30 Apr, 2023
Original Article in CIOReview Successful CIOs, CTOs, and CFOs know that mergers and acquisitions present a host of challenges when multiple behemoths join forces, inevitable clashes occur, and that’s when they call Information Design, Inc. (IDI). With 40 years’ experience as a systems integrator and middleware innovator, IDI understands how disparate technologies, contrasting ideologies and divergent opinions can cause protective defenses to rise and create barriers as self-preservation yields an unwillingness to share. IDI overcomes these challenges as an independent mediator that can quickly sort through the human, technological and collateral assets to determine a resolution and a viable plan for preserving the most vital assets. As the objective party, these teams are more willing to communicate with IDI as it remains agnostic. IDI is unincumbered and can implement a sound strategy for moving forward, leveraging the right mix of human resources, products and services to accomplish business, security and compliance goals in a competitive landscape. What is IDI’s value proposition? Few companies really understand each industry, know exactly how their front-end to back-end applications function, and how to integrate the newest ideas with existing legacy applications to provide an end-to-end enterprise solution. IDI has global experience formulating solutions for the finance and banking, telecommunication, insurance and healthcare, manufacturing, retail and distribution, transportation, and military and defense industries. IDI has a unique perspective into the real time requirements for these sectors. Specifically, IDI can anticipate possible roadblocks, can install monitors and alerts, or other software and tools to avoid incidents from happening, or knows how to troubleshoot complex anomalies to restore functionality and helps these companies get their operations back on track. How is IDI unique? IDI has employed architects, principal engineers and developers who have supported its clients throughout their application lifecycles for decades. Unlike other organizations where attrition, churn and high turnover have adversely affected these manufacturers and customer organizations, the IDI team has had longevity. IDI is the one constant and dependable resource upon which the companies from these industries have come to rely. Where does IDI offer a competitive advantage in the marketplace? IDI developed innovations such as the first commercially available message-oriented middleware product for a hardware company that sold it globally, an anonymous equities trading exchange for an international financial firm that utilizes a fully distributed architecture, and the first service-oriented architecture for a growing global conglomerate. These products and services made technological advancements to the computer industry while IBM had embarked upon its own journey by adopting a product, now known as MQ. IDI was the first retained business partner that provided services to IBM customers to resolve mission critical issues for its MQ installed base. Today, IDI has a deep and expansive knowledge of MQ, and it is a valued business partner. “IBM MQ is the leading technology for messaging, and IBM has excelled in this market space for 30-plus years. We have been helping them grow that business,” says Nick Felicione, Senior Vice President, Sales, and Marketing at Information Design, Inc. IBM MQ is a robust message-oriented middleware product that allows users to send and receive messages from one application or system to another. This helps automate business processes and supports real-time data sharing between systems within or across multiple enterprises. Why is IBM MQ such a big success? MQ offers guaranteed messaging and that means it never loses a message. In the banking industry, a lost financial transaction could cost the bank its reputation. In the stock exchange, “a few minutes” delay could mean millions of dollars in lost trades. Now, MQ is part of a Cloud Pak for Data offering that begins the next chapter taking enterprise solutions from on-premises to private, public or hybrid clouds. IBM has joined forces with Red Hat, expanding its offerings to open-source products, such as OpenShift, saving time by providing a containerized alternative to other vendors’ clouds. IDI is a valued authorized reseller of both IBM proprietary products and Red Hat open-source subscriptions. Together, IBM, Red Hat and IDI are worth exploring for better outcomes in the future. When should prospective new clients contact IDI? Today, the IDI team is focused on helping clients get the most out of their IT investment dollars. While at one point IDI held the most industrial certifications per capita, at present the team is expanding its abilities with the newest solutions acquiring even more certifications and evolving into one of the highest acclaimed customer support companies in the industry. IDI can provide custom solutions that are designed specifically for your business. It also offers health checks and analysis for those companies that already have integrated IBM MQ into their infrastructure but are facing user specific issues. IDI employs industry practices to isolate these issues and resolve them. IDI mentors the staff, provides documentation regarding the entire process, and enables clients to refer to these steps as a self-service means to keep their infrastructures optimized. As IDI expands its capabilities, it will keep providing the same level of service and dedication that has helped it become one of IBM’s most trusted partners. Quote: “IBM MQ is the leading technology for messaging, and IBM has excelled in this market space for 30-plus years. We have been helping them grow that business.”
