The IT team at the
Beijing Olympics are finishing last minute preparations with
just a week to go until the opening ceremony. The Technology
Operations Centre - the IT hub of the Games - is already staffed 24
hours a day, with 4,000 IT experts and volunteers helping to make
sure the systems are running smoothly.
IT services supplier Atos Origin leads a consortium of nine
suppliers including
Lenovo, Samsung, Omega, China Network and Panasonic.
Systems have undergone more than 200,000 hours of testing in the
months and years running up to the Games. There are 10,000
computers, 1,000 servers and 4,000 printers at the Beijing Olympics
at more than 70 competition and non-competition venues.
Testing means the IT security team understands what normal
activity looks like on each application, and can watch for anything
abnormal. Security measures such as intrusion detection systems,
anti-virus software and separation between the Games network and
the internet support them.
The Commentator Information System is a java-based application
that displays results on touch-screen PCs. IT staff collect results
data using a mixture of electronic sensors and manual data entry.
Results are then sent to the internet via a data feed.
Info2008 is at the heart of the information diffusion system, an
intranet available to media, athletes and officials. More than
200,000 people will have access to the system. This year, it is
available for the first time over a wireless network. Around 16
million pages were viewed in 2004 in Athens - the IT team expect
more than one million per day in Beijing.
The main stadium in Beijing - nicknamed the bird's nest - is one
of 39 competition venues.
For more on the Olympics read:
IT team prepares for Olympic effort>>