The Oregon Health Authority’s Office of Information Services (OIS), one of the biggest IT organizations of the state, was facing a critical challenge in supporting their most vulnerable populations, which included more than 30,000 individuals with disabilities.

Their payment application, the Electronic Xpress Processing and Reporting System (eXPRS), an essential tool for managing services and support for these individuals, was experiencing performance issues and outages. In addition, the lack of insights and visibility into eXPRS’s performance was leading to prolonged resolution times and frustrated end-users.

These difficulties were putting at risk the organization’s possibility to deliver critical services to those who depend on them. Thus, OIS recognized that application observability was crucial to ensure the reliability, security, and efficiency of eXPRS and, by extension, the well-being of those who rely on it.

To address their challenges, ensure the continued support of the designated populations and enhance operational efficiencies, OIS chose IBM Instana® Observability, a leading performance application monitoring (APM) and observability solution. IBM Customer Success worked alongside OIS on their Instana journey. OIS and Customer Success helped enhance operational efficiencies by integrating Instana capabilities within their existing robust platform—powered by Java EE technology and operating on IBM® Power® servers, IBM WebSphere® Liberty application runtime and IBM DB2® databases.

Instana® furnished holistic end-to-end visibility that spanned eXPRS’s entire architecture and extended into its performance, from application logic to underlying hardware parameters. Moreover, the automated discovery features of Instana facilitated the rapid assimilation of fresh updates and component integrations. Its mapping capabilities allowed OIS to quickly onboard eXPRS enhancements and their dependencies, providing a comprehensive view of the application’s performance.

The platform’s real-time analysis with 100% data capture, and immediate notification mechanisms significantly reduced mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to resolve (MTTR) analytics and alerting capabilities. This enabled the OIS teams to identify and respond to performance issues quickly. In addition, the collaboration features of Instana facilitated communication and knowledge-sharing of vital intelligence, thereby augmenting information exchange among IT teams, breaking down silos, and improving overall IT productivity.

Furthermore, Instana embedded adaptive algorithmic models that continually fine-tune threshold settings, helped in forestalling imminent risks and reinforcing institutional responsiveness. Such elevated observability and optimized intrinsic administrative protocols for OIS translated directly into exceptional consumer satisfaction. By deploying modern solutions tailored towards enhancing visibility and control, OIS managed to navigate complex technological landscapes with skill, thus fortifying its commitment to delivering exemplary and efficient public sector services.

Instana helped OIS achieve its goal of providing significant benefits for the state of Oregon and those who rely on their payment application. "Instana has given us the visibility needed to ensure that eXPRS is consistently available and performing optimally. This is critical for the individuals who depend on these services," said Dan Major, Sr. Enterprise Systems Analyst at OIS.

With Instana, the state of Oregon has achieved a 50% reduction in MTTD and a 30% reduction in MTTR for eXPRS, resulting in improved service availability and reduced downtime. The platform’s automated discovery and mapping capabilities has also saved the IT teams an estimated 20 hours per week in manual effort, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.

Furthermore, the real-time analytics of Instana have enabled the state to identify and address performance issues before they impact end-users who depend on the eXPRS. This resulted in a 25% reduction in complaints and a significant improvement in overall satisfaction, with faster access to critical services, reduced frustration, and improved overall well-being. “We’re proud to be able to deliver better support faster and with greater confidence to our residents who need it most,” said Major.

The Office of Information Services (OIS) (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a shared service organization supporting both the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). OIS provides IT services, making them one of the largest IT organizations in the state. Devoted to advancing the best in technology, the team delivers solutions that help support both agencies to help Oregonians achieve health, well-being, and independence.