Arthur McMiler
World Wide Technology has received an other transaction agreement, or OTA, from the Defense Information Systems Agency to develop a prototype cloud platform under the Fangorn project, whose aim is to modernize the legacy mainframe systems of U.S. warfighters.
Purpose of Fangorn
DISA said Wednesday that the Fangorn platform will work to integrate artificial intelligence-based data management and analytics capabilities. It will also make it possible for the Department of Defense to no longer have to maintain legacy applications.
The project signifies “a paradigm shift in mainframe management,” said Justin Sollenberger, DISA J-9 Mainframe Line of Business division chief.
“By combining the strengths of the mainframe with the agility of the cloud and the power of AI, Fangorn delivers a truly innovative platform that drives unprecedented levels of performance, scalability and efficiency,” the agency official explained.
Fangorn Solution
World Wide Technology’s OTA award followed the request for solutions DISA issued in December through SAM.gov. The solicitation specified a search for innovative industry approaches for the development of a single platform for the disparate software and hardware within all the IBM z environment that J-9 manages within DISA data centers.
