Mainline Information Systems: The SAP HANA Platform Experts

Aside from technology platforms, Mainline invests in skills such as its cybersecurity practice that helps enterprises with any aspect of data protection, including security assessment, planning, solution design, and implementation. “We also partner with specialized firms who focus on SAP security, and our expertise in backup solutions has helped our SAP customers protect their data,” says Gordon.

One such customer is PACCAR Inc., one of the largest designers and manufacturers of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the world. For their upcoming growth opportunities, PACCAR needed a server environment with lightning-fast processors and the ability to scale and dynamically allocate resources. As part of their due diligence, they examined several options, including a study comparing the performance of SAP HANA on IBM Power Systems versus on the Intel-based x86 server.

“PACCAR had an aggressive growth plan with several global projects slated for the coming year. We anticipated scaling from about 2TB of data per system to 5-10TB per system, and a server environment that can support that capacity,” says Maqsood Ahmed, Technical Fellow, PACCAR.

Mainline proposed IBM Power System E980, the only solution in its class that can support PACCAR’s growth. The company helped PACCAR migrate to IBM Power System E980 with zero downtime, and the solution provided best-in-class response time, rapid scalability, and dynamic allocation of resources. The implementation yielded substantial cost savings with fewer software licenses needed. PACCAR found themselves with IBM Power System E980 running with 6-10x more resources and the ability to add more systems for better performance at a lower cost, ultimately creating even deeper trust in the Mainline partnership.

Making a Difference

A major differentiating factor for Mainline is their collaborative work environment. “An interesting statistic is that the average tenure at Mainline is 9.2 years, and 50 percent of our employees have an actual tenure of 10 or more years. Pretty significant when you contrast that with the average tenure in the IT industry of just 1.8 years,” informs Marie Ashway, Mainline Director of Marketing.

Mainline’s long tenure, coupled with its focus on customer success, directly results in long-term relationships that they appreciate and enjoy with their clients. “We enjoy long term relationships with our clients because we consistently deliver the skills and solutions that solve their IT challenges,” says Jeff Dobbelaere, Mainline VP Technical Sales and Services. “We continue to invest in a 2:1 ratio of technical resources to sales resources, which our clients depend upon.”

Going beyond its successful partnerships with customers, Mainline also has a sustained history of strong community support. “The Kearney Center is a perfect example of Mainline’s investment in our community,” says McCarthy. Rick Kearney, Mainline Chairman and Founder, offered the upfront funding of a new homeless shelter, which officially opened on April 2015. The new shelter is a facility for comprehensive emergency services.

Into a Bright Future

McCarthy is confident about the chartered path of Mainline. “Going forward, we expect to continue forming new partnerships with manufacturers, developers, and service providers. We acquired RTP Technologies earlier in the year, bringing us north of $900M in annual revenue and giving us entry into the NY Metropolitan geography,”states McCarthy. Mainline already enjoys a thriving partnership with Red Hat, which is expected to evolve with IBM’s acquisition of Red Hat. The company will also continue to develop partnerships with services partners where they need additional skills. “As we have for more than 30 years, Mainline will continue to explore M&A opportunities to grow our customer base and invest in growing markets,” concludes McCarthy.