Consolidating IT infrastructure saves Toronto-based company 35%

 

I thought you might be interested in an advance copy of tomorrow’s release surrounding Toronto-based Payment Solution Providers (PSP).  As you are all aware, businesses must constantly adapt to meet 21st century challenges. Today’s infrastructure must adapt to tomorrow’s challenges and for many businesses, change is imperative.  

Tomorrow,  IBM will announce that PSP is consolidating its entire IT infrastructure on the IBM System z mainframe server with IBM information management software to support key business operations such as credit card processing and payment switch technology.

 

As a result, PSP expects to improve operating efficiencies and lower IT costs up to 35 percent.  The IBM mainframe will also support new business opportunities for PSP’s card processing business, allowing the company to grow and expand.

 
According to PSP, its previous HP, Oracle infrastructure "simply couldn’t support our growing business. By teaming with IBM, we are actively pursuing new clients and opportunities, confident that our technology can keep pace and hold operating costs to a minimum. Further, selecting the IBM mainframe gives PSP instant credibility with potential clients thanks to its well-known security and reliability.”

PSP's choice shows the continued vitality of the mainframe in a highly competitive server market. In the fourth quarter of 2010, System z mainframe revenue increased 69 percent  -- the highest ever in a quarter -- and was a big part of 22 percent growth in IBM's systems business.  In the year of IBM's Centennial, the mainframe remains an important business for IBM.

Please let me know if you are interested in speaking with PSP about its decision to move its business on to the mainframe.

 

Cheers,

 

Deborah
416-355-7425

 

 

 

Payment Company Selects IBM Mainframe to Support Key Business Operations
Payment Solution Providers Expects to Save up to 35% in IT costs with IBM System z and DB2 Software over HP servers with Oracle databases  


   
ARMONK, NY and TORONTO, ON -- April 19, 2010 -- IBM today announced that Payment Solution Providers (PSP) is consolidating its entire IT infrastructure on the IBM System z mainframe server with IBM information management software to support key business operations such as credit card processing and payment switch technology. In addition, PSP expects to improve operating efficiencies and lower IT costs up to 35 percent.
   
PSP is an 11-year-old Canadian corporation and a recognized industry leader in business consulting, smart card solutions, e-payment networks and the integration of financial transaction processing systems. The company selected the IBM mainframe to run PSP Atlantics Payment Switch technology and offer it to clients as a licence or cloud service. The IBM mainframe will also support new business opportunities for PSP’s card processing business.

 
The rollout of an HP and Oracle infrastructure lacked the security PSP required, making it difficult to comply with the banking industry’s PCI compliance standards. In addition, PSP was using separate servers for each of its customers’ development, production and availability requirements. As a result, PSP anticipated having a sprawling, inefficient infrastructure that would take up too much space and rack up excessive costs for IT management, power and cooling and software licenses.
   
The company wanted to grow its business in North America and selected the z10 Business Class mainframe with tightly integrated IBM z/OS and DB2 software to support the development of new business channels for card processing. PSP will use the new technology to offer banking customers worldwide PSP’s Atlantics Payment Switch Technology as a license or cloud service that will allow them to rapidly support Europay,
MasterCard® and Visa® (EMV) “chip card” or smart card transactions. PSP will also use Atlantics Switch Technology for its own PSP Card Services card processing division in North America.
   
“The HP, Oracle infrastructure simply couldn’t support our growing business,” said Danny Gurizzan, executive vice president of operations, Payment Solution Providers (PSP). “By teaming with IBM, we are actively pursuing new clients and opportunities, confident that our technology can keep pace and hold operating costs to a minimum. Further, selecting the IBM mainframe gives PSP instant credibility with potential clients thanks to its well-known security and reliability.”
   
The mainframe with DB2 provides PSP the 99.999% availability needed to support its payments business, which includes solutions for secure transaction processing, issuing credit cards and ATM transactions. PSP also selected IBM technology for its ability to support PCI compliance with highest level security and its unmatched scalability. By running on the IBM System z mainframe, PSP’s Atlantics Payment Switch can process up to 5,000 transactions per second (TPS). This ensures PSP has the transaction power needed to meet spikes in demand in its PSP Card Services division created by holidays like Christmas.
   
The IBM System z mainframe server will allow PSP to dramatically simplify its infrastructure and lower IT costs per customer transaction by reducing the number of servers needed as well as costs associated with power and cooling, database licensing, administrative staff and compliance.
   
“Leading edge, innovative businesses such as PSP are increasingly consolidating business critical workloads from HP and Oracle on to IBM System z,” said Greg Lotko, vice president of IBM System z. “System z delivers unsurpassed efficiency and real business advantage. Its reliability, availability and security allows clients to pursue new business opportunities while realizing superior IT economics.”

 

Deborah Boyce
Account Executive
+1 416 355 7425

Ketchum. Passion and Precision in Communication.
A proud partner of Room to Read; World Change Starts with Educated Children ®
Our goal is to reach more than 10 million children by 2015.

PRNews 2010 Large Firm of the Year and a Best Place to Work in PR

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

 

 

----------------------------
This message is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this message or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you have received this message by mistake, please destroy it immediately and notify the sender.
----------------------------