Alfa has delivered its industry-leading platform, Alfa Systems to the global asset and automotive finance industry since 1990. The world’s largest automotive and equipment finance companies rely on the Alfa Systems platform to create an end-to-end solution with workflow automation, multicountry functionality and more.
Evaluating alternatives to support and modernise IBM infrastructure
Due to earlier versions of Alfa Systems being built on IBM infrastructure, the company utilised OEM software support and Service Express for Data Centre Maintenance to ensure the hardware remained up and running. To eliminate complexities and streamline support, Alfa consolidated its IBM i and other hardware maintenance to Service Express.
As the Alfa Systems platform evolved and customers migrated to newer versions developed on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company began to evaluate what was next for its legacy hardware. While IBM equipment is known for its longevity and reliability, the team was interested in exploring other long-term solutions outside of on-premises. In addition, the Alfa team faced roadblocks finding IT talent with unique IBM i skill sets. The time spent supporting the equipment internally also contributed to the decision to explore alternatives.
Leveraging a fully managed solution to redirect time and resources
The Alfa and Service Express teams worked together to outline a plan to consolidate the company’s IBM workloads to Service Express’ Specialty Cloud for IBM Power solution. Moving to Specialty Cloud meant Alfa would migrate its on-prem hardware to Service Express’ private single-point cloud solution. In turn, reducing the time, resources and IBM i talent needed to support the infrastructure in-house.
“The migration went to plan, and Service Express provided excellent experts for the project who went above and beyond to deliver a successful outcome. We have a long-term relationship and can be transparent about our goals. Service Express has been honest about what they can and can’t offer and has been great at delivering the services we have contracted with them to provide. When there are new projects or opportunities, I always consider Service Express due to our trusted partnership.”
– Iain Cooley, IT Operations Leader at Alfa
Throughout the project, Alfa had direct access to Service Express’ Technical Team to address any updates or changes. Service Express continues to operate as an extension of Alfa’s team by providing hands-on support for the company’s fully managed cloud solution.
