Single Window Systems
In the OIC Member States
28
2.1.6. Trend towards Decentralization of IT Architecture
There are many changes in the Single Window environment that the IT architecture has to
reflect. The Single Window business environment now demands more multi-dimensional
coverage of services. In 2005, at the time when the UNECE Recommendation 33 was drafted, the
focus of a SWwas defined on a centralized architectural pattern and from the perspective of data
submission from business to government agencies. Modern trade facilitation systems focus on
the physical movement of cargo in the port and along the transport routes. To respond to these
demands, Single Windows expand their coverage and offer new services that support
Government-to-Government (G2G) cooperation and services such as Business Intelligence
reporting and risk management. A distributed IT architecture seems more apt to respond to this
challenge, as it is more flexible to changes.
An increasing number of public agencies now use their own IT systems to cover partial and end-
to-end business processes and the Single Window architecture evolves from a centralised to a
distributed architecture to reflect this. Through a distributed IT architecture, the Single Window
becomes more “message” oriented, triggering exchange of data and information with agencies
IT systems. In a distributed architecture, the Single Window can host the agencies’ IT
applications and data and thereby reduce costs for the agencies whilst providing high level of
protection by a fault tolerant system and off-site data backup. The distributed architecture is,
however, necessarily underpinned by extended data centralisation.
2.1.7. Single Window Data Centralization
Single Windows are complex IT environments in which managing data in standalone legacy
applications is an inefficient and impossible task and poses threats for data availability, data
protection and business continuity. Single Windows therefore modernise and build their
architecture on the centralization of the data layer and the optimization of information
exchange. Centralised data layer means that data from various organisational and application
origins is integrated on a single common data repository-see Figure 11.