UnionPay Selects Cisco SAN Solutions

Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com) announced that Shanghai-based China UnionPay Co. Ltd. has selected Cisco® storage area network (SAN) solutions for the integration of its disaster recovery and data backup systems in Shanghai and Beijing.

The integrated system will help ensure business continuity, while improving disaster recovery and data backup across the region. Once implemented, the new data backup network will provide a high level of security and easy access for hundreds of thousands of China UnionPay customers.

China UnionPay deployed six Cisco MDS 9509 Multilayer Intelligent directors - two in Beijing and four in Shanghai - in the system integration. Combined with VERITAS Volume Manager, the integrated network facilitates real-time data replication between the company's headquarters and its remote disaster recovery center.

As the only bankcard association in China and the sole organization responsible for all bankcard transactions nationwide, China UnionPay designs and manages a unified information exchange network for national inter-bankcard transactions.

Additionally, due to the convenience of intercity and inter-bank transactions, a growing number of consumers favorably view the use of bankcards. China UnionPay requires a non-stop service network with a stronger capacity for disaster protection and recovery to ensure sustained growth of bankcard transactions and customer satisfaction.

After rigorous and comprehensive comparison testing, the Cisco SAN solutions stood out for their flexibility, high availability and unified management.

William Shen, vice president of Cisco Systems China, commented, "As a customer-driven company, we fully understand the importance of maintaining, with security, the continuous operation of China UnionPay's mission-critical business network. With this in mind, we have capitalized on our expertise and solutions in data storage and protection to further our ongoing relationship with China UnionPay and help ensure its long-term prosperity."

China UnionPay, licensed by the People's Bank of China, is a shareholding financial institution established through capital contributions by more than 80 domestic financial institutions, with registered capital of RMB1.65 billion. The Shanghai-based China UnionPay was officially incorporated on March 26, 2002.