IZB Informatik-Zentrum delivers a flexible, highly secure application infrastructure on IBM System z

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, IZB Informatik-Zentrum—the IT service provider of the Association of Savings Banks of Bavaria—implements and runs financial applications and systems for 81 bank branches. As a subsidiary of Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, the company has more than 30 years of experience and 600 employees who oversee the IT needs of the savings banks in Bavaria.

Web enablement requires a flexible yet reliable IT environment
Although IZB Informatik-Zentrum has evolved over time, it remains true to providing customer-driven development, making it faster and easier for banks to directly service their customers. In the past, IZB Informatik-Zentrum offered its customers unique home banking by using a PC with a modem. While this solution was innovative, as the Internet gained popularity in the 1990s, the bank realized it needed to migrate its core applications to the Web. IT administrators accomplished this objective by using Brokat Twister emulation software on a Sun Solaris system to create a Java applet interface, which users downloaded to their desktops—but the complexity of supporting the applet on multiple browsers, systems and configurations soon convinced the bank that it would need to redevelop the application specifically for Web use. IZB Informatik-Zentrum knew it needed a more flexible IT solution capable of dealing with change in the marketplace.

Relying on a centralized mainframe solution
After careful evaluation of several potential systems and configurations, IZB Informatik-Zentrum, together with its customers, chose to migrate its Sun Solaris environment to two IBM eServer zSeries 990 systems running the IBM z/OS operating system. “Migration of the bank’s core applications to the mainframe allowed all of the IT stakeholders—systems architects, administrators and developers—to speak the same language and extend their mainframe skills rather than developing a new UNIX® system skill set,” says Friedhelm Stoehler, IT architect for IZB Informatik-Zentrum.

Also, because IZB Informatik-Zentrum wanted to separate heavy UNIX system services exploiters from its legacy applications for security reasons, logical partitioning (LPAR) separates the Java workloads from traditional workloads. All Java applications run on IBM WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, which provides a scalable, dynamic platform. In addition, IZB Informatik-Zentrum selected IBM WebSphere Application Studio as the platform for developing core Java applications, especially valuable for its integration with Java Runtime Environment and Java Tools. The migration to WebSphere Application Server for z/OS allowed IZB Informatik-Zentrum to easily create reliable Java structures and support high transaction volumes.

Today, IZB Informatik-Zentrum uses IBM WebSphere Application Server V6 in a 64-bit mode and has successfully deployed Enterprise JavaBeans applications running under z/OS V1.7. The company is using Linux® on IBM System z™ under IBM z/VM® 5.2 to serve several different Web applications, including Beta Web Enabler from BetaSystems, MediaWiki and IBM WebSphere Studio Application Monitor software.

Streamlined application development can help reduce time to market for new services
According to IZB Informatik-Zentrum, faster development cycles have been a major benefit of migrating to the IBM System z infrastructure. The company has deployed several new applications, including a portal system and a thin client interface for branch office operations. “The ability to install new WebSphere Application Server instances on the fly gives us the flexibility to roll out new applications and services rapidly—without sacrificing security or cost-efficiency,” says Stoehler.

LPAR configuration can enhance security
Because IZB Informatik-Zentrum is responsible for the infrastructure that supports a major savings bank, security of customer information and privacy for sensitive transactions are significant concerns. “We performed penetration testing as part of our evaluation phase,” says Stoehler. “We are confident that the mainframe is the right choice for protecting sensitive data. Thanks to features such as SSL and IBM RACF®, it is the safest box in our data center.”

Aggregation of Java workloads can help lower software license charges
IZB Informatik-Zentrum’s System z servers are configured with IBM Parallel Sysplex® technology, which allows them to share processor, memory and I/O resources. By pooling these resources into a single virtual system, the company can improve usage efficiency and help lower costs. This configuration also allows IZB Informatik-Zentrum to save on its software licensing charges by aggregating its Java, IBM DB2® for z/OS and IBM CICS® workloads into their own LPARs—a strategy that eliminates the need to license these applications for each of the six System z servers.

Standards-based development can help simplify systems management and future maintenance
IZB Informatik-Zentrum anticipates that its new infrastructure can continue to provide important manageability benefits into the future. “Adhering to open standards can help us ensure that future migrations are smooth and that we can adapt our applications to new technologies as they emerge,” explains Stoehler.

For more information
Contact your IBM sales representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit us at: ibm.com/systems/z