servers and from there straight to the Ministry of Transportation. Our computer systems include advanced digital signboard systems, tracking systems for buses, databases for travel information and more.The demands of our business mean that we cannot afford downtime or system failures, creating the need for a high-performance, reliable and stable computing system. A large or small fault in our communication systems or servers translates into our inability to manage our fleet of buses, give proper service to our passengers and run the company. For several years, Kavim used the services of one of the largest IT systems in the country, but service was not given on a professional level. Dealings with the suppliers involved entanglement with bureaucracy, difficulty in solving critical problems, incorrect settings, and faulty operations which caused damage to our business.
We made a transition to Y-tech that included a comprehensive reorganization of our computer systems and upgrades where they were needed. At this stage, we utilized our local company servers, not taking full advantage of Y-tech’s professional capabilities. Even so, we experienced significant improvement in our computer systems.
With the increase in the company’s business operations and increased demands on its IT system, it became necessary to transfer Kavim’s systems to outside professional management for more dependability and confidence in its operational systems. As a consequence of the growth of our company, operational demands grew and created a real demand for a rapid and substantial change in our systems.
The Goal
Create a durable and stable computer system with the capability for rapid growth and a stable backup system. We also needed improvement in the work process, reduction of failures to zero, monitoring and control of all IT systems and communications, business continuity, responsive professional service and more efficient computer systems. Three companies submitted proposals for all our demands-- Matrix, Ness, and Y-tech. Y-tech proposed a solution that answered all our needs. It came down to Ness and Y-tech, and Y-tech won.
The Solution
Migration of all of Kavim’s servers and creation of a private cloud at Y-tech, adding resources according to our special needs. The solution also included full and complete control of all communication and IT systems, various applications and endpoints, and the creation of an efficient backup system. The system's migration had to be implemented with maximum uptime, without disruption to the work process and with minimum impact on users.
Kavim’s CIO, Ronen Alon, talks about the process. “Before moving to cloud, our ability to control our systems was -inadequate. The loads on the systems were too great, and we were unable to identify the causes, which, in turn, created delays in detection and troubleshooting. Today, our systems are monitored and controlled. There is greater efficiency. Loads and faults are detected before they impact users, and we receive fast and effective service. Our systems are more reliable and stable, give us great service 24/7, and enable us to streamline our organization and operate with confidence. Additionally, the fact that the servers are not located in our offices allows us to be much more efficient. The servers are not subject to unexpected problems like electricity blackouts, damage from severe weather, UPS systems that are not 100% reliable and more. The company managers and I, personally, had quite a few concerns about the migration process because of possible downtime, unexpected breakdowns, system failures, trouble spots that could cause serious malfunction and more. With the migration process carried out by the senior staff of Y-tech, all our fears proved groundless. The transition was smooth and carried out professionally and efficiently. The Y-tech staff was always available, always had a solution. Their support team was always quick to fix problems and respond to requests, always on the highest possible level. After we moved to cloud service, our company headquarters moved to new offices. If we hadn’t moved to cloud beforehand, the move would have been very complicated. On the operational level it could have resulted in downtime for long periods of time, causing inability to work properly and eventually affecting service to our customers. The fact that our systems moved to cloud made our transition easy and seamless. They ran normally, and the transition had no effect on the company’s operating systems. The transferal of office workers’ communication lines was the only thing that had to be taken care of. For me, this was a dream come true.”
Eran Banin, C4I Manager at Kavim Transportation, says, “Public transportation in Israel has developed greatly in the last decade. Technologies, including IT systems, are almost a must in terms of operation. Kavim is firmly committed to lead in the field of public transportation and innovation in its technology. It was natural for us to move to cloud service as part of this innovation. The transition was smooth, and the minimal downtime was dealt with behind the scenes and with great professionalism and efficiency. As a matter of fact, it did not affect the company’s work and ongoing operations. As a manager, choosing Y-tech has proven itself to be an excellent choice in that it gave me, as ICT, and Kavim the peace of mind it needed during the transition to focus on the running of the company and didn’t require me to divert my time-- this proves the professionalism of Y-tech. Since the transition, operations have run flawlessly and the technical support we receive is one of best on the market.”