Unprecedented Flexibility

The modern IBM Z mainframe and IBM i on Power servers provide businesses that use them with management and transformation options that enable a successful hybrid-cloud journey.

Enterprises can choose multiple hosting and management options for their IBM Z and IBM i environments and workloads. These include traditional in-house options as well as an entire spectrum of offerings from service providers that can meet all of their needs.A wide range of services provides support
for these options:

In a traditional outsourcing scenario, a third party assumes full responsibility for managing the customer’s data center, either under contract or by purchasing equipment and employing existing staff.

In a managed multitenant cloud approach, the service provider supports multiple customers on a shared but secure infrastructure with availability levels covered by service-level agreements (SLAs) and cost savings from consolidated workloads passed on to customers.

Beyond using the more traditional operating systems such as z/OS, z/VM, and i/OS, using Linux can facilitate cross-platform mobility and management of workloads. Using containers, either natively or on Linux, further enhances the portability of applications. Some studies indicate a large potential for software-license-cost savings from porting Intel-based Linux workloads to the mainframe (up to 90%) if the software is priced according to the number of CPU cores.

Application management services are
an excellent option for medium to large enterprises with application management teams. The solution provider assumes responsibility for end-to-end application management — including middleware, database, automation, and performance monitoring — using current staff
or partners.

Project-based services are effective at solving short-term problems or building targeted new applications with the provider to ensure that the right skills for the job
are applied.

Organizations can also use a combination of these services to meet their unique needs, depending on their current environment and IT road map. These generally fall into three categories: enterprises that manage their own infrastructure, integrating in-house services with services from one or multiple providers; enterprises that outsource management of their infrastructure to a provider — on dedicated technology — that may or may not provide services integration; or enterprises that gain flexibility by using shared infrastructure and multiple services for a single provider or that use a combination
of these models.

Insurer Executes Enormous Data
Migration to Effect Digital and Cloud Strategies

RSA Insurance is one of the world’s oldest general insurers, providing insurance products and services to individuals and businesses
of all sizes. The RSA mainframe and systems support major operations representing approximately 4.5 million policies.

The problem: RSA’s mainframe operating system and most of its systems software relied on legacy technology that was losing support. The challenge was to enable digital-first and cloud-first strategies and to mitigate material IT risk. To accomplish that, RSA needed to move its infrastructure, software, and mainframe data to a robust and security-rich cloud architecture.

The migration to cloud is a key component of RSA’s strategic IT infrastructure modernization goals. Kyndryl helped RSA modernize and transform with unique hybrid solutions such as managed extended cloud IaaS for IBM Z. The transformation enabled RSA to adopt smart technologies to create and automate industry-leading actuarial models for its analysts.

RSA sees significant cost savings and greater cost predictability through the move from traditional architecture to cloud. Changing from a
fixed-cost to a variable-cost model will enable flexibility and future growth.

What’s more, as part of its larger vision of innovation, RSA plans to continue modernization efforts. For RSA, and for thousands of other clients worldwide, Kyndryl's role as a trusted advisor is based on Kyndryl’s experience working with the vital systems that organizations run on every day. Kyndryl offers managed IaaS for hybrid-cloud deployment and migration, managed private cloud, and data center disaster recovery. With options for single-tenant and multitenant infrastructure, on- or off-premises, Kyndryl provides the complete infrastructure stack, from mainframe to x86 computing — all on hybrid cloud.

Click here to read the full story of RSA’s migration.

IDG Communications, Inc.