Telecom Provider Halves Mainframe Footprint to Fund Modernization
Allyship Snapshot
Use Cases
Mainframe infrastructure consolidation and hosted services transition.
Solutions
- Remote hosted Mainframe-as-a-Service for zOS and zVM
- IBM i remote hosting and disaster recovery
- Infrastructure optimization (hardware and software)
- Strategic alignment with modernization goals
Outcomes Achieved
The Challenge
A Fragmented Environment Stalls Progress
A world-leading Fortune 500 telecommunications provider faced mounting challenges in its IT infrastructure. Decades of reintegration following the breakup of regional subsidiaries had left the organization with extensive technical debt and a sprawling, siloed environment—particularly across its mainframes and distributed systems. Despite efforts to modernize, the company struggled to make meaningful progress. Multiple vendors were engaged across infrastructure, applications, and modernization, but competing priorities and a lack of coordination slowed results.
To address this, the client launched a program aimed at consolidating all mainframe services—applications, infrastructure, and modernization—under a single strategic partner with subcontractors owning one of those services. This gave overall accountability to a single vendor perfectly aligned to accomplishing the client’s strategic initiative. The goal was to reduce costs, shrink the mainframe footprint, and accelerate the migration, retirement, and rewriting of legacy applications to the cloud.
The Journey
Consolidating Infrastructure to Advance Modernization
As part of the client’s program, Ensono was brought in to lead infrastructure consolidation and hosted services. While other vendors just focused on staffing, Ensono stood out for our deep technical expertise—particularly around hardware and software optimization. This credibility gave the client confidence that Ensono could not only stabilize the environment but also reduce the client’s footprint in ways the incumbent provider had failed to achieve for over a decade.
Ensono’s ability to consolidate CPU, storage, and tape environments significantly aligned with the client’s modernization goals. The transition from the incumbent provider who had been entrenched with the client for over 15 years was completed in just six months—on time and with high client satisfaction. Ensono also introduced a flexible financial model that supported workload reduction and future cloud migration, becoming a willing and strategic partner in the client’s long-term transformation.
Ensono delivered:
- Hardware optimization: Cut the client’s mainframe footprint in half by reducing 14 systems to 7 IBM z17 mainframes.
- Storage consolidation: Streamlined storage by consolidating 12 IBM DS8K units down to 6.
- Virtual tape reduction: Reduced 29 Virtual Tape Systems to 12, creating a more efficient and agile operating environment
- Flexible financial model: Aligned investment with the client’s long‑term strategy to support workload reduction and future cloud migration.
The Outcomes
Optimizing for Long-Term Impact
Within the first year, Ensono eliminated the client’s hardware technical debt and consolidated infrastructure across the board:
- Reduced mainframes, storage, and virtual tape systems to create a more agile environment
- Redirected freed‑up capacity to accelerate application modernization
- Supported long‑term workload reduction and future cloud migration with a flexible financial model
- Removed operational friction and improved day‑to‑day responsiveness for internal teams
- Reduced the burden of managing legacy systems, clearing the path for modernization
- Positioned the organization to enhance customer‑facing applications serving millions of users
Frequently Asked Questions:
How did Ensono help a telecommunications provider modernize its mainframe environment?
Ensono consolidated the client’s complex mainframe infrastructure by reducing 14 systems to 7 IBM z17 mainframes, cutting storage and virtual tape systems nearly in half, and transitioning services from a 15-year incumbent provider in just six months—all aligned to the client’s long‑term modernization goals.
What were the key outcomes of working with Ensono?
The client eliminated significant hardware technical debt, created a more agile environment, freed resources to fund application modernization, and reduced operational friction. Internal teams also saw improvements in responsiveness and overall execution.
Why did the telecom provider choose Ensono over its long-term incumbent partner?
The incumbent provider had been entrenched for over 15 years but failed to achieve the footprint reductions and modernization progress the client needed. Ensono was selected for its deep technical expertise, strong delivery performance, and a flexible financial model that supported workload reduction and future cloud migration.
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