Orange Joins EU Cloud-based Ship Management Initiative
Orange Business Services informs it has joined a European Union-sponsored initiative developing a cloud-based ERP platform for the maritime shipping industry. The platform will make it easier to manage ships at sea, improve safety and tighten business operations. This technology is a first of its kind in this space.
Orange explains that as part of the EIS (“Exzellenzinitiative Schiffsmanagement”) initiative, Orange Business Services will be the sole provider for ship-to-shore, vessel-based and land-based communication infrastructure.
To start with, Orange is supplying the cloud/satellite infrastructure for real-time ship-to-shore communications and vessels from COLUMBIA Ship Management, one of the four largest ship managers worldwide, will be the first to adopt this platform.
The solution provided by Orange comprises the communication hardware of the vessels, the onshore data center as well as the design and development of traffic optimization tools. The integration of satellite communications with Business VPN, a fully managed IP-based VPN service, with private access to cloud services will enable COLUMBIA Ship Management to benefit from a high-performance, secure solution without relying on the Internet.
“With the new cloud-based platform in this project, we can demonstrate how improved communication between vessels and their management will streamline business tools and decisions,” said Michel Verbist, Head of International Business Development, Satellite at Orange Business Services.
Along with Orange Business Services, the five subprojects of EIS will be implemented by partners such as DNV/GL Group, evidanza AG, Humance Maritime Services GmbH, MarDynamics and Portal Systems.
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