New York-New York Hotel & Casino selects Vision Solutions high systems availability software; two-minute warning on the Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS / the city that never sleeps, the computers are also keeping late hours.

Just ask Steve Vollmer, director of information systems at the newly-opened New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, which has installed Vision Solutions' software on dual AS/400 systems. "We have to be up 100 percent of the time," he says. "Even in the event of a system failure, I've got two minutes to get all applications switched to a backup."

The uptime urgency requirement is due to the need for 24-hour operation of the business and applications that include: hotel, casino and telephone systems, accounting, and time and attendance. Vollmer estimates the primary AS/400 system processes about 500,000 transactions a day (350 on-line users) during the startup period for the hotel, which first opened to the public in January.

New York-New York Hotel & Casino is currently the most talked about address on the Las Vegas Strip and certainly one of the most visible with its block-long miniature Manhattan skyline, 150-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty and 300-foot long replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. The complex covers 20 acres, houses 2,034 guest rooms and cost $460 million to build. The environment holds no mercy for a computer failure.

Vollmer says he never had any doubts about the AS/400 being the best platform for database applications. With the use of Vision Suite from Vision Solutions, he uses back-to-back object mirroring as the basis for achieving 100 percent uptime. A second AS/400 is dedicated as a hot backup system.

"A lot of computers in Las Vegas shut down for a couple of hours each night for backup, but in this town there is no good time for off-line tasks," he said. "More than half of our transactions occur after 8 p.m." Vollmer just switches applications to the backup system during scheduled downtime, and he can do it anytime during the day.

Installation was painless, he reports, supported by an on-site Vision representative for four days, who left only after the staff took over with full confidence. The installation includes Vision OMS/400 for object mirroring and Vision ODS/400, which Vollmer believes is essential to full security control of the system.

Vision Solutions Company Information

Founded in 1990, Vision Solutions develops, markets, installs and supports object replication and transportation products for IBM AS/400 computer systems for use in high systems availability, data warehousing and Internet. The company has headquarters in Irvine and distributes its products globally through direct sales and business partners in 30 countries.

Designated a Premier Business Partner by IBM, Vision Solutions maintains a close working relationship with IBM Development Laboratories in Rochester, Minn. Only one percent of more than 8,000 IBM business partners have received the Premier title. Vision Solutions is one of only 15 business partners to be included in IBM's select Client Series Program. Other accolades bestowed by IBM include All Star status in the Partners in Development Program and the AS/400 Crystal Global Award for Competitive Excellence.

Vision Solutions products are widely used in such industries as finance/banking, manufacturing, hospitality/gaming, distribution, medical/healthcare, transportation and telecommunications. The company's ability to effectively serve many of the world's largest and most forward-thinking corporations stems from its commitment to ISO 9000 quality standards and customer satisfaction.