Case studies will be archived in 36 countries as leading example of how IT is used in Business and Related Services to benefit society
Parsippany, NJ - Cendant Travel Distribution Services (TDS) received Medals of Achievement from the Computerworld Honors program held at San Francisco's City Hall. Four case studies, representing the company’s efforts, were accepted into the institution's permanent collection of information technology. The medals recognize visionary and innovative uses of technology. The permanent collection, established in 1989, is the world’s premier historical record of computing applications and innovations. The medals were awarded for the following projects: TDS Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework, Cookie Cutter Architecture, Creation of a World Map, and the Reorganization of Cendant Travel Distribution Services.
The 2005 Collection, which will be archived in libraries, museums, and academic and research institutions around the world, will serve as primary source material for scholars and as a resource for individuals who hope to use information technology to create solutions to address their own challenges.
Following are overviews of each of the Cendant TDS case studies that will be included in the 2005 Collection, as well as the names of the individuals who have been awarded the recognition.
TDS Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework
Developed by the TDS Architecture team in 2004, TDS-SOA provides a high performing and highly stable environment for such TDS products as STP, NVP, ARnE, GWS and others. This easily customizable framework offers such leading edge features as dynamic transformation of XML to Java, a powerful object-relational data-access utility (DAS), and grid features for failover, scalability and dynamic routing using LDAP.
Award recipients: Bob Roth, Glenn Harper, Bryan Harwood, Jennifer Morgan, Glen Zwart, Nick Josephs, Steve Schoenstein, LeeAnn Kastens and Robert Wiseman
Cookie Cutter Architecture
Standardizing on repeatable hardware Linux/Intel configurations, the Cookie-Cutter-Architecture approach has presented TDS cost avoidance savings of $7 million p.a. The bulk purchasing power this standardization provides has also allowed us to renegotiate lower prices for operations, hardware and software, created simpler operations set ups and given us much greater reuse of like-configured test systems, copy/staging systems and shared DR complexes!
Award recipients: Bryan Harwood, Glenn Harper, Beckie Watson, Bob Roth, John Rutledge, Glen Zwart, Duane Laczowski, Mario Ivanoff, Al Breiner, Jan Oster, Jim Fucillo and Robert Wiseman
World Map
The creation of this chart allows TDS financial and IT analysts to see, at a glance, computer resource usage across the globe. By reversing the time scale on the resource utilization chart - so it runs from right to left in accordance with the Sun's path across the globe - super imposing a map of the world over it (scaled down so that each of the hourly increments lines up with a 1000 mile longitude line) and lining up any hour over Denver (MST) we can see how each country in the world affects our system at that hour - LOCAL TIME. i.e. if we line up noon in Denver, we can see how business transactions at noon in New York, or at noon in New Delhi, affect our globally serving computer systems.
Award recipient: Robert Wiseman
Reorganization of Cendant Travel Distribution Services
This case study focused on the successful development of a culture of reuse within Cendant TDS. Beginning with the centralization of key resources and the development of greater core competencies through hardware and software standardization and culminating with a set of standards which delivered cost avoidance benefits exceeding $100 million
Award recipient: Robert Wiseman
“Each year, Computerworld Honors identifies and recognizes individuals around the world whose visionary use of information technology produces and promotes positive social, economic and educational change,” said Bob Carrigan, CEO and publisher of Computerworld, the Voice of IT Management, and chairman of the Chairman’s Committee of the Computerworld Honors Program. “The innovators represented in this Collection have been recognized by the leading IT industry chairmen as true revolutionaries in their fields.”
From more than 300 nominations submitted this year by the 100 industry chairmen and CEO’s who serve on the program’s Chairmen’s Committee, 160 were honored as laureates at the ceremonies in San Francisco. Of these, 50 will be chosen by a panel of distinguished judges to attend the June 6, 2005 awards gala in Washington, D.C., where the 10 world finalists will be announced.
According to Dan Morrow, a founding director and chief historian for the Honors Program, “This year’s Laureates exemplify the very best in the creative use of IT in service to mankind. Their work and their stories are outstanding contributions to the history of the information technology revolution in every sense of the word, and, for the archives we serve all over the world, they are, truly, priceless.”
Founded in 1988, the Computerworld Honors Program searches for and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated vision and leadership as they strive to use information technology in innovative ways across 10 categories: Business and Related Services; Education and Academia; Environment, Energy and Agriculture; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate; Government and Non-Profit Organizations; Manufacturing; Media, Arts and Entertainment; Medicine; Science; and Transportation. Each year, the Computerworld Honors Chairmen’s Committee nominates organizations who are using information technology to improve society for inclusion in the Computerworld Honors Online Archive and the Collections of the Global Archives. The Global Archives represents the 100-plus institutions from more than 30 countries that include the Computerworld Honors Collection in their archives and libraries.
About Cendant Travel Distribution Services:
Cendant Corporation’s (NYSE: CD) Travel Distribution Services Division, is one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse collections of travel brands and distribution businesses. The division, employing nearly 5,000 people in more than 115 countries, includes: Galileo, a leading global distribution services (GDS) company, serving more than 44,000 travel agencies and over 60,000 hotels; hotel distribution and services businesses (TRUST, THOR, WizCom and Neat Group); leading online travel agencies (Orbitz, CheapTickets®, Lodging.com, HotelClub.com and RatesToGo.com); Shepherd Systems, an airline market intelligence company; Travelwire, an international travel technology and software company; Travel 2/Travel 4, a leading international provider of long-haul air travel and travel product consolidator; online global corporate travel management solutions, through Travelport and Orbitz for Business.
About Computerworld
Computerworld, the “Voice of IT Management,” is the most trusted source for the critical information needs of senior IT management. Computerworld’s integrated offerings form the U.S.-based hub of the world’s largest (58-edition) global IT media network through its weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 print and online awards for editorial and design excellence, surpassing its direct competition by an order of magnitude. Recognition includes the 2004 Magazine of the Year Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and a Jesse H. Neal Award for “Best News Coverage.” In print since 1967, Computerworld is the source for information technology management, with a guaranteed rate base of 180,050, a total print audience of 1,138,000 (IntelliQuest CIMS 2004 Business Influencer Study) and an online audience of over 1 million unique monthly visitors (DoubleClick).
Computerworld is a business unit of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading technology media, research and events company. A privately held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers, including Bio-IT World, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites, with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide, including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo®, Macworld Conference & Expo®, DEMO® and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.
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Media Contacts:
Cendant Travel Distribution Services
Sarah Berger or Jill Brenner
(973) 496-5870
TDS.CorpComm@cendant.com