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Savings as a Service

Transzap consolidates its Oracle databases in a virtualized Linux on mainframe environment

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CUSTOMER: Transzap Inc. HEADQUARTERS: Denver BUSINESS: SaaS provider for the energy industry HARDWARE: An IBM System z9 Business Class SOFTWARE: Transzap’s Oildex suite of workflow, data exchange and business intelligence applications; Oracle Enterprise Edition, WebSphere Application Server; z/VM CHALLENGE: Dealing with multiple databases on multiple platforms in a distributed environment SOLUTION: Using a Linux OS-only IBM System z9 server to consolidate its Oracle databases in a highly virtualized, controlled and reliable environment

With companies tightening belts wherever possible, IT departments are taking a big hit. The costs associated with systems administration, energy use and software-licensing fees are continuing to rise and cost-cutting measures are welcome. In some cases, these cuts are coming in the form of outsourcing, whether via cloud computing, hosted services or Software as a Service (SaaS).

Shifting heavy IT lifting from local data centers to contracted off-site IT service providers, companies are saving money, but they’re also relying on these service providers to ensure their applications are online all of the time and that they have 24-7 access to their data. This puts the onus on the SaaS providers to develop robust application and database infrastructures, all of it built on sound systems architectures. All too often, however, contracted providers are faced with their own cost-savings measures and are delivering services on substandard systems that are prone to failure and unexpected downtime.

That’s why Transzap Inc., SaaS provider of the Oildex line of services for the energy industry, chose a different route and decided to move its applications from an increasingly growing and complex Intel* technology-based server farm to a more consolidated IBM System z* Linux* OS-only infrastructure to host its Oracle database environment. This has not only allowed Transzap to offer improved service to its customers, with more reliability and scalability, but it has also cut costs associated with systems administration, database licensing and IT-asset purchasing.

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