With 99.99999% uptime performance, IBM Z systems deliver near-continuous availability, ensuring that vital operations can run without interruption while powering innovation and agility for modern workloads. This reliability creates a strong foundation for mission-critical processes—but it also raises the stakes when change is needed.  

For one of the top five banks in the Philippines, that meant tackling a pressing challenge: escalating costs from its existing workload automation tools. Automation was central to the bank’s operations, orchestrating more than 16,000 daily jobs across core systems such as credit card and general ledger platforms. Rising licensing fees of these tools had become unsustainable. 

Challenge 
The bank required a cost-effective alternative that could integrate with its IBM Z environment, minimize operational disruption, and allow rapid user adoption. The replacement solution needed to be robust, intuitive, and backed by strong local support. 

Solution: Reducing Costs While Migrating Automation Tools with Rocket Zeke, Rocket Zara and Rocket Zack 
The bank partnered with Rocket Software to replace its incumbent systems with Rocket Zeke, Rocket Zara, and Rocket Zack automation solutions built to operate natively in the IBM Z ecosystem. The migration included converting more than 20 competitor databases into Rocket Zeke and another seven into Rocket Zack. These tools brought immediate advantages: eliminating the need for manual calendar maintenance, streamlining scheduling, and reducing administrative overhead. 

Rocket’s design emphasis on usability meant the bank’s staff could quickly learn and adopt the new tools. Local Rocket Software teams provided hands-on support to ensure the migration stayed on track, while the underlying IBM Z mainframe platform delivered stability and performance to handle production workloads without disruption. 

Results 
The phased rollout began with Rocket Zeke, followed by Rocket Zack and Rocket Zara —completing the migration ahead of schedule. The bank realized greater-than-expected cost savings while improving operational agility. Automation processes were simplified, maintenance requirements dropped, and teams gained greater independence in managing workloads. 

Conclusion 
For financial institutions operating on IBM Z, the combination of mainframe reliability and modern automation tools can deliver transformative efficiency gains. This case demonstrates how Rocket Zeke, Rocket Zara, and Rocket Zack—running on the rock-solid IBM Z foundation—enabled a top Philippine bank to reduce costs, streamline workflows, and strengthen operational resilience. 

Automation on IBM Z doesn’t have to be complex or costly. With the right tools, banks can modernize, optimize, and remain competitive without sacrificing uptime or reliability.