Modernizing Legacy Systems: A UK Bank’s Transition to a Scalable, Cloud-Ready Platform

Challenges.

The bank encountered several operational difficulties stemming from its outdated systems. The limitations of legacy technology hindered scalability, increased operational costs, and made integration with other systems complex and error-prone, resulting in delays and risks to the business.

• Scalability & Agility Limitations: Rigid system architecture hindered growth and rapid deployment of new solutions.
• Rising Legacy Costs: Maintaining outdated hardware and specialized expertise increased expenses.
• Integration Issues: Complex system integrations posed risks and slowed the implementation of new features or regulatory updates.

Solution.

We undertook a comprehensive modernization strategy to transform the bank's core banking platform from IBM Mainframe COBOL to Microfocus COBOL on UNIX, enabling cloud readiness while ensuring business continuity and enhanced operational efficiency.

Here’s a brief description of the services we provided:

• Technology Migration & Modernization: Executed comprehensive migration from IBM COBOL to Microfocus COBOL, implementing modern development frameworks while ensuring zero business disruption and maintaining core banking functionality across all critical systems.
• Database Transformation: We executed a comprehensive migration from DB2 to Oracle on UNIX platform, meticulously ensuring zero performance impact on applications through extensive testing and validation processes. The migration strategy focused on maintaining the bank’s rigorous performance standards, with detailed validation of response times and user experience metrics. Rigorous infrastructure and application testing protocols were implemented to guarantee seamless transition, preserving application performance levels and system reliability while enhancing overall scalability and operational efficiency.
• Integration Framework Modernization: Redesigned and updated all existing APIs and module endpoints to align with the new Oracle database architecture, implementing robust monitoring tools while maintaining seamless connectivity with existing banking channels.
• Cloud-Ready Infrastructure: Successfully configured UNIX platform with cloud-compatible architecture, establishing a scalable infrastructure framework that enables dynamic resource allocation and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities.
• Governance & Support Structure: Implemented comprehensive governance framework with clearly defined SLAs and KPIs, supported by dedicated development and operations teams providing production support with robust incident management protocols.

The Impact.

This transformation made the bank future-ready, with improved operational efficiency and an optimized customer experience:

• Scalability and Agility: Enabled dynamic scaling, handling peak loads, and rapid global service deployment.
• Cost Savings: Reduced operational expenses by eliminating mainframe costs and optimizing resource use.
• Data Security: Strengthened data protection with improved encryption and compliance with global standards.
• Cloud-Based Infrastructure: Established a flexible, cloud-ready platform for on-demand resources and disaster recovery.
• Real-Time Analytics: Enhanced business intelligence for faster decision-making and system management.
• Customer Experience: Improved service delivery with faster transactions and quicker new feature rollouts.