TUI
The TUI Group is a group of Nordic tour operators represented in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The TUI Group is part of a European network of travel companies.. TUI is the biggest travel company in the world and provides trips for over 30 million customers a year.
TUI first started to consider its options with respect to the future strategy of its mainframe when, as a result of the introduction of a Web-based booking system, the transaction volumes increased at great pace. TUI needed a cost-effective solution that was equivalent to the increased Web sales. The Web sales represent up to 70% of the total sales and have changed the basis for the current platform.
One of the options which TUI then considered was the option of a system migration, and it was in this context that MigrationWare was first considered as a potential partner.
“The bidding process was a competitive one and MigrationWare was finally selected on the strength of its over all offering, which included its experience in the market, its competitive cost structures and its commitment to delivery, which was made obvious throughout the negotiating process,” said Lars Östberg, TUI Project Manager.
The project will see TUI’s key online booking system, as well as other related business systems, being migrated from an existing z/OS mainframe to a Windows-based platform. The mainframe-based DB2 database will be migrated to Microsoft SQL Server, and all applications code – which is principally written in COBOL and CICS – will be migrated to Micro Focus Server Enterprise Edition.
“We are delighted with TUI’s trust in moving their business-critical systems from their IBM mainframe to the Microsoft Application Platform,” said Lars Mikaelsson, Microsoft Platform Modernisation Specialist. “A key to success in a mainframe migration project is working with a skilled partner with expertise across the IBM mainframe and Microsoft platforms – MigrationWare is just such a partner.”
Micro Focus’ Server Enterprise Edition provides a deployment environment for applications that have been migrated off mainframes by ensuring that existing mainframe applications can be re-hosted with minimum change to the underlying code. In this way, the risks normally associated with large-scale changes in technology are removed, while the cost benefits associated with commoditised platforms can be leveraged.
The project is anticipated to execute over the period of a year, with a go-live date anticipated early in the second quarter of 2012. MigrationWare will be responsible for the delivery of a turnkey solution, which will include the conversion of all source code and data to the agreed target environment, as well as the delivery of tested code that meets the criteria of functional equivalence, performance and stability.
“This contract represents a significant win for MigrationWare both because of the technical nature of this project and because of its critical nature to the customer. The systems being migrated represent the lifeblood of Fritidsresor’s business, and it is a huge show of trust that MigrationWare has been judged fit to take on this role,” said Joao de Oliveira, Director at MigrationWare.
MigrationWare has, over the years, developed a reputation for delivery, particularly in the Nordic region. This migration project is another one in a long line of successful projects.