Chiba Bank, Daishi Bank, and Hokkoku Bank have agreed for collaboration development for the system as their call center system contracts were up for renewal. IBM Japan will launch the system development starting in October. The system will be in operation at each bank from November 2009 to March 2010.

The Call Center System will be developed by utilizing the system infrastructure of "IBM Channel Sharing Center Service" the outsourcing service, created by IBM Global Business Services, to share unified channels of internet and voice for multiple financial institutions. By combining system infrastructure for servers and telephone switching devices, it can decrease maintenance cost of the system and improve operational quality. Compared to having each bank develop and utilize its own system separately, the collaboration development will not only reduce the development cost per bank, but also achieve the flexibility to manage future system enhancement for new products and services.

With system operation and application maintenance services, provided by IBM Japan, the IBM Channel Sharing Center Service environment will handle telephone devices and transactions in call centers of financial institutions. Also by utilizing both function types of internet and voice, customer service can be enhanced through the link of internet and call center. IBM Japan will actively develop and extend services of Call Center System also for other banks.

The agreements were signed in September of 2008.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

http://www.10meters.com

Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com

With the System z10, IBK can now run 50 percent faster, have 70 percent more capacity and three times the memory, compared to the System z9. IBK required operational stability and mandatory capacity of its mainframe to support sustainable growth and to respond to the fast changing financial services environment.

JungHoon Sung, Manager of IT System Planning of IBK, said, "The success of IBK's System z10 migration was based on our great partnership with IBM in Korea which helped secure mandatory capacity for mainframe, reduce TCO and improve system stability, efficiency, and liability. We expect innovation in client service through the great capability of IBM System z10."

Sukyoung Kang, Director of Financial Services Sector of IBM Korea, said, "IBK's System z10 migration project is the first case of introducing the System z10 in the financial services industry of Korea. This is an indication that markets continue to recognize the power of System z10 to help them transform their entire data center, providing the automation ability for IT resource management and tracking in the rapidly changing business environment."

The agreement was signed in June.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

http://www.10meters.com

Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com

The new initiative -- called the IBM Destination z Enterprise Computing Scholarship Program -- will allow students to receive scholarship funding for educational courses that will increase their technical skills in mainframe computing. The program will be co-funded by IBM Business Partners who are increasing their investments in the mainframe. In just the past eight months, the number of new partners aligned to the System z has increased by more than 40 percent.

The program, which will be formally launched later this year in the US, will offer students the opportunity for scholarship funding for such classes including "z/OS Basics: Introduction to the New Mainframe," "Linux on System z," and "WebSphere Application Server for z/OS," that are being taught at membership colleges and universities.

The scholarship program is an opportunity funded from IBM Destination z, a multidimensional mainframe community organization dedicated to increasing the value of IBM System z mainframes for clients. IBM Business Partners already committed to the scholarship program include Mainline Information Systems, Levi Ray & Shoup, Rocket Software, Vicom Infinity as well as Universities such as Illinois State, Marist College, Minnesota State University, Syracuse University of South Carolina, and many others.

The Destination z Enterprise Computing Scholarship Program is part of IBM's overall Academic Initiative for the System z program. The IBM Academic Initiative for System z provides colleges and universities with educational resources to enhance the enterprise systems skilled resource base and helps students develop practical skills that enable them to find good jobs quickly upon graduation. Under the Academic Initiative for Systems z, more than 400 global universities are teaching mainframe and large enterprise computing skills today, up from 20 in 2004, and over 50,000 students have taken courses so far.

The news follows on the heels of IBM's announcement of the fourth annual "Master the Mainframe" competition, designed to familiarize students with concepts for the growing large enterprise computing industry and build mainframe skills, enabling them to become the business and IT leaders of tomorrow.

Applications for the new scholarship program began being accepted on Monday, October 6. Students interested in applying for the scholarship can apply at http://www.zjournal.com/scholarship, the company noted in a release.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

http://www.10meters.com

Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com

The NAP de las Americas - Colombia, which opened in June, is a datacenter with connectivity to more than 160 carriers through Terremark's NAP of the Americas in Miami. The companies said the facility also provides the highest levels of physical security for sensitive business-critical applications and redundant power and cooling systems.

"We are proud to be working with IBM to provide IT services to enterprises and government agencies in Colombia," said Agustin Abalo, President of Terremark's Latin American Business Unit.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

http://www.10meters.com

Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com