Ensono Collaborates with Top-Tier Financial Services Firm to Fortify Global Market Stability

This client is a prominent financial services holding corporation, headquartered in the US. Its key subsidiary is a leading banking institution that is recognized as a Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI) and a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB). It manages trillions of dollars in assets and supports complex financial transactions across multiple global sites.

In its pursuit of modernizing its IT infrastructure, the bank needed a partner capable of delivering the highest levels of availability and resilience across its 125,000 MIPS mainframe environment. Crucial to its operations, this mainframe environment had become outdated and lacked the automation and modernization required to meet the evolving demands of the financial sector. The stakes were high as any disruption could have widespread consequences.

The bank’s primary objectives included optimizing costs, enhancing automation, improving service response times, and ensuring the seamless integration of services with other providers – all while maintaining stringent security and resiliency standards.

When the bank sought a new provider to take over its IT operations, it required one that could meet the highest availability, security, and resilience standards. Through a competitive selection process managed by an external advisor, Ensono quickly emerged as the leading contender, distinguishing itself through its deep expertise in mainframe services and a strategic approach to addressing complex IT challenges.

What set Ensono apart was not only its technical expertise but also its ability to forge strong, direct relationships with the bank’s leadership. Ensono provided assurance that it could deliver the responsiveness and executive alignment that the bank required.

Ensono’s approach to addressing this client’s needs was deeply collaborative and focused on long-term success. Rather than focusing solely on traditional metrics such as MIPS, Ensono emphasized its ability to effectively manage complex IT environments. This approach included:

• Comprehensive assessment: Ensono conducted a thorough evaluation of the bank’s existing infrastructure, identifying key areas for improvement, including the need for greater automation, improved process efficiency, and enhanced security measures.
• Strategic differentiation: Leveraging its partnership with KKR, a prominent investment firm, Ensono demonstrated not only operational capability but also financial stability and a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.
• High-level engagement: Ensono’s leadership engaged directly with the bank’s top executives, ensuring that their concerns were addressed and that the services provided would align with both current and future business needs.

This allyship has led to Ensono delivering Mainframe-as-a-Service Remote Infrastructure Management, covering all aspects of the bank’s mainframe operations. Taking full responsibility for managing the bank’s extensive 125,000 MIPS mainframe environment, Ensono ensures high availability, resilience, and optimized performance. The introduction of IT Service Management (ITSM) along with automation across various processes has significantly reduced the reliance on manual interventions, enhancing efficiency and improving operations such as batch job scheduling, system console monitoring, and automated recovery processes.

The service delivery is supported by a dedicated team of 119 experts, who provide continuous monitoring, support, and lifecycle optimization. Ensono manages everything from daily operational tasks to long-term optimization strategies, ensuring that the IT environment remains resilient and adaptable to the bank’s evolving needs.

The relationship between Ensono and this client is built on a foundation of trust and collaboration, extending far beyond traditional service delivery. Ensono works closely with the bank’s in-house teams to maintain operations and provide ongoing support, reflecting a commitment to shared success. Furthermore, Ensono proactively trains and upskills the bank’s internal teams, ensuring they are well-equipped to manage new technologies and processes effectively.

The collaboration between Ensono and this bank delivers substantial business value:

• High availability and resiliency: Ensono has ensured 99.999% system availability, with no outages since taking over – a notable achievement for an institution of this size and importance.
• Incident response excellence: Ensono has met the 99% minimum target for Priority 1 incidents, ensuring swift action to maintain operational integrity.
• Incident restoration excellence: The 95% minimum target for Priority 1 incidents has been met, ensuring seamless recovery and uninterrupted operations.
• Cost optimization: By identifying and removing 62 unnecessary online Customer Information Control System (CICS) regions, Ensono has helped the bank save approximately $13K per month.  
• Efficiency gains: Automation and process improvements streamlined Priority 1 ticket handling by redirecting them to the bank’s resolver groups. This has reduced ticket volume by 4,000 per month and improved overall operational efficiency.
• Expanded partnership: The bank has already expanded its engagement with Ensono, adding additional services and positioning Ensono as a strategic partner in its ongoing transformation.

Ensono will continue to play a pivotal role in this bank’s ongoing transformation. The next initiative involves managing the bank’s storage and backup services across different global locations, encompassing both on-premise backup and cloud storage. With a dedicated team of 120 people managing the storage transition, this effort will involve moving from a Brownfield to a Greenfield storage platform, creating a modern and high-performing storage environment that will significantly enhance the bank’s infrastructure.

Additionally, the bank’s broader transformation plan includes a critical move to AWS. Ensono will provide essential support during this data center migration, ensuring a smooth transition and a robust and secure environment throughout the process.

Ensono’s commitment to working closely with this client—as a trusted ally, not just a service provider—is a testament to the strength of the relationship and the value Ensono has delivered. Ensono’s role will continue to be crucial in ensuring the bank’s infrastructure remains resilient, secure, and capable of supporting its future growth and operational goals.