New software deal inked between Travelport and IBM

A new investment in IBM software is designed to allow Travelport to more than double the information it processes to customers in 160 countries.

Travelport and IBM have signed a new multi-year software agreement. IBM will provide upgrades to the existing systems architecture and software infrastructure.

Travelport will utilize IBM technologies and work with IBM to upgrade its core system operating software to the IBM z/Transaction Processing Facility (zTPF). The agreement also includes elements of IBM’s software portfolio including WebSphere, Rational, Tivoli, and Information Management products, while also leveraging the full range of IBM server and storage products.

This will create a modern service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform for Travelport that allows developers to run applications on the underlying middleware that best supports it. For example, user interface functions run best on WebSphere Process Server, while the parts of the applications that create, read, update, or delete travel reservation records will run best on zTPF.

This investment builds on the significant upgrade to the operating hardware on which the systems of Travelport’s GDS – as well as the services Travelport provides to Delta Airlines and United Airlines – reside. That upgrade, which was completed last year, was part of the consolidation of Travelport’s data centre operations into Atlanta, Georgia.