Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, has teamed up with financial services provider Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC) and has helped USSC to provide crucial financial services for the underserved population in the Philippines – offering a wide range of digital solutions, including mobile app-based services and physical cash cards.
USSC is dedicated to empowering Filipinos by facilitating international and domestic money transfers, bill payments, cash cards, e-wallets, insurance, and money exchanges. As the country’s top agent of Western Union, USSC handles approximately five percent of all domestic and international money transfers in the Philippines, amounting to approximately US$3 billion annually. To remain competitive and deliver greater value, USSC needed to overcome the limitations of its legacy infrastructure.
Recognizing the need for scalability, simplified management, and data control, USSC sought a solution that would enable it to be more innovative and reduce its costs. After extensive evaluation and multiple proof of concepts, USSC chose the Nutanix Cloud Platform. The intuitive nature of Nutanix’s solution, coupled with strong local support, instilled confidence in USSC’s decision making process. The company has since deployed Nutanix clusters and migrated all of its business systems onto the Nutanix platform. For high-performance storage, USSC also has AOS Storage. Further, it uses AHV virtualization software as well as Prism Pro for simplified administration.
Thanks to the flexibility of Nutanix, USSC can respond quickly to new business opportunities. For example, the government wanted to distribute financial aid to families across the Philippines whose livelihoods had been impacted by the pandemic – many of whom lived far from banks and other institutions where the payments could be made. USSC was able to develop cash caravans to bring much needed aid to communities isolated by COVID restrictions, using Nutanix to ensure KYC compliance, identity verification and speed up payment processing. It has also empowered USSC with greater agility and flexibility to drive new levels of innovation. Since moving to Nutanix, the company has applied continuous improvements to its mobile app, providing customers with services such as e-wallets and remittance transactions. USSC also released its first ever EMV-chip with QR Ph (national quick response code standard) cards in the Philippines and plans to introduce more of such innovative card products in the near future.
“We are now among the top 10 providers of remittance services in the Philippines, and we are developing new services all the time. No matter what new services we come up with and what additional resources we need from IT, we find that the Nutanix Cloud Platform can handle it,” said Jess Madamba, head of Information Technology at USSC. “With Nutanix, we can capitalize on the changes that technology is bringing to our industry, making it easier to develop game-changing financial services for our hardworking customers.”
Furthermore, Nutanix has delivered cost savings and operational efficiency to USSC. As reported by USSC, the migration to Nutanix has significantly reduced its IT costs, with an estimated 60 percent decrease in total cost of ownership (TCO) and a 40 percent reduction in maintenance expenses. According to USSC, Nutanix has also helped USSC move closer toward its sustainability goals by reducing power consumption by at least 40 percent compared to the previous infrastructure. The improved uptime and data replication of Nutanix have minimized disruptions, ensuring uninterrupted operations and data availability for USSC. Looking ahead, USSC is also investigating products such as NCM Self-Service (formerly Calm), which helps teams manage, deploy and scale applications across clouds, including hybrid and multiclouds.
“Nutanix’s partnership with USSC is a great case study of how deploying the right cloud technology can help to provide businesses with the flexibility and agility to pursue new business opportunities while reducing costs and the impact on the environment. Nutanix is delighted to have played an instrumental role in helping USSC deliver crucial financial services to the underbanked communities in the Philippines. We hope to continue working closely with USSC as they bring a wide range of digitally based financial services to Filipinos,” said Han Chon, managing director, ASEAN at Nutanix.
