GSIS completes migration of computer database system

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has completed its migration to the HP-Oracle database system from its former system supplied by an international computer giant that crashed frequently.

The migration allowed the pension fund to focus on other important areas such as service delivery.

Henry Aguda, GSIS chief technology officer, said with a secure database system, capable of handling the voluminous GSIS transactions, the GSIS is now able to focus on improving service delivery to stakeholders.

The GSIS started migrating to the HP-Oracle system in November 2009 and completed the process in just six weeks. The migration was an offshoot of a database system crash in March and April 2009, which impaired the operations of the GSIS.

“These problems with its IT infrastructure and organization, GSIS formed a team composed of its most reliable employees and recruited from IT practitioners in the private sector to provide the best solutions that would, once and for all, solve its high profile IT dilemma,” SVP Aguda said.

The GSIS began an ambitious computerization project in 2001 with the centralization of the GSIS databases followed by the integration of regional and functional operations. These efforts were made in order to provide easy access to service.

In 2006, the pension fund introduced the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (G-W@PS) kiosk, hailed as the first in the world, in fruition of the pension fund’s commitment to provide anytime, anywhere service.

The G-W@PS kiosk combines several IT technologies to come up with a unique and secure system that can process transactions off-site in a completely paperless environment. With G-W@PS, not only can GSIS members and pensioners file for a loan, they can also view their GSIS records as well as activate their eCard Plus.

With the introduction of the G-W@PS kiosk, the GSIS was able to cut down the processing time of loan applications to an average of three to five days.

In 2007, it migrated from the mainframe to SAP for more functionality, integration of its loans, membership, acquired assets, and accounts management, and to improve the operational efficiency of its accounting units.