In 2013, IBM announced that the Australia Northern Territory Government Department of Corporate and Information Services (DCIS) was seeking to further their mainframe gains by bringing in the new IBM Enterprise BC12 as part of their four year strategy for refreshing their IT department.
It was a critical business decision for the DCIS as the new terminal emulator was going to impact personnel, accounting and vehicle registration. With such vital departments involved it is not surprising that the department opted for a mainframe solution given the proven availability, throughput and security it delivers.
Scott Thomson, Director Data Centre Services, DCIS Northern Territory Government, said “With significant and rising transaction volumes across the department, our infrastructure needs to enable fast, reliable access to data which can drive down costs while also improving levels of service.”
The most striking thing about their case is the focus on new technology and innovation. This, unfortunately is often viewed at odds with the mainframe.
“Taking an early-adopter approach to technology has always been a priority for DCIS, particularly given our portfolio’s focus on immediate and reliable transfers of often-sensitive information,” said Scott Thomson.
DCIS’s approach certainly paid dividends as mainframes are best placed to capitalise on BYOD, cloud, big data opportunities and mobile computing with very little extra investment. Thomson was confident that the benefits of mainframe technology would reach beyond the confines of the organisation’s walls.
“Its significant advancements will contribute not only to our internal efficiencies, but to the quality of support we can deliver to the agencies that rely on us,” he said.
The external benefits always generate more significant returns in private enterprises. Mainframes and the central applications they support can be used to improve customer experience through online services, point of sale support and mobile solutions.
The DCIS is just one example of where terminal emulation can significantly improve the success of an organisation. Mainframes are now helping to modernise many an industry and this success only looks set to grow in the future. If your business is not using a mainframe system, you could be missing a trick. There are only a few companies out there that specialise in this technology, but find the right one and you’ll find the implementation of the system to be quick, easy and efficient. All that’s left for you to do is sit back and watch your revenue increase.