The Client

A large, publicly traded company that processes electronic payments, this organization serves the credit/debit card industry by providing client services and software for customer account management.

The Challenges

• A mature, but aging 3270 environment for collecting information from new clients was unable to be fully integrated with newer web interfaces.
• Potential clients were being lost to competitors with more €œclient friendly web interfaces.
• New applications could not collect and manage client data as effectively as older ‘green screen’ applications.
• Long training cycles and high employee turnover presented their own series of IT obstacles.

The Strongback Solutions

Strongback consultants worked closely with the client to modernize 100% of their ‘green screen’ applications for new client interaction.

Training

Strongback Consulting introduced the client to IBM’s latest software and services and provided the necessary education and support for successful integration and modernization.

• The client was trained to use IBM Rational Host Access Transformation Services (HATS).
• Current IT staff were cross-trained from COBOL and .NET to HATS and Java EE development.

Project Management

After learning the client’s goals and identifying any challenges, we worked extensively with them to:

• Design the initial project development environment
• Devise standards for future application development
• Deliver needed technology, services, and education to meet project goals.

IT Architecture

Strongback consultants and Subject Matter Experts worked with the client’s IT department providing them with:

• Established a build system to compile, unit test, and package target applications.
• Automated deployment of data to a clustered, WebSphere Application Server ND Environment.

Products and Technologies

As a Software Value Plus (SVP) authorized reseller of IBM software, Strongback Consulting was able to assist the client in integrating these IBM products:

• IBM Rational Host Access Transformation Services
• IBM Rational Application Developer
• IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment
• IBM POWER 6 p570

The Results

The successful modernization of the client’s new customer interface allowed them to realize multiple successes across several departments:

• Reduction in new CSR training time by almost 75%.
• Reinvigoration of CSR morale and new customer interaction are direct results of the modernized, web-based interface.
• Rebuilt business relationships. The client’s application modernization and architecture integration were so successful, they were quickly contacted by older customers to renew old business relationships.

If you would like to learn how Strongback Consulting can help your organization to identify, address, and resolve your IT challenges, contact one of our IT experts today.