BT Slashes Maintenance Costs for Custom Informix Database

Customer Profile

BT is one of the world’s leading communications services companies, with the goal of “connecting people for good.” Headquartered in London, BT serves individuals and organizations in 180 countries worldwide, providing the networks and infrastructure that power today’s digital world.

Industry

Telecommunications

Location

United Kingdom

Products

IBM® Informix

Company Size

Large

The Problem

Major Acquisition comes with a complex, business-critical database

In 2016, BT completed a major acquisition: it took over EE, the second-largest mobile operator in the U.K. Originally called Everything Everywhere, EE was created in 2010 as a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom.

EE’s underlying software estate was just as complicated as its origin story. At its heart was a complex, customized version of IBM® Informix – a business-critical resource that required an extremely capable maintenance partner. With an IBM contract renewal quickly approaching, BT started to explore the options for higher-quality support.

“We couldn’t afford to compromise the quality of service we were getting, no matter how big the financial savings were.”

The Solution

Collaborative support grows into a strategic partnerships

From the moment BT contacted Origina, they sensed there was something different about its service approach. Even before the contract was signed, the company’s independent IBM® product experts made sure they thoroughly understood the Informix database and its interoperability issues with the larger digital estate.

Origina immediately developed a close working relationship with BT’s technical engineers, proving to everyone involved that more affordable support didn’t mean sacrificing quality of service. BT quickly saw the value of responsive, hands-on support for software and systems that are needed to perform at optimal levels no matter how many mergers or acquisitions the company faced.

Over time, what started out as a support agreement evolved into something more: a long-term strategic partnership. With the insights gained while providing Informix maintenance, Origina was able to advise BT on projects that went far beyond basic support, including better aligning their software estate with the company’s IT strategy.

The Result

Today, EE is the U.K.’s premier 5G provider, powering ultra-fast connections for more than half of the country — a market reach no competitor can match. The subsidiary’s ongoing success is a credit to how BT managed various aspects in the early days of the acquisition, including finding more responsive, affordable support partners.

By moving support and maintenance of their IBM® Informix environment to Origina, BT was able to:

Save on long-term costs by managing their technical debt
Ensure continuity in Informix support, even after IBM divested the product to HCL
Benefit from responsive, high-quality support
Leverage expert insights for additional transformation projects

"“We’re getting more than ever before with our software support. We’re getting feedback on our software retirement plans and other projects.”"