IBM mainframe makes it possible

  Overview

IBK utilized the high security and resiliency of System z to expand business growth and meet customers' demand for new banking services.

  Primary Business

IBK celebrated its 43rd anniversary this year. It has been 43 years since IBK first started out with two hundred million KRW in capital with only 31 branches. IBK has now grown to one of Korea’s largest banks with a total of 78 trillion KRW in assets, 3.7 trillion KRW in capital owning 400 branches both domestic and overseas.

IBK holds the public policy role of promoting growth among Korea's small and medium-sized enterprises as well as guaranteeing reliability, profitability with firm assets.

  Challenges
IBK will Implement NGBS (Next Generation Banking System) prior to other leading banks in Korea. With the promulgation of “IBK2010 Global 50 Leading Financial Group,” IBK aims to become one of the 50 Global Top Financial Groups by 2010.

Before, the next generation banking system put its focus on work efficiency such as the enhancement of work efficiency of the employee and improving product development capabilities. However, the NGBS of IBK differentiates in ways that it focuses on enhancing customer convenience.

   IBM System z Security and Resiliency

As a long Mainframe user, IBK understands high security and resiliency of the System z. To expand business growth and meet customers’ demands for new banking services, IBK chose z990 to support enhancements in its core banking systems, with high availability and flexibility for its New Generation Banking System platform .

  Primary IT Issues/Demands

IBK’s management philosophy of “customer-first,” “innovation,” and “creativity” leads us to making the decision. The implementation of NGBS is an act of obtaining more competitiveness in the ever-changing financial industry and we hope to enhance and improve e-service and achieve more profitability .

We hope this will lead us in obtaining the features of a truly global financial industry. Because the main objective of NGBS is to satisfy customer convenience.

  Solutions

IBK is operating four IBM System z 990 servers and three IBM System z 890 through z/OS 1.4 on the Parallel Sysplex environment. Also IBK is using CICS V1, DB2 V7, COBOL, DB2, Debug tool, Tivoli for system management.

Many solutions from IBM as well as non-IBM were involved in this project. However, IBM System z has the ability to run in heterogeneous environment. Moreover, its reliability enabled us to develop and finish the project without having to worry about any errors .

  Integration

Except for a few operations on pSeries and xSeries, IBK harnesses the power of System z on major transactions. IBM z990 manages not only a next generation system but also such processes as integration of customer information, daily accounting system, a web terminal system which improves the user interface and life-long account numbering system.

Operating three IBM z990 systems in a Parallel Sysplex mode allowed for ultra-high tolerance capability and for near continuous operations without any disturbance to daily functions. The processing capacity can also be scaled up easily by connecting more mainframe systems.

  Workload Management

The workload management and data sharing of Parallel Sysplex technology deliver continuous computing to IBK. In the event next generation system peaks high, IBK can balance the workload by sharing the processing to the one that remains optional.

If one system fails or is taken down for maintenance, the others can keep processing, picking up workload.

And because consistent service of 24 hours a day, 365 days a week was available, customers were able to do their banking errands whenever they needed to regardless of the time.

  Business Integration

In the domestic financial market, the information system and the accounting system are separated into two IT infrastructures and operate independently. This next generation systems is the first integration of both Information and accounting systems and cuts the figure in the efficiency of its unification .

The integration took off delay of information update and shortened product development time. IBK succeeded in attracting 1 trillion KRW by developing product items (which reflect on domestic social issues) faster than any other bank. The product development, which used to take 30 days, has decreased to 2 or 3 days.