eCube Case Study
Cross Functional Development Increases Productivity on OpenVMS
Challenge:
Lower the cost and increase the speed of
developing batch programs supporting
critical business operations
Tools:
Java
Eclipse IDE
NXTware Remote for OpenVMS
Applications: Core business operations
Language Platform:
Solution transitioned from C language to Java
Target Platform: OpenVMS
Integrity and Alpha Servers
Client: Mutual Insurance Company
OVERVIEW
y The business provides diversified insurance services such as life, salary, health. With over one million
customers, the company is a leading mutual insurance company (MIC) and a known leader in the group
insurance industry and investment and retirement sectors.
y Solution lowered MIC's cost of operation by enabling an under-utilized pool of Java developers to take
over the programming of batch processing applications on OpenVMS. These batch applications were
historically written in the C language on HP VMS servers. In the process, the solution improved MIC's
business performance, reduced information technology (IT) operations costs and eliminated the high
costs and risk associated with moving away from the OpenVMS platform.
SITUATION
Batch processes still play a very important role in IT services at MIC, where real-time applications are
updated by batch processes on a regular basis. Batch processes are used because they are still the most
economical way to automate computer interactions and access expensive computing time. It is not
necessary or efficient to update every aspect of a system and its data after each transaction. Additionally,
new compliance rules and changes in underlying IT infrastructure make it important to have access to batch-
oriented workflows that can be scheduled or triggered by business conditions.
Historically, MIC's batch programs running on OpenVMS platforms have been written in COBOL and the C
language. However, over the years, the number of COBOL and C programmers in the organizatio