IBM Software
Computer Services
Ingenuity makes a
reasoned choice for IBM
Avoiding the pitfalls of open source tools with
high-quality IBM products
Overview
The need
As a provider of software testing services
for six of the top ten UK insurance
companies, Ingenuity needs to prove to
its clients that the tools it uses are the best
available for the job.
The solution
IBM products help Ingenuity execute
nearly 9 million tests per month with 100
percent uptime – giving the company’s
clients confidence that their systems are
in safe hands.
The benefit
Choosing IBM products rather than open
source tools helps Ingenuity avoid hidden
costs, demonstrate compliance with
industry standards, and instantly access
high-quality technical support.
Based in Gloucestershire, England, Ingenuity has been providing
software testing and quality management services to its customers for
more than 21 years. While companies across all sectors benefit from
its services, Ingenuity’s record in the insurance industry is particularly
strong: it has six of the top ten UK insurers on its list of clients.
Simon Mills, Managing Director of Ingenuity, explains the company’s
business model: “A large proportion of insurers’ sales and customer
support happens through their websites, so it’s critical to keep those
websites available and fully functional, 24/7.
“At Ingenuity, we run nearly 9 million tests every month to ensure that
the websites and insurance broker systems that represent our clients’
products provide a precise and seamless online experience for their
customers. To execute such a huge number of tests, we naturally rely
on automated tools – and for many years, IBM products have been our
toolset of choice.”
In recent years, however, Ingenuity has increasingly been asked by
clients to consider adopting open source testing tools instead. To prove
that its approach was the correct one, the company decided to seriously
analyse the gaps it saw between the IBM and open source offerings.
“We hear so many myths about open source tools. In our experience,
they don’t save money, they don’t provide more independence, they
aren’t built to the same governance and security standards, and
they don’t offer the same level of support. For a serious job, you
need a professional set of tools – and that’s what IBM provides,”
says Simon Mills, Managing Director of Ingenuity.
IBM Software
Computer Services
Access to professional support
“With IBM, if we have
a technical problem, we
can call them any time
of the day or night... and
be confident that we will
get a solution as soon as
possible.”
— Simon Mills, Managing Director, Ingenuity
Simon Mills comments: “To understand why we use IBM products, you
first need to understand the kinds of scenarios we find ourselves in on a
regular basis, when working with insurers and other clients.
“First, our clients’ products and systems are in a constant state of
development, and they are always adopting new technologies and
services. In some cases, our existing testing methods don’t work on
these new services, so we need technical support to enhance our tools
to meet the new requirements. If we can’t get the right support, we
won’t be able to meet our clients’ deadlines.
“With IBM, if we have a technical problem, we can call them any time
of the day or night, explain the issue in a completely confidential way,
fully bound with non-disclosure agreements and other safeguards, and
be confident that we will get a solution as soon as possible.
“With a community-supported open source tool, we would have to
post the problem on a public website, potentially revealing information
about our clients, and depend on the goodwill of the community to
respond – there is no service-level agreement to hold on to. When our
clients’ businesses are at stake, we can’t be relying on the kindness of
strangers.”
Avoiding hidden costs
He continues: “Second, we are software testers, not system integrators.
We need to focus on our core business, not on maintaining and
developing our IT systems. Open source tools are rarely the finished
article – they need to be integrated, maintained, and developed, which
creates a requirement for skills and resources that we don’t want and
can’t justify the expense to sustain.
“With IBM products, all the development and integration work has
been done by IBM, and you get what you pay for. If you invest in the
products and subscribe to a support contract, that’s all you need to
worry about.”
2
IBM Software
Computer Services
Built-in security and governance
“The IBM portfolio gives
us everything we need
to meet the ever more
sophisticated demands
posed by our clients.”
— Simon Mills, Managing Director, Ingenuity
He adds: “Nowadays, insurers and other large companies increasingly
need to pass IT security audits, meet formal industry standards, and
conform with other compliance requirements. IBM builds its software
with many of these requirements in mind – and often, if we tell an
auditor that we use IBM products, they are very quickly satisfied.
“With community-developed open source tools, demonstrating
compliance can be a much more painful process. How can you be sure
that the latest build of a tool doesn’t include backdoors or security
holes? Who is reviewing the code? Do you really have the expertise to
assess whether everything is being built to the proper standards?”
Vendor independence – good or bad?
As a final example, Simon Mills explains: “One of the most commonly
held myths about open source software is that it frees you from being
locked into a single vendor. In our experience, this is not true – you
actually run the risk of becoming locked into open source tools that are
not up to the job that commercial products perform.
“Unless you build all your software tools yourself, you are always
going to be dependent on external developers – this is just as true of
open source software as it is of proprietary software. If the open source
community that supports a tool makes a design decision you don’t like,
or doesn’t want to adapt to your requirements, there is nothing you can
do unless you want to start developing a fork of the tool yourself. So
you are just as locked in as you would be with a proprietary product.
“In fact, vendor lock-in can work both ways. If you are a customer of a
company like IBM, your financial relationship gives you leverage. And
even if you decide to move to another proprietary product, the new
vendor will have a financial incentive to help you make the transition
from your old platform – whereas with open source, you will most
likely have to do the hard work yourself.”
3
Professional jobs require professional tools
Simon Mills concludes: “In reality, the opposition between open source
tools and proprietary products is a false one. What is important is not
how a tool is developed, but how it is supported.
“IBM itself creates a lot of software that is built on open source
technologies – but crucially, IBM ensures that all the software it sells
is developed to the highest standards and properly supported by
professional technical experts who commit to strict SLAs.
“That is why we have never once regretted our decision to stay with
IBM products instead of adopting community-supported alternatives.
When you have a serious job to do, you need a serious set of tools to do
it – and the IBM portfolio gives us everything we need to meet the ever
more sophisticated demands posed by our clients.”
For more information
To learn more about IBM solutions, contact your IBM representative
or IBM Business Partner, or visit ibm.com
About Ingenuity
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2014
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Produced in the United Kingdom
December 2014
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Ingenuity is the working name of a somewhat unique group of people
brought together by Simon Mills over a period of some 21 years and
based on more than 35 years of gathered experiences in the field of
system testing. Its specialism is in bringing a unique blend of pure
system testing and quality management techniques, coupled with an
appreciation of risk management imperatives, to bring pertinent and
focused testing and quality management solutions to its clients.
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To learn more about Ingenuity, please visit www.ingenuitytest.co.uk
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