26th Mar 2007 12:05
Micro Focus(R) (LSE:MCRO.L), a leading provider of enterpriseapplication modernization software, today announces that CO-OPFinancial Services, the largest U.S. credit union-owned electronicfunds transfer (EFT) network and processor, is reaping the benefits ofmigrating its branch transaction processing system from a legacyUnisys 6822 mainframe. Using Micro Focus's and The Progeni Corp'sapplication modernization technologies to preserve and re-use itsexisting COBOL application logic, CO-OP was able to complete a move toWindows in just four months and reduce its $2.3 million annualoperating costs by over 95 percent. In addition to these dramatic costreductions, the project has delivered mainframe-level reliability,availability and serviceability while supporting a 50 percent increasein transaction throughput and a new "real time" management reportingcapability. £ CO-OP's shared branching operation, in which multiple creditunions utilized the same core service, allows credit union customersto conduct transactions at any member branch, as if they were at theirown home branch. For decades, the application that supported thisfacility, including the one million credit union transactions permonth, ran on a powerhouse Unisys mainframe environment. £ As part of a long term consolidation and modernization initiative,CO-OP had replaced all other applications that used to operate on itsleased mainframe, leaving its core branch transaction processingsystem as the last remaining application. By August 2005, CO-OPdetermined that by moving this critical application off the mainframe,it could effectively eliminate all costs associated with any mainframerenewal lease in December 2005. £ Utilizing the proven Unisys mainframe migration technology andapproach of the Progeni Corporation (a Micro Focus Migration andTransformation Consortium member), CO-OP moved this COBOL-basedtransaction system to Windows with minimal change. This allowed forthe reuse of all core business logic and eliminated the risk of delayassociated with any re-write. £ "It was a very aggressive schedule, but we did it," said JackBeckman, Senior Systems Analyst at CO-OP Financial Services. "Time tomarket was crucial and the quality of products and support from MicroFocus, Microsoft and Progeni were critical. Compared to themultimillion-dollar cost of the mainframe, the cost of running thesolution on Windows is virtually zero. Our return on investment isthrough the roof." £ "CO-OP Financial Services faced a demanding deadline in migratinga service that was business-critical for hundreds of participatingcredit unions," said Stuart McGill, chief technology officer at MicroFocus. "Their extraordinary success demonstrates the inherent benefitsof reusing IT assets rather than ripping and replacing coreapplications." £ About Micro Focus £ Micro Focus provides innovative software that allows companies todramatically improve the business value of their enterpriseapplications. Micro Focus Enterprise Application Modernization andManagement software enables customers' business applications torespond rapidly to market changes and embrace modern architectureswith reduced cost and risk. For additional information please visitwww.microfocus.com. £ The very latest perspectives, expertise and developments fromCustomers, Partners and Micro Focus are under one roof at Micro FocusWorld 2007. For more information, visit www.microfocusworld.com. £ Editor's Note: To attend an on-line webinar and understand moreabout this specific application modernization project please visitwww.microfocus.com/amm. £ Micro Focus is a registered trademark of Micro Focus. All otherproducts mentioned in this announcement are trademarks of theirrespective owners. Copyright Business Wire 2007Related Shares:
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