How Smarter IT Paves the Way for a Mobile Future

By Darryl K. Taft

In a nation where more than 50 percent of the population does not have access to modern, reliable financial services and more than a quarter have no bank accounts at all, Zitouna Bank of Tunisia is using cloud capabilities composed of IBM servers, storage, software and services to transform its core banking systems, support its expansion goals, and roll out new Internet and mobile services for customers.

Melbourne, Australia’s local transportation system operator Yarra Trams is using IBM servers and software to draw insights from the large volumes of data from its trams and infrastructure to improve day-to-day operations. Yarra Trams maintenance workers access work orders and receive information about tram service on tablets, enabling better management of repairs and quicker responses to disruptions such as traffic delays or bad weather.

As the use of smartphones and tablets continues to grow, organizers of the Wimbledon Championships looked to IBM to help enhance the fan experience by delivering new types of analysis and information in real time, with a solution consisting of servers, storage, software and services. Mobile users accounted for 20 percent of the 19.7 million unique visitors to Wimbledon.com during last year’s tournament, and were responsible for a massive 55 percent of the 433 million total page views—up from 40 percent in 2012.

Music Mastermind encourages performers and artists to create and share their own music with Zya, a mobile game that puts the power of real music creation into the hands of users worldwide, combining social, interactive and music production elements. A private cloud infrastructure consisting of IBM servers and storage in Music Mastermind’s two data centers enables game developers to create new features for the game and provides hosting for players.

After merging a banking institution and independent portfolio management firm to create one of the largest financial companies in Mexico, ABC Capital called on IBM to help integrate its existing technology platforms to continue providing new products and offerings, like mobile banking, to consumers.

Telecom service provider Surfline Communications turned to an IBM cloud solution to help tap into the growing mobile data market in the African nation of Ghana and across the continent. Mobile data is viewed as the most logical path to grow Internet adoption in the country and also stimulate economic growth through the emergence of an e-commerce sector in Ghana, as well as in many other African countries.

South Korea-based NS Shopping is transforming its e-commerce platform and mobile sales channels with infrastructure based on IBM servers, storage, services and software. The combined technology provides NS Shopping with analytics and interactive app capabilities that have helped personalize customer experiences by tracking shoppers’ buying patterns and purchase histories on both its Website and mobile interfaces.

Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank, with more than 240 branches, tapped IBM to streamline business processes and meet demand for new mobile banking services. According to the State Bank of Vietnam, only 20 percent of Vietnam’s population holds bank accounts while the country’s labor force exceeds 50 million people, and new applications such as mobile banking help the bank to grow its business by reaching this underserved market.

German IT services and solutions provider CANCOM SE turned to IBM servers for its CANCOM AHP Private Cloud Desktop solution. The CANCOM AHP Private Cloud provides remote access to corporate applications and data using any device that is connected to the Internet, providing a mobile and flexible IT workplace for clients.