Save Millions: Break Free From Unreasonable Software Renewal Pricing

The Challenge

Our client is a major manufacturer who knew us from a very large mainframe infrastructure project nearly a decade ago. They had decided to migrate away from their incumbent mainframe software provider due to what they considered to be predatory renewal pricing. 

The batch scheduling environment was heavily customized. It had been insourced from numerous installations, each of which had its own scheduling techniques across a huge number of subsystems where exploitation of the product had been taken to the extreme.

Execution was made more difficult because even the new provider’s services organization took a hands-off approach to providing anything but mandatory support for the scheduling environment.

GTSG Solution Description 

Using our GTSG Mainframe Software Migration offering, GTSG led the project’s Migration Strategy Development, Detailed Migration Planning, and Execution phases.  This included:

  • Needs analysis and data collection
  • Current State Assessment
  • Detailed Migration Planning
  • Migration Execution Oversight and Assistance utilizing a GTSG-developed Migration Control Sequence (MCS) methodology

In addition, GTSG provided exceptionally deep mainframe skills, which enabled us to

  • rewrite authorization logic for inherited USERID identifiers that was built on proprietary code function in the previous security product
  • work with the client, developed techniques so that standard SAF calls could be utilized to provide like-for-like function
  • develop required assembler routines to provide SAF calls and passing of USERID to the new scheduler environment
  • provide performance testing to ensure equal or better execution, and
  • write custom Assembler exits in the scheduling product to enhance functionality and ease of use features

Client Benefits

As a direct result of GTSG’s contribution, the client achieved its timeline. We provided full lifecycle support – replacement product installation, configuration, best practices modifications, knowledge transfer – and accomplished what the new software provider would not even attempt.

This success enabled the massive savings (in comparison with simply renewing) that caused the CIO to drive the project in the first place- with minimal disruption to operations.