Building an Integrated Enterprise Cloud Platform: Disaster Recovery, ITAI Environments, and Production

Guided by an IT strategy focused on online business, automated workflows, digital operations, data asset digitalization, and global trading, GF Futures initiated a transition from legacy architecture to private cloud. This shift addresses issues such as fragmented resource pools, maintenance complexity, and limited scalability while enabling self-service and automated delivery of compute and storage resources. After selecting HCI as the foundation for its enterprise cloud, GF Futures evaluated multiple vendors. Given SmartX's independent R&D capabilities, extensive financial industry footprint, and the requirements for ITAI transformation, GF Futures chose SmartX as its strategic partner.

Previously, GF Futures' CTP disaster recovery center relied on over 40 physical servers, which led to long deployment cycles, high rack space consumption, and significant capital expenditure. The legacy infrastructure also faced single-point-of-failure risks and rising maintenance costs due to aging hardware. During the disaster recovery system upgrade, GF Futures introduced SmartX ECP. By combining SmartX software with independently procured hardware, the firm established its first HCI cluster to host core CTP disaster recovery operations. This transition significantly shortened time-to-market, improved resource efficiency, and laid a solid foundation for subsequent cloud transformation.

As an ITAI pilot institution, GF Futures faced challenges including tight deployment schedules and complex architectural transitions. By leveraging SmartX ECP, the firm rapidly established an ITAI resource pool, completing deployment within a single day. This platform hosts over 50 systems, including CTP multicast and post-market query services, and successfully passed all technical innovation assessments. The ITAI resource pool has operated stably for over a year, demonstrating the high availability and extensive compatibility of the HCI solution.

After the HCI architecture in the Guangzhou disaster recovery center successfully supported critical systems for two years, GF Futures leveraged the SmartX ECP to build its main data center at the Tangyin facility, driven by data center relocation and business growth. This deployment hosts core systems, including CTP production components and FEMAS 3.0, marking the evolution toward a unified architecture across disaster recovery, ITAI, and production environments. This transition systematically achieves the cloud transformation of core business infrastructure and the completion of the private cloud.

Up to now, GF Futures has deployed 8 SmartX ECP clusters with over 30 nodes, establishing a private cloud that spans the disaster recovery center, ITAI platform, and main data center. This infrastructure ensures the stable operation of various business systems:

• Production Systems: Includes CTP, FEMAS, asset management systems, and O&M platforms, supporting trading, management, and compliance scenarios.
• ITAI Systems: Hosts over 80% of ITAI applications, ensuring full compatibility with innovative software and hardware stacks.
• Big Data and Automated O&M Tools: Supports big data analytics platforms and automated O&M systems to enhance overall operational efficiency.