News Releases

Hitachi Provides Cloud Server and Storage Services
for Mizuho Bank on a Pay-per-use Basis
as a Platform for the Next-Generation Core Banking Systems

Tokyo, February 9, 2016 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) today announced that it provides its private cloud*1 service for Mizuho Bank, Ltd. on a pay-per-use basis as a platform for the next-generation core banking systems. Hitachi's service enables customers to use IT resources, such as servers and storage on-demand and on time. It ensures that Mizuho Bank can flexibly use IT resources that deliver the performance, capacity and quality required for complex and large-scale core banking systems. As a result, Mizuho Bank will be able to optimize costs while reducing the workload related to the operation and management.
In addition to the next-generation core banking systems under development, Mizuho Bank plans to use the service for the comprehensive fund transfer system scheduled to be launched in fiscal 2016.

*1

Private cloud: In contrast to a public cloud in which multiple users and companies use IT services provided via the Internet, a private cloud is built for a particular company to provide services to that company and its subsidiaries.

Mizuho Bank is currently working to develop the next-generation core banking systems in Japan. Core banking systems are large-scale system to handle the core business operations of a bank, including deposits, foreign exchanges and loans. Therefore, Mizuho Bank not only requires high-capacity and high-quality IT resources, but also needs a solution that can reduce system construction and operation costs.

Hitachi installed its own servers and storage systems in a Mizuho Bank's data center, and will offer services ranging from the construction of the hardware environment to the operation management and maintenance. Charges for this service are based on the actual level of usage of the IT resources. Using this service, Mizuho Bank can flexibly use high-quality IT resources according to the progress of its system development and the status of its business operations, without owing the IT resources as assets. In addition, the bank can optimize costs and reduce the operation and maintenance workload for all aspects of its hardware environment, from development to maintenance.
For example, IT resources can be scaled to the optimal size according to the forecast usage amount based on the system building plan. If there is a short-term need for a large amount of IT resources, Mizuho can immediately expand the system capacity without introducing new hardware. In addition, it is easy to reduce capacity and thereby optimize costs if some of the resources become unnecessary, because the bank does not own the IT resources as assets.

Hitachi will continue to take advantage of the expertise fostered over many years including this service, in order to provide a comprehensive range of system solutions, so that it can flexibly support and respond to the financial institutions' needs such as service quality upgrade and business efficiency improvement.

Features of the Service

Hitachi installed its highly scalable and reliable hardware in a Mizuho Bank's data center, and provides its Storage Utility Management Service (private cloud storage service) combined with its optional private cloud-type server service on a pay-per-use basis. The hardware includes high-end BS2500 blade servers, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G1000 and Hitachi Virtual File Platform. The service enables the customer to store data in their own data center to ensure security, while improving the efficiency of their IT resources by constant monitoring their usage and managing the resource pool*2 centrally.
Because of the duplex system of a production environment and a disaster recovery/semi-production environment, it provides complete redundancy, which realizes a non-stop environment that allows business operations to continue even during software updates and the maintenance operations required when a system failure or other problem occurs.

*2

The concept of recognizing a group of IT resources such as servers and storage systems as a virtual storage pool and offering necessary IT resources as requested by users. This expression can also refer to the virtual storage pool itself.

Concept of the Service

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totaled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.