IBM Case Studies Transforming the business with software as a service, powered by IBM FlashSystem

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	Transforming the business with software as a service, powered by IBM FlashSystem IBM

Transforming the business with software as a service, powered by IBM FlashSystem

IBM

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Hybrid Cloud
Applicable Industries	Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions	Business Operation
Use Cases	Process Control & Optimization Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration
Challenge	Green Shield Canada (GSC) wanted to expand its role in the health administration market by offering claims processing as a service for other health plan providers. However, the company faced a challenge in ensuring its IT systems could meet the demands of new clients. GSC’s first client implementation was set to increase the total workload for its claims processing solution by 70 to 80 percent overnight, which required the company to ensure its infrastructure could handle the increased strain. The company realized that I/O speeds were going to be the biggest bottleneck when the new workload came online, prompting them to start thinking creatively. Read More
About Customer	Founded in 1957, Green Shield Canada (GSC) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to make pharmacy and dental services more accessible and affordable for 2.7 million Canadians. While all Canadians have free access to core health services, there are other elements such as pharmaceuticals, dentistry, and eye care that the majority of the adult population are required to pay for themselves, or secure insurance coverage. GSC was founded to provide health plans that allow employers to cover their employees’ health and dental bills. Today, it is Canada’s only national not-for-profit benefits carrier. GSC still embraces the values of its original founders, and is driven to be the most innovative health benefits company in its industry. Read More
Solution	GSC introduced extreme-performance IBM FlashSystem technology to act as a performance storage layer on top of its existing disk systems. Since GSC’s storage was already fully virtualized using IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller, there was an opportunity to dramatically accelerate both batch and OLTP workloads by adding a relatively thin layer of ultra-fast storage to support its key Oracle databases. By using IBM Easy Tier in combination with SAN Volume Controller, the company can manage the whole virtualized storage landscape easily, and curate its data with optimum efficiency—keeping the most commonly accessed data on the fastest storage, while older or archived data sits on lower-cost disks. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Hybrid Cloud

Applicable Industries

Healthcare & Hospitals

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Use Cases

Process Control & Optimization

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Challenge

Green Shield Canada (GSC) wanted to expand its role in the health administration market by offering claims processing as a service for other health plan providers. However, the company faced a challenge in ensuring its IT systems could meet the demands of new clients. GSC’s first client implementation was set to increase the total workload for its claims processing solution by 70 to 80 percent overnight, which required the company to ensure its infrastructure could handle the increased strain. The company realized that I/O speeds were going to be the biggest bottleneck when the new workload came online, prompting them to start thinking creatively.

About Customer

Founded in 1957, Green Shield Canada (GSC) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to make pharmacy and dental services more accessible and affordable for 2.7 million Canadians. While all Canadians have free access to core health services, there are other elements such as pharmaceuticals, dentistry, and eye care that the majority of the adult population are required to pay for themselves, or secure insurance coverage. GSC was founded to provide health plans that allow employers to cover their employees’ health and dental bills. Today, it is Canada’s only national not-for-profit benefits carrier. GSC still embraces the values of its original founders, and is driven to be the most innovative health benefits company in its industry.

Solution

GSC introduced extreme-performance IBM FlashSystem technology to act as a performance storage layer on top of its existing disk systems. Since GSC’s storage was already fully virtualized using IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller, there was an opportunity to dramatically accelerate both batch and OLTP workloads by adding a relatively thin layer of ultra-fast storage to support its key Oracle databases. By using IBM Easy Tier in combination with SAN Volume Controller, the company can manage the whole virtualized storage landscape easily, and curate its data with optimum efficiency—keeping the most commonly accessed data on the fastest storage, while older or archived data sits on lower-cost disks.

Impact #1	GSC easily absorbed a 1.7 times increase in batch processing workload.
Impact #2	Accelerated online performance by 1.5 times, enabling 100 percent compliance with clients’ service level agreements.
Impact #3	Improved system response times for the organization’s claims and contact center staff and service-based web sites.

Impact #1

GSC easily absorbed a 1.7 times increase in batch processing workload.

Impact #2

Accelerated online performance by 1.5 times, enabling 100 percent compliance with clients’ service level agreements.

Impact #3

Improved system response times for the organization’s claims and contact center staff and service-based web sites.

Benefit #1	1.7 times increase in batch processing workload.
Benefit #2	1.5 times acceleration in online performance.
Benefit #3	100 percent compliance with clients’ service level agreements.

Benefit #1

1.7 times increase in batch processing workload.

Benefit #2

1.5 times acceleration in online performance.

Benefit #3

100 percent compliance with clients’ service level agreements.

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Overview

Transforming the business with software as a service, powered by IBM FlashSystem

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit