WorldCom

WorldCom Managed Services

The outsourcing division of WorldCom looks after some of the world's largest phone and data networks. By outsourcing the management of their phone and data networks to WorldCom, enterprises reduce downtime and save money by leaving their network in the hands of experts.

WorldCom investigated how it could open up its network management applications so customers could remotely access the information they need. It was discovered that the only way of doing this would be by web-enabling the applications and making them available through a private Intranet.

WorldCom estimated it would cost $60 million to re-engineer its telecommunications applications in Java^TMcode. It would also take many years to complete the work. Instead, Tarantella^® web-enabling software was used to web-enable the applications overnight. In the process, Tarantella delivered major cost savings.

Top benefits delivered are:

• Significantly improved competitiveness
• Web-enabled applications
• Millions of dollars saved
• Remote access to WorldCom applications for customers
• Fast and secure access to vital data

Phone and Data Backbone

WorldCom is continually looking at ways to improve its customer responsiveness and service levels. One way would be for WorldCom to give customers direct access to the applications that run the phone and data backbone. By doing this, the customer would get a price quote for a new service, order it and then track it through the system. The customer would see the status of any outstanding problems and access a video bulletin board detailing when outages happen and which carriers are affected.

The telecommunication applications range from mainframe, mini, terminal character and Motif^® applications to PC applications. Some of these had already been web-enabled but the vast majority had not. There was no way these applications could be rewritten in Java code in time and to do so would cost more than $60 million.

Uninterupted Service In Just Five Minutes

Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS), the system integrator involved on the project, immediately realized that Tarantella would solve this problem.

Indeed, Tarantella proved to be the way of web-enabling the applications without any rewrites.

With Tarantella, you don't change it, you just Web It. We're able to re-use existing applications and pass on the cost savings to our customers.

Bruce Fletcher, Advisory Engineer, Strategic Accounts Engineering, WorldCom

Tarantella was installed on two web servers in a fault-tolerant configuration to ensure uninterrupted service. WorldCom had the first application, a video bulletin board, up in just five minutes. The second application took only three minutes. Now WorldCom can use Tarantella to web-enable even more applications.

Customers connect through to the Tarantella server, and once authenticated, they can access the WorldCom applications remotely over the intranet Frame Relay connection.

"Ease of use and security were big issues. With Tarantella, we get it all in one," said Fletcher. "We were also pleased with the high level of support we received from ICS, helping us to web-enable the applications in record time."

Enterprise Strength, Huge Savings

Competitive edge

WorldCom has improved its responsiveness and level of service by letting customers access operational information. Customers can see for themselves the status of network problems and order services without having to go through a sales agent.

Huge cost savings

WorldCom is able to re-use its applications and give customers remote access without having to rewrite a single line of code. The cost savings of this approach makes it cheaper for WorldCom to manage major phone and data backbones. WorldCom can pass these cost savings onto the customer and so further improve its competitiveness.

Fast access to applications

Tarantella delivers only the application's display down to the user, so customers access remote information very quickly. Also the Tarantella Adaptive Internet Protocol (AIP) boosts network performance, optimizing for low-bandwidth connections.

Consistent user interface

The WorldCom applications are accessed through a consistent web interface, providing an easy to use interface to all applications.

Centralized management

From the Tarantella server, WorldCom centrally controls which customers can access which applications. The company also finds it useful to control access to particular parts of an application.

Device independence

Customers do not need to install any extra software on their computers to access the WorldCom applications remotely. All they need on their device is a Java web browser.

Enterprise strength

It is important that customers can access information held in the WorldCom applications securely and that no one else can see or tamper with it. Tarantella includes SSL v3.0 and Server Certificate support, allowing WorldCom to provide secure access to its data without having to build in any security middleware.

Tarantella delivers only the application's display down to the user, so customers access remote information very quickly.

The Challenge

The telecommunication applications range from mainframe, mini, terminal character and Motif^® applications to PC applications. There was no way these applications could be rewritten in Java code in time and to do so would cost more than $60 million.

The Solution

Tarantella proved to be the way of web-enabling the applications without any rewrites.

The Benefits

— Competitive edge

— Huge cost savings

— Fast access to applications

— Centralized management

...and more!

Customer Testimonial

"It would have cost $60 million and more to webify our management systems. With Tarantella, we can do this for less than $10 million and complete the project on schedule."

—Bruce Fletcher, Advisory Engineer, Strategic Accounts Engineering, WorldCom