GSIS Integrated Loans, Membership, Acquired Assets and Accounts Management System
The Integrated Loans, Membership, Acquired Assets and Accounts Management System (or ILMAAAMS) redefines the way things are run in the GSIS. This system practically form the backbone of the GSIS.
To appreciate what the ILMAAAMS is, one must be familiar with two important terminologies: the mainframe and the open system. The mainframe and open systems are used mainly by large organizations for voluminous data processing.
The mainframe, although known to be quite reliable, require the proverbial arm and leg for their expensive operating systems, software licenses, and maintenance. Open systems on the other hand, are not only priced more reasonably, but are also synonymous to interoperability and portability.
The Vice President for Business Applications Systems Office has this analogy to better understand what mainframes and open systems really are.
Mainframes, she explains, are like BMWs. It runs fast and is reliable. However, you are left at the mercy of BMW for services, parts and accessories. You end up spending more for keeping it than buying it. Open systems is more like a Toyota. It may not have the BMW “bling”, but with a Toyota, you can buy engine parts from your dealer in Banawe, install custom skirts, get discounted chrome rimes, and have it repaired by your trusted mechanic.
For decades, the GSIS relied on its BMW-like mainframe. Since mainframe solutions are proprietary in nature, all products one wishes to have should come from the mainframe provider. These constraints prevented the GSIS from implementing a fully electronic system that could link its complex processes. The open system is a platform that can connect the multi-faceted processes of the GSIS as well as new technologies that it may decide to implement later.
The UnionBank also embarked on an ambitious 10-month system migration. Calling it the “big bang” approach, UnionBank brought an end to its mainframe-based applications in favor of a new banking solution based on open system standards.
The Philippine National Bank is also making a move towards open system so that it can launch new products and at the same time get a consolidated view of its customers across segments with “true 24/7/365 capability”.
GSIS is the first Philippine government institution that is taking this bold move to open systems.
Source: GSIS Layunin, Vol. 4 Issue 2, February 2008