Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Manoj Mishra, the incumbent secretary, electronics & IT and secretary (science & technology) is spearheading a wave of digital reforms in Odisha. He is pulling all stops to accelerate digital transformation in governance by tapping technology to the hilt. But he realizes digital landscape can’t be drastically changed unless the government tackles the prevailing ‘digital divide’ at the grassroots. Also, with adoption of digital technologies comes attendant challenges to navigate like swarm of data to store and ensuring data security.
To overcome all bottlenecks and deepen digital inclusion, he has articulated a vision to change the dynamics of data storage and security. The Odisha State Wide Area Network (SWAN) touted as the IT backbone will undergo a major revamp. The State Cabinet helmed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently gave the go-ahead to a proposal from the electronics & IT department to upgrade the SWAN project at an outlay of Rs 332 crore. The project envisages setting up of reliable and robust IT infrastructure at the State headquarter, 30 district headquarters and 314 block headquarters. The upgrade plan also facilitates safe and seamless transfer of inter and intra0-departmental communication and data, video and voice traffic etc.
OSWAN was started as an ambitious project to create a state wide area network that will improve government efficiency through connectivity. This existing SWAN project needs upgradation to replace the old and end-of-life equipment. This upgrade with operation and maintenance for five years, is needed to cater to latest technologies, voice and video transmission. One of the key components of this project upgrade includes provisioning of secondary bandwidth at the State headquarter, 30 district headquarters and 314 block headquarters for enhancement of bandwidth, load sharing and high availability of connectivity. It will involve use of Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology to result in better reliability and secure connectivity.
Wide Area Network is an advanced telecommunication infrastructure, which is used now-a-days extensively, for exchange of data and other types of information between two or more locations, separated by significant geographical distances. The medium of connectivity can be copper, optical fiber cable or wireless, as may be found feasible. Such wide area networks, in a way, create a highway for electronic transfer of information in the form of voice, video and data.
Department of IT in Government of India is implementing an approved Scheme known as State Wide Area Network (SWAN) Scheme, envisaged to create such a connectivity in each State / UT, to bring speed, efficiency, reliability and accountability in overall system of Government-to-Government (G2G) functioning.
When fully implemented, SWAN would work as a converged backbone network for voice, video and data communications across each State / UT. SWAN is designed to cater to the governance information and communication requirements of all the State / UT Departments. When fully implemented, SWANs across the country are expected to cover at least 50000 departmental offices through 1 million route kilometers of communication links.
