ILA-IBM

I. Levy & Associates has had a long-standing relationship as a Business Partner with IBM. Recognized as having the leading application for Disability Offices of the Social Security Administration, I. Levy & Associates has a version of the Case Management application that resides on the IBM iSeries as a host platform. The Case Management Solution also makes extensive use of the IBM Websphere suite of middleware. IBM brings extensive technical skills to our solutions.

I. Levy & Associates is now participating in the IBM Industry Network Initiative to expand our presence in the government social services market. IBM defines an "on demand government" as one in which the business processes are integrated end-to-end across the organization and with other government agencies and partner institutions - can respond quickly to citizen demands, business needs, changing economic conditions, and legislative priorities and policies. I. Levy & Associates' software solutions are uniquely suited to government deployment of an IT infrastructure that enables the transformation to the government of the future.

Business Partner relationship

Implementation Assistance

IBM has formed a team dedicated to the implementation and support of the I. Levy & Associates solution. This team works closely with I. Levy & Associates to assist in implementing the necessary networks, hardware and software needed to support the application. The team provides training to the customers technical personnel and provides support to them as necessary. The formation of this team provides consistent service delivery across customer installs and facilitates a smoother installation through the utilization of personnel experienced with the solution.

However, IBM support of I. Levy & Associates goes far beyond these standard support offerings. IBM recognizes the years of experience that I. Levy & Associates has in the Disability arena and the great customer loyalty that they have built over the years. Given, I. Levy & Associates’ support for IBM products, IBM is committed to providing enhanced offerings of support in order to further strengthen our partnership.

In order to further assist I. Levy & Associates in the development and marketing of new applications, IBM has committed to a Business Partner-Solution Developer relationship which addresses the major functional areas of business: business management and development:

From a business management perspective, IBM Alliance managers provide a focal point for interaction with IBM resources around the world. They work to ensure that there is a clear understanding of each others business objectives and are both pursuing opportunities of mutual benefit.
In the development arena, IBM shares its technology strategy and directions to ensure I. Levy & Associates receives early awareness of new IBM technologies and the technical support required to enable and optimize their software. IBM may provide customized development support including direct question and answer services, consulting, education, briefings and technical information on the newest IBM technologies. Together IBM and ILA can build a more comprehensive solution that offers greater value to their mutual customers.

Evaluation Software and Technical Support
As a commercial member of the IBM Solution Developer Program, I. Levy & Associates has access to the latest versions of IBM application development tools, software and operating systems from the IBM Software Mall for evaluation, development, test and demo purposes.

The IBM Solution Developer Program provides comprehensive technical support to assist in development efforts. Assistance is available for IBM operating systems, software, and application development tools, running on IBM and non-IBM platforms.

The IBM Developer Connection is a vast library of software and information for developing on IBM and other leading industry platforms. It is a rich resource, including e-business tools for Java, Internet, Intranet and multi-platform development.

Porting and Testing Facilities

Before a solution is marketed, it must be fine-tuned to provide the best possible performance on all platforms. At IBM's full-service Solution Partnership Centers (SPCs) worldwide, the code can be ported, enabled, and tested across various platforms, all in a single visit! The SPCs offer a variety of porting and testing services. In addition, the centers support high-speed links from remote locations, so access to IBM software and equipment can be made from outside the facilities.

The SPCs are capable of duplicating the toughest system environments. A member of the IBM Solution Developer Program can contact an SPC and request an environment, including hardware, software, & tools, configured as needed.

The Solution Partnership Center porting labs make the porting process as easy and risk-free as possible. Lab time is scheduled in advance, ensuring that the designated product-specific environment is fully configured and ready to go when the partner arrives. Labs are private, secure, and interruption-free so users can work at their own pace—but users can always call on IBM's expert staff for assistance in porting or prototyping. The SPC also provides an extensive networking lab for product testing.

Hardware platforms available:
iSeries, PC, RS/6000 Family, AS/400, S/390, Network Station, Netfinity Servers

Some of the software platforms featured:
OS/2 Warp, AIX, OS/400,OS/390, CICS®, DSSeries, TCP/IP, NetView®, Java, ADSM, Lotus®, Tivoli®, MQSeries®, VisualAge, DB2®

A sampling of the advanced technologies offered:
Network Computing Framework, e-business, San Francisco Project, Data Mining, Internet, Client/Server, Distributed Data, Information Warehouse, Decision Support

The Solution Partnership Centers have a complete range of tools and technologies from industry-leading hardware and software providers, so solutions can be quickly and easily developed and enabled. Everything from a simple compiler and hardware configuration to databases, Web servers, performance testing tools, and systems management products, are conveniently available in one place.

iNet Porting Service
The Solution Partnership Centers offer iNet Porting services, which help to speed application testing by providing access to secure test resources over the Internet. Our iNet Porting service provides instant access to secure systems, comprised not only of IBM Internet products, but a complete range of tools and technologies from some of the industry’s top Internet software providers.

Solution Studios for Java
The worldwide Solution Partnership Centers are home to the IBM Solution Studios for Java. As proponents of the 100% Pure Java initiative, IBM provides the opportunity for partners to test code thoroughly across all IBM and many non-IBM platforms before submitting an application for 100% Pure Java certification. The Solution Studios for Java are staffed with technical consultants who have the Java and Internet expertise to help port and test applications easily.

Technical Assistance for Developers
IBM technologies and development support can facilitate a smooth transition to e-business and Internet products and environments. This is the main delivery channel for providing valuable support to members of the IBM Solution Developer Program to answer system questions as you develop or migrate to new technologies and environments. Other services include sample code and electronic bulletin boards.