In 2019, several ministries and agencies relocated to the so-called "Tower of Ministries" located in Moscow City. This tower is part of the IQ-Quarter multifunctional complex, which was purchased by the state-owned company DOM.RF with the aim of creating a unified workspace for several ministries, saving the city budget, and increasing their efficiency.
The first to move in were employees of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. A little later, employees of the Ministry of Communications, Rosaccreditation, Rosstandart, and Rostourism were able to appreciate the advantages of the new office space. The Federal Treasury was the last to move into the "Ministry Tower."
How the preparation of new offices for ministries was carried out
Within a few months, a comprehensive, high-tech IT space, fully compliant with modern global requirements, was fully established on the acquired premises, and the government agencies' IT infrastructure and services were transferred to the new base. These tasks were entrusted entirely to Rostelecom.
The new office is on par with the headquarters of the world's largest corporations, not only in terms of design and ergonomics, but also in the quality of the digital solutions used. The digital infrastructure fully complies with international standards for information security and operational reliability.
The well-established network allows all work tasks to be completed online—easily and efficiently. This has significantly reduced operating costs, simplified workflows, and significantly increased the government agency's competitiveness in the labor market. According to the government, this solution should help attract more young, talented professionals to government agencies and improve their efficiency.
To date, the total number of employees who have begun work in one of the IQ-quarter towers is 5,500 people.
How are ministerial offices of the future structured?
Rostelecom quickly prepared the ministry's square meters for operation. It is a digital mega-office housing the following:
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automated workstations fully equipped with modern technology;
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more than 200 meeting rooms equipped with multimedia;
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own data transmission channel and IP telephony;
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remote access control system;
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Wi-Fi networks;
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video surveillance system.
Thus, the office has created all the conditions for the most productive and safe work of government agencies and their vast number of employees.
Workplaces
Each of the 5,500 employees has a workstation, meaning they have access to a PC, telephone, and all necessary auxiliary devices. The computer is loaded with software and connected to all required services. Each computer is connected to the internet and has reliable antivirus and antispam protection.
However, workstations also have some differences, the nature of which depends on the user category and their level of access to information and available resources.
The entire "Tower of Ministries" area is covered by a secure Wi-Fi network with a guest identification system, providing high-speed access to the World Wide Web. Rostelecom continuously monitors the equipment and quickly replaces it if necessary.
Meeting rooms
The building houses over 200 meeting rooms, each of which is integrated into the online booking system and equipped with a conference phone. Most of them feature video stands or LCD panels, as well as video or audio recording systems, sound reinforcement, and video conferencing.
Meeting rooms have been specially designed for specific types of meetings. They feature wireless data transmission systems and a conference system.
Data center
The Tower of Ministries has its own high-tech data center with a total capacity of 200 kW. The Federal Tourism Agency was the first to install its systems there.
To enhance the security of user data and ministry information, Rostelecom has provided a cloud storage service based on its fault-tolerant data center.
The next phase of the project is planned for the near future. This involves relocating the departments' equipment and information systems to Rostelecom's data center, where the required computing infrastructure has already been fully established.
Centralized printing system
Rostelecom has created a comprehensive secure document printing and scanning system, accessible only after employee identification with a pass or PIN. It consists of a complex of separate rooms located on each floor of the building and equipped with multifunctional devices. These are designed to print 25 million sheets per year. In total, the building houses 80 rooms equipped with multifunctional devices.
Due to the fact that most of the solutions used in the ministry's mega-office fully comply with all environmental requirements and significantly reduce resource consumption, including paper, it can be considered "green."
Physical protection and cybersecurity
The physical security and safety of the Ministry Tower's data is given special attention. A multi-level access control system has been established to ensure the physical safety of employees in the office.
Regarding security in the virtual world, all IT solutions used to organize the digital infrastructure are based on hardware and software from Russian manufacturers. The tower also features not only a high-quality information protection system against targeted or mass cyberattacks, but also an internal security system that prevents information leaks and breaches.
The Ministry Tower is connected to Rostelecom's cybersecurity monitoring center. This allows over three hundred specialists to monitor its operations around the clock.
Technical support
The building houses a fully-fledged service department, staffed by 79 specialists. These specialists include IT support, telephony, information security, data networks, printing, and other areas.
To maximize response times to employee requests, the office has created a HelpDesk system. It's designed to ensure no requests are missed and to provide accurate status updates whenever they are contacted.
Inner portal
The Tower of Ministries operates an internal information portal, accessible from each of the 5,500 workstations. Using it, any departmental employee can select and book a suitable multimedia or meeting room for a specific time, request assistance from a technical support specialist, find necessary contacts, or even check the cafeteria's menu.
Employee surveys revealed that the internal portal facilitates day-to-day tasks and provides an opportunity for live communication between employees from different departments. It also helped identify service department issues and promptly resolve them.
IaaS from Rostelecom
Rostelecom is a modern company that implements major integrated IT projects for government contracts and corporate clients of all sizes. Today, service models, where IT infrastructure, related services, and equipment are delivered as a single, turnkey system (IaaS), are becoming increasingly popular.
This model allows the client to avoid investing in IT infrastructure. The contractor covers all equipment and communication channel costs, offsetting them with the service provided. This is the model Rostelecom used when implementing the "Tower of Ministries" project.
