Modernization Technology

COBOL, Java, Modernization Technology

Common Shifting COBOL Compute Mistakes

January 25, 2023

Shifting COBOL compute to less expensive platforms is a great first step on many organizations’ application modernization journey. There are multiple reasons an organization might want to begin with shifting COBOL compute, including low risk, the straightforward nature of the approach, and the potential for extraordinary ROI. NOTE: Cross-compiling COBOL programs into Java byte code is CloudFrame’s recommended shifting COBOL compute approach and is accomplished using the CloudFrame Relocate product. You can learn more about

The Many Types of Mainframe Pricing

January 12, 2023

Whenever somebody talks about software pricing on the mainframe or tuning to save on their monthly mainframe bill, I always wonder just exactly what they are talking about. Are they aware of all their company’s licensing agreements and all the intricacies therein? Before we move on, let me just state that the mainframe still makes good economic sense. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for the mainframe, when you add up all of the cost

Improving Mobile Access to Mainframe Assets

December 28, 2022

Mobile computing has had a seismic impact on IT and modern computing architecture… and will continue into the foreseeable future. Mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – have overtaken traditional computing devices, such as desktop and laptop computers, in terms of how we interact with service providers and retailers. And this transition is even more pronounced among the young. It is not uncommon for a smartphone to be used non-stop during the course of the

The Impact of Staffing and Skills Changes on Modernization Plans

November 15, 2022

In an earlier post, we discussed changes in the technology landscape that should be understood when evaluating an organization’s modernization plans. Another essential reality of the current IT market must be considered as part of a company’s modernization strategy: staffing and skills. For many organizations, staffing changes are driven by the inevitable march towards the retirement of a key constituent of the legacy application technology environment over the last 50 years – Baby Boomers. Baby

MIPS versus MSUs: What’s the Difference?

November 11, 2022

How do we rate the capacity of IBM System Z mainframe hardware? Well, these days, IBM publishes the capacity rating of every mainframe that they sell in MSUs, not MIPS. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When people discuss mainframe capacity, they often talk in terms of MIPS. But what does MIPS mean? And what is an MSU? A Little Bit of MIPS History Starting at the beginning, the question to ask is, “What

Ebook: The COBOL Modernization Opportunity Now Available for Download

August 30, 2022

Despite being labeled as legacy, mainframes (specifically the COBOL programming language) remain a critical part of the ecosystem for many businesses, organizations, and governmental groups. This staying power, however, is less a herald of the value of COBOL and more about the complicating factors involved in modernizing these stable workhorse applications. CloudFrame engaged Dale Vecchio to help us describe the current COBOL ecosystem, where we have been on the modernization journey and the promise of

Announcing COBOL Batch-to-Azure for Mainframe to Cloud Modernization

August 16, 2022

COBOL and mainframe usage remain high and are cornerstones of operations for thousands of businesses, organizations, and government agencies. Still, there is a need to modernize and manage mainframe costs without pulling knowledgeable resources from important work. For those organizations with COBOL applications considering using Microsoft Azure or already using the cloud platform, CloudFrame has now released COBOL Batch-to-Azure. This solution allows businesses and organizations to shift critical COBOL-based batch processes off of their mainframe

Predictions for the Future of zIIP and Specialty Processors

July 18, 2022

Over the past few months, I’ve written about the current state of specialty processors for IBM Z mainframes with a particular concentration on the zIIP. We looked at what they are, how they work, and why you might want to consider exploiting them. But in this article, I want to ruminate on the potential of specialty processors in the future. Before doing so, I want to strongly assert that I am not clairvoyant, so I

Want Proof? How CloudFrame Delivers Proof of Concept Engagements Now Available on YouTube

June 17, 2022

Organizations invest time and effort into new software products based on business plans and goals. They want to solve a problem, gain an advantage, or reduce risk and cost. One of the first steps on the new software journey is to establish that the product can do what the vendor says the software will do. Organizations want proof. That’s the purpose of the Proof of Concept (POC) engagement. An example solution scenario is tested in

Options for Converting from COBOL to Java

April 19, 2022

Our last post looked at the five significant benefits of Java and zIIPs, detailing how the combination can reduce cost, simplify support and maintenance, deliver the performance you need, and improve portability. But most enterprise mainframe applications are written in COBOL. Now, most organizations are not likely to embark on a full-fledged campaign to convert all of their COBOL to Java. But converting some programs to Java can make sense if you use the proper

Financial Services Firm Accelerates Application Modernization by Automating JUnit Test Case Generation

January 30, 2024

Financial Services Firm Accelerates Application Modernization by Automating JUnit Test Case Generation Automated JUnit Test Case GenerationCase Study Download Case Study Financial Services Firm Accelerates Application Modernization by Automating JUnit Test Case Generation Customer The client is a leading international financial services organization with a strong focus on providing protection and wealth management solutions. Operating […]

Large Credit Card Company Successfully Migrates Two COBOL Applications in Record Time

January 9, 2024

Large Credit Card Company Successfully Migrates Two COBOL Applications in Record Time Credit Card CompanyRenovate Case Study Download Case Study Large Credit Card Company Successfully Migrates Two COBOL Applications in Record Time Business Challenge A tier-1 financial services company confronted a critical modernization challenge with two legacy applications. Extensive batch processing on a mainframe was […]

Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm collaborates with CloudFrame to explore a tool-assisted approach to refactoring

December 13, 2023

Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm collaborates with CloudFrame to explore a tool-assisted approach to refactoring Customer Success Download Case Study The Customer For almost 90 years, this financial services company has been one of the largest banks in the United States and a household name. With over $50B in revenue, over $1T in assets and […]