Integration and Applications

Thames barrier

UK Defence Industry Overhauls Integration for Improved Collaboration

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Expert integration consultancy was required by our client. Through API integration, this critical transformation of communication and supply chain management became a reality for a UK government organisation.

This case study showcases the collaborative efforts of Prolifics and their esteemed IBM Maximo business partner in digitally transforming a vital sector of the military through security-cleared consulting.

Client Overview 

Our client works closely with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to support the military’s capability in planning, building and maintaining infrastructure. 

Challenge

A phased digital transformation encompassed six distinct projects, spanning from lifecycle asset management to space optimisation.

Prolifics’ expertise was specifically sought to ensure the success of the ‘end-to-end supply chain integration’ project. This initiative facilitates seamless, secure communication between the client’s internal systems and third parties without manual intervention.

Solution 1- Decentralised, real-time integration platform: Prolifics created a highly secure, scalable integration platform to onboard new industry partners. Using IBM’s App Connect Enterprise (ACE) and Message Queue (MQ), we ensured robustness with fail-safes, retries, and audit trails. Data duplication across the organisation and its partners guarantees continued work even during connectivity loss.

Solution 2- Security Cleared Managed Services: Prolifics’ Security Cleared Managed Service team ensured reliable system performance during both regular and extended support hours, seamlessly supporting the IBM middleware suite of App Connect Enterprise (ACE) and Message Queue (MQ) used by the client and their industry partners. We also efficiently addressed inquiries from the client and their industry partners.

Action

Following an initial design workshop, Prolifics gained a comprehensive understanding of the project’s short and long-term objectives, enabling the development of a secure, stable, and scalable integration platform.

In response to the sensitive data involved, a fully Security Cleared (SC) team of developers, architects, project managers, and support engineers was assembled. In alignment with customer requirements, the integration platform was fortified with fail-safes, retry mechanisms, and an audit trail for robustness.

Data redundancy across the organisation and its partners was implemented to ensure continued operation even during connectivity loss. Prolifics’ SC Managed Service team maintained system performance during regular and extended support hours.

Results

The newly implemented integration platform enables the military client to outsource to industry partners more efficiently, enhancing competitiveness and potential cost savings for taxpayers.

  • Enhanced Efficiency: Real-time communication between core systems and third parties.
  • Reduced Errors: 24×7 support and technical consultancy.
  • Operational Cost Savings: Faster, less IT-intensive onboarding through a decentralised API platform.

Technology

IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) – Zero-code integration for business users.

IBM Message Queue (MQ) – Middleware supporting the exchange of secure enterprise data.

A view from the bow of a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean

Cruise Line Sails Ahead with Cost-Saving Integrations

Our Client

In business for more than 50 years, our client is one of the top cruise line systems (CLS) in the world by passenger count. It prides itself on being an innovator in providing world-class hospitality.

Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the cruise business, and although it is making a comeback, cruising as a whole is part of a larger, very competitive vacation industry. In light of both the pandemic and overall competition, CLS consistently looks for new ways to cut costs and improve service – with one area of focus being integration of its enterprise IT platforms. A recent example was the initiative to standardise CLS’s reservation system interface, making integration with its travel partners easier and less expensive. Prolifics continually works with CLS to find and implement new, cost-saving integration projects. Together, our ongoing challenge is to identify solutions that help CLS progress on their integration modernisation journey – including getting CLS cloud ready.

Action

CLS has held many standalone licenses for a variety of IBM integration products, including IBM Integration Bus (IBM IIB), IBM DataPower and IBM MQ. Prolifics has provided a significant amount of integration assistance for those applications, which are associated with multiple areas of CLS business and brands. As these product renewals came due, Prolifics used our in-depth knowledge of IBM product licensing to convert standalone licenses to bundles within IBM’s Cloud Pak for Integration hybrid platform. CLS will be able to effectively leverage the options with the Cloud Pak for future growth, services, and financing. As an IBM Platinum Partner, we were able to negotiate discounted rates on the Cloud Pak on behalf of CLS.

Result

Our negotiated rate discounts and service incentives saved CLS close to $1.5 million.

A large part of the Cloud Pak licensing includes migrating CLS’s current DataPower appliances to virtual machines (VMs). By helping CLS with this implementation, the company will run multiple operating systems on a single physical server, saving costs by shutting down two data centres.

Debbie Marcet, the Prolifics Account Executive who works extensively with CLS, said, “Everything that they’re doing from an integration perspective is really all about cost savings and efficiencies. That’s really what it’s about. This integration spans across all of the different areas of their business and across multiple brands. They’re moving to a more modern architecture with Cloud Pak for Integration and eventually to containers, and it’s going to drive efficiency and ultimately more cost-saving- for them.”