Citizens Case Study

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COINSERV Delivers High-Speed, High-Volume Optical Storage Solution to Citizens Information Systems

Citizens Information Systems (CIS) is the information services arm of CNB Bankshares, Inc. With assets of $4.2 billion, CNB Bankshares is the second largest banking organization in Indiana, and has offices throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.

In order to provide the highest level of service to these various organizations, it’s critical that CIS has the capability to not only archive massive volumes of documents and information but also provide fast, easy access to that information.

Previously, CIS used two large microfiche machines to store their business-critical archival information. Not only was the microfiche method expensive to run, but it was time-consuming as well. After evaluating alternatives for replacement of microfiche, CIS determined that an optical storage solution would best meet their requirements.

Core Applications

CIS’s core account processing applications run on an IBM mainframe, while their item processing requirements are standardized on a Unisys enterprise server. A data center in Evansville, Illinois houses two high-speed check processors (DP1800), and two other remote sites each use a DP1000 processor.

The CIS storage solution had to be able to download large volumes of data from both the IBM and Unisys hosts - reliably and quickly - every night. The data generated by nightly processing was needed for current day use by 8:00 a.m. the next business day. Further, this data needed to be accessible throughout an extensive network of offices using terminal devices and PCs.

INSCI and Unisys Find a Solution

INSCI and Unisys assessed the situation and accepted the challenge. After a careful review of current document/output volumes, growth patterns and acquisition history with the CIS team, it was concluded that INSCI’s COINSERV system could best meet their overall business requirements.

The COINSERV solution implemented at CSI incorporate INSCI’s highly-rated INSCI Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) module, which enables exceptionally fast high-volume optical storage and retrieval capabilities. HSM maintains documents on magnetic storage while they are accessed frequently, then moves them to optical disk when retrieval frequency decreases. This module saves money on costly data storage equipment and gives users the fastest access times to the most frequently used data.

When CIS signed the contract, the Unisys/INSCI team put together an aggressive implementation plan. All hardware components, including those from Unisys and other third parties, were delivered in record time. All software and integration services were delivered in just under four months.