Single Window Systems
In the OIC Member States
82
4.2.4 Information Technology and Architecture
TULPAR IT Architecture
The current IT system is a centralised IT architecture for data submission, data processing and
decision-making. Data entry and integration is processed by the Single Window component
application layer. Users and stakeholders access, use and share the data for the decision
making-either by interfacing with agencies’ ICT systems and allowing for an exchange of data,
or by processing within the Single Window’s application layer.
This design choice leads to challenges today as the TULPAR IT architecture is not flexible
enough. The architecture has limited capacity and possibility for adjustment and extension in
order to accommodate and host agencies’ IT applications and data. Although two external IT
systems are interconnected and exchange the data and information with TULPAR, the IT
architecture can not accommodate a distributed architecture in a cost effective manner. In the
meantime however, more government agencies developed their own IT system, and in view of
the e-government initiative more agencies are expected to follow. It is therefore obvious that
the centralized architecture is no longer adapted to the reality.
Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery
There is no business continuity plan to guarantee the continuation of services and no backup
site (mirror, hot or cold recovery site) that would enable TULPAR to recover the system
efficiently from any type disruption. The TULPAR is implementing disk-to-disk backup (mirror
copy) policy. This is also critical issue, since only two instances can be used for recovery of
data and services.
IT Infrastructure
The TULPAR IT architecture consists of infrastructural components of a particular type. The
implemented infrastructural model is divided into three layers according to the application
burdens performed by the component types of each layer. These layers are:
 Presentation layer: Includes component types such as web based user interface and
process components hosted by Web Server, Microsoft® Internet Information
Services (IIS) allocated in demilitarized zone (DMZ);
 Business layer: Includes component types such as business processes and single
service interface, which manage the processes and rules. The business components
are hosted by Microsoft® Internet Information Services (IIS) as Application Server.
The SW application layer consist of Customer Relationship Management (CRM),
SharePoint Server and complicated hard coded core SW application that is difficult to
maintain and further develop;