Computer Associates has launched an initiative with Old Mutual plc, a Fortune Global 500 financial services group, designed to give the organisation improved control over its data processes and applications that are based on legacy mainframe solutions and heterogeneous platforms.
The company implemented CA`s Advantage Repository for Distributed Systems (CAARDS) solution in a move to improve IT productivity and reduce application development and maintenance costs on these systems.
Old Mutual, which is listed on the London and Johannesburg Securities Exchanges and manages funds in excess of $210 billion, will also use CA`s solutions to improve time to market for new systems, according to Colleen le Roux, ISD CAARDS Repository Specialist at Old Mutual`s head office in Cape Town.
"We are focusing our repository efforts on our largest in-house IT shop - Integrated Solutions Delivery (ISD) - which employs more than 300 systems developers working exclusively to service Old Mutual`s internal business needs.
"Our emphasis is on our client services departments and we are responsible for maintaining and developing more than 350 customer support systems throughout the organisation," she says.
A key goal of the initiative, according to Le Roux, was to establish a single, easily accessed repository for metadata. "We knew we had to centralise our metadata to be able to get a holistic view of all applications across the various platforms and be able to examine their critical interdependencies," she says.
ISD decided to implement the CAARDS as the foundation for acquiring, maintaining and exploiting metadata throughout the enterprise - including all Old Mutual`s lines of business.
CAARDS is being used to scan and load all metadata on systems based on Cobol, Object Star, Visual Basic, Delphi and C++ platforms. An additional component of the total solution was the use of CA`s AllFusion Modelling Suite, which is made up of components that enable users to model data and processes and visualise the relationships between business requirements and technology.
"A key objective was to keep a repository of process and data models that will allow greater reuse of code," says Le Roux. "The AllFusion Modelling Suite achieves this goal as it reduces development costs by automating tasks, eliminating redundancy and ensuring the integrity of applications.
"It also spans all technologies in use at Old Mutual and addresses our three key business goals; increased productivity, reduced development cost and improved quality," she notes.
According to Sue Dods, account manager at CA South Africa, Old Mutual`s use of the CAARDS breaks new ground.
"Most other CAARDS users are in data warehousing environments while Old Mutual is using it for impact analysis and documentation," says Dods.
According to Le Roux, the benefits of the project are expected to be substantial. "We`re confident that ISD will realise significant direct benefits, while our users will see the indirect benefits of faster delivery of new solutions and requests," she concludes.
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Computer Associates International, Inc (NYSE:CA), one of the world`s largest software companies, delivers software and services that enable organisations to manage their IT environments. Focus areas include network and systems management, storage and security management, portal and business intelligence, and application lifecycle management. Founded in 1976, CA is headquartered in Islandia, New York, and operates in more than 100 countries. For more information on CA, please visit http://ca.com.
Old Mutual
Old Mutual plc is an international financial services group, whose activities are focussed on asset gathering and asset management. They are the largest financial services business in SA, through life assurance, asset management, banking and general insurance operations. Old Mutual`s primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange (symbol OML) and it is a FTSE 100 financial services group, and ranks as a Fortune Global 500 company.
In the US, Old Mutual is one of the top 10 fixed annuity businesses, following the purchase during 2001 of Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company, and its multi-style asset management business offers an array of specialist asset management skills.
In the UK, Old Mutual focuses on wealth management. Gerrard, its largest UK operation, is one of the leading private client stockbroking businesses in the country.
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