SOMPO Holdings modernizes with IBM WebSphere Liberty
SOMPO Holdings, a 130-year-old Japanese insurance giant, faced mounting challenges as its mainframe system became increasingly strained and costly as a result of technical debt- code changes over multiple years as well as organic growth through mergers. Rising CPU core consumption drove up expenses, while system complexity slowed employees and left customers frustrated with sluggish response times and limited features. Without modernization, SOMPO risked higher costs, declining competitiveness, and loss of customer loyalty. Determined to act, they aimed to cut core usage, boost productivity, and position themselves for long-term digital innovation.
To remain competitive in the fast-moving insurance sector, SOMPO partnered with IBM to modernize their legacy COBOL system. The company transitioned to a Java-based platform using IBM® WebSphere® Liberty, part of the IBM Jsphere Suite for Java. This application modernization endeavor simplified infrastructure administration, improved developer productivity and reduced costs.
The decision to adopt Liberty was driven by three key factors:
- reduction in infrastructure system operational workload
- improved application development productivity
- overall cost reduction
Senior Engineer Hiroshi Kato says, “Liberty is the best way to maintain and manage a system with 100+ servers and 24/365 online service with minimal manpower.”
The joint effort also established a scalable, efficient platform and deepened SOMPO’s collaboration with IBM and the broader Java ecosystem.
Post-transformation, SOMPO realized major efficiency gains. The new SOMPO-MIRAI system streamlined the management of 100+ servers and seven environments with minimal staff. Results included a 54% CPU core reduction and 33% memory usage reduction—producing substantial cost savings. SOMPO continues to collaborate with IBM. This partnership has even influenced the roadmap for IBM WebSphere Liberty through field-driven feedback, reinforcing IBM’s role as an ongoing collaborator.
SOMPO Holdings Group (link resides outside of ibm.com), headquartered in Japan, is a leading insurance and financial services company with over 130 years of history. It provides property and casualty, overseas and life insurance, as well as nursing care solutions. SOMPO is committed to protecting people from risk and shaping a healthier, more connected future.
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