Unisys & Discount Bank
Latin America
Breakthrough: Discount Bank Latin America Delivers Customer Service Innovation.
Imagine it.

Improve customer service, reduce risk, and speed growth through the strategic use of technology.

Done.

Discount Bank Latin America chose Unisys ClearPath Libra servers and Enterprise Application Environment to power future growth and innovation.

Flexible Infrastructure Supports Business Growth and Modernization.

Discount Bank enjoys a secure, flexible, and reliable infrastructure based on ClearPath Libra servers with a pay-for-use business model and metering technology. Meantime, Unisys Enterprise Application Environment (EAE) development tools help the organization respond to new customer requirements and market opportunities. Finally, Unisys Remote Database software replicates information stored in Discount Bank’s production databases to a remote location to improve its business continuity position.

 

Metrics

Business Challenge: Improving Customer Service, Rebuilding Infrastructure 

The Discount Bank Latin America has served the citizens of Uruguay since 1958. Today, the Bank is one of the premier financial institutions in the region and currently has twelve facilities located in the Montevideo and Punta del Este areas.


A guiding principle of Discount Bank is to forge ever-closer relationships with its clients. To support this objective, the Bank has established a robust network of branches, strategically located to provide maximum customer convenience. In addition, it was one of the first financial institutions in the region to use technology to provide alternative customer self-service channels, such as online banking and ATMs. 


“Discount Bank Latin America has shown continuous, steady growth over the years,” explains José Ferrer, IT Manager. “Recently, we opened a fourth branch location dedicated to serving professionals working for Uruguay’s judiciary branch.”


With a growing customer base and increased demand for real-time services, the Bank sought to modernize its IT infrastructure. Its goal was to help ensure the highest levels of service and provide a solid foundation for future development, including the adoption of a service-oriented architecture (SOA). In addition, Discount Bank wanted to improve its business continuity position with a more robust disaster recovery solution.


Solution: Powerful Infrastructure with ClearPath Plus Libra Servers

Discount Bank Latin America has relied on Unisys server technology for nearly 20 years, so it was natural for Ferrer to look to his longtime partner for a solution.“ The security and reliability of Unisys servers has never been in doubt,” Ferrer explains. “In addition, Unisys has a deep understanding of the banking business, as well as Discount Bank’s scalability, integration, and business continuity requirements.” 

 

After evaluating the Bank’s current processing demands and its projected growth, Unisys proposed a ground-breaking solution: a ClearPath Plus Libra Model 595 server – with pay-for-use business model and metering technology – for production and a ClearPath Plus Libra Model 300 server, situated at a remote location, to support ongoing development and disaster recovery.

 

In the area of scalability, the ClearPath Libra Model 595 has no competitor. And, the pay-for-use model helps the Bank better align costs with business activity.
José Ferrer
IT Manager
Discount Bank
Latin America

Unisys innovative metering technology allows Discount Bank to increase or decrease performance in real time to meet the varying workload demands associated with online and batch production, as well as month-end activities. “In the area of scalability, the ClearPath Libra Model 595 has no competitor,” remarks Ferrer. And, the pay-for-use model helps the Bank better align costs with business activity.

 

Unisys Remote Database software replicates information stored in the Bank’s production Enterprise Server Databases from the ClearPath Libra Model 595 to the Libra 300 server in real time via a dedicated fiber optic link. This approach helps to ensure transaction integrity in the case of an unplanned event. The solution also includes an EMC® storage area network (SAN), using EMC CLARiiON® storage, for each server.

 

Unisys expert technical services created a smooth transition to the new environment. “Unisys started planning the migration from the moment the contract was finalized,” Ferrer says. “We moved to the new ClearPath server over a weekend. The only thing our customers and staff noticed was the greatly improved performance.”

 

Results: Performance and Scalability for Today – And the Future

Discount Bank Latin America's modern ClearPath Libra server infrastructure is already returning significant benefits, including:

Performance has more than met Ferrer’s expectations: “Our nightly and month-end processing activities are easily completed in one shift with the new ClearPath Libra Model 595 server. This gives us plenty of room to respond in the unlikely event of a failure – without the risk of impacting the next day’s operations.” In addition, online transaction performance is more consistent—with a 100-percent completion rate for Internet transactions. Better performance also improves the Bank’s competitive position – giving tellers the up-to-the-minute information required to work more effectively and serve customers faster.

 

Improved business continuity capabilities also give Discount Bank Latin America greater peace-of-mind. “The Remote Database capability is working well,” Ferrer says.

 

Preserving the value in our legacy applications through modernization and integration is very important to Discount Bank. EAE helps us to do that. We also appreciate that EAE has the ability to deploy applications to a choice of operating environments, including Windows, Linux, and ClearPath MCP.
José Ferrer
IT Manager
Discount Bank
Latin America

Discount Bank has used Unisys Enterprise Application Environment (EAE) development tool for more than 15 years. The Bank’s custom-developed applications provide a competitive edge by enabling fast, effective delivery of new services. “Preserving the value in our legacy applications through modernization and integration is very important to Discount Bank,” Ferrer says. “EAE helps us to do that.” He continues, “We also appreciate that EAE has the ability to deploy applications to a choice of operating environments, including Windows, Linux, and ClearPath MCP.”

 

The Relationship: Partnering for Innovation

“Unisys has been a true partner to Discount Bank Latin America,” says Ferrer. “Together, we have built a highly secure, reliable foundation that serves the Bank and its customers well. Through the strategic and appropriate use of technology, the Bank has increased market share and expanded services without adding personnel.”

 

Ferrer adds, “The direction Unisys is taking with its ClearPath Next-Generation Architecture works well for Discount Bank Latin America. Our current investment in Libra servers and EAE supports our future plans to adopt a service-oriented architecture – while preserving the value in our existing applications.”

 

Profile: Discount Bank Latin America

Solution at a Glance

 

Back to Top