The Client

One of the world’s largest global investment banks, this client has significant operations spanning North America, Europe and the UK.

The Challenges

As part of its cloud-first modernization strategy, the bank had been carefully migrating systems to its Azure cloud environment. What remained in its data centers were thousands of critical applications that were very tightly coupled to the mainframe.

Looking to reduce its data center footprint, the bank had two goals:

1. De-risk the process of exiting its existing data centers. To do this, the bank needed to understand how the remaining critical systems were connected to the mainframe.  This would enable it to understand which applications would need to remain with the mainframes, and which ones could safely be migrated to Azure.
2. To meet the cloud infrastructure consumption target it had agreed with Microsoft as part of its Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC).

The Journey

To achieve these goals, the bank needed an accurate and comprehensive view of all the systems interacting with each mainframe. It also needed a detailed understanding of dependencies and latency sensitivity risk before, during, and after potential migration scenarios. This would de-risk the bank’s complex data center and cloud migration program, enabling continuity of service and its ability to meet regulatory obligations.

Ensono conducted its proprietary Mainframe Application Latency Risk Assessment — a unique, patent-pending methodology designed specifically to analyze and mitigate the risks associated with mainframe migrations and cloud transitions — across the client’s data centers in the US and Europe.

The Outcomes Achieved

As a result of Ensono’s Mainframe Application Latency Risk Assessment, the bank gained:

• An accurate picture of its mainframe systems, connected applications, and their dependencies. A detailed inventory of all systems interacting with mainframe services enabled the clarification of complex dependencies.
• The confidence to fast-track the migration of many applications to Azure. The immediate identification of hundreds of applications suitable for migration to Azure without latency concerns enabled a rapid acceleration of cloud adoption.
• Optimized Azure usage, effectively addressing the bank’s previous under-utilization of cloud resources.
• Substantial risk reduction associated with data center and cloud migration, enabling regulatory compliance and business continuity.
• A leaner cost profile thanks to the design of predictable Azure connectivity. This minimizes unforeseen data egress costs and helps improve budgeting accuracy.
• Insights for better data center planning, including the quantification of data center space requirements for systems requiring physical proximity to mainframes. This will help optimize future data center procurement and capacity planning.

With robust visibility into latency risks and dependencies, the bank now has the confidence to move forward with its cloud-first strategy.

“Ensono’s Mainframe Application Latency Risk Assessment gave us the clarity and confidence we needed to proceed safely with our global data center consolidation and Azure migration strategy. Their comprehensive analysis and strategic insights were invaluable, significantly de-risking our migration and enabling smarter, cost-effective decisions.”

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