CU*Answers, Inc., a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based cooperative CUSO, recently completed a test of its ability to add immediate computing power to support users of the CUSO’s online CU*BASE^® core data processing environment.  During the test, additional CPU and memory resources were non-disruptively activated from a stand-by to live state and the process was documented as part of CU*Answers’ business resiliency plan.

According to CUSO Chief Information Officer Jody Karnes, the project represented another milestone in her team’s ability to manage both “micro and sustained“ need for additional core processing bandwidth as demand for CU*BASE continues on a steady growth path.  “When we invested in new IBM core technology a year ago, we worked with their technical team to ensure we were able to leverage the Capacity Upgrade on Demand (CUoD) capability of their enterprise-grade POWERi servers,” said Ms. Karnes.  “Although we had yet to experience a business need to activate the additional throughput, it was important to document and test the process as not only a critical component of our business continuity strategy, but also re-enforce to our customer-owners our commitment to their business plans and growth strategies.”

Ms. Karnes concluded by noting that her teams planned to incorporate CUoD exercises as part of the CUSO’s ongoing business resiliency testing.