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Overview
Agile IT
Reasons to Modernize
LM Overview (PDF)
Legacy Modernizations
CICS to .NET
Batch to Windows
VSAM to SQL Server
IDMS/IMS/Adabas to SQL
Products
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Case Studies
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Related Articles
Overview Presentation

 

Overview

Alchemy Solutions legacy modernization software solutions give you the opportunity to:

  • Achieve Agile IT organizations
    - by migrating your COBOL applications off expensive mainframe environments to much more cost effective .NET platforms, in ways that position these applications for future enhancements in line with the latest technological developments.
  • Reduce maintenance costs in the range of 60 to 90%
    - by using the much more price competitive Intel/Microsoft platforms and the highly productive environment and tools of Visual Studio.
  • Accelerate delivery of new application features
    - by the proven RAD capabilities of Visual Studio (speeding development by up to 80%) and our modernization of CICS transaction-supporting applications to ASP.NET so that these applications can be part of the latest developments.
  • Retain program and programmer assets
    - Existing COBOL code is preserved and the value of both program and programmer is increased as they can achieve new results in the .NET environment.
    - Programming staff motivation is increased as they are provided with leading-edge development tools and are working in the mainstream of today's Internet-oriented technology.

For more information on our IBM mainframe modernization solutions read the Legacy Modernization Overview (PDF) or send us an email.

 

  These benefits put Agile IT in your future, summarized in the following diagram: Diagram showing how the Fujitsu legacy migration software delivers agile IT
The 80/20 split of maintaining and enhancing before and after legacy modernization is used as an illustration. Each organization will have their own ratio of how resources are split. The main point is that legacy modernization can produce radical shifts in the maintaining/enhancing balance.

Reasons for Using Alchemy Solutions Legacy Modernization to Move to the .NET Platform

Organizations use the Alchemy Solutions application modernization software for migrating to Windows/.NET for a variety of reasons including:

  • The mainframe is consuming too large a proportion of their budget:
    - Business survival or competitiveness threatened.
    - Difficult to respond to market changes or opportunities.
  • Their IBM mainframe is old and needs to be replaced. Quoted cost of upgrading is too high so alternatives are being sought.
  • They have too many different platforms, usually because of acquisitions, and need to consolidate. .NET is seen as an attractive option for at least some of the applications.
  • The mainframe or operating system is being phased out (such as VSE) or has an uncertain future so applications have to be migrated to a different platform.
  • They have experimented with J2EE and found that their programmers (particularly those experienced with its legacy systems) have not been productive in the J2EE environment.
  • Some applications have already been replaced by packaged software on other platforms, leaving just a few applications on the mainframe - too few to justify its existence.
  • They find that hardware and software coming from a single vendor creates limited technological innovation. They desire to use hardware and software from a healthier, more competitive market. This applies to both the developer tools and the program execution environments.
If your situation is close to any of the above, read on to discover how Alchemy Solutions can help you find the right legacy modernization track.

Legacy Modernization

The Alchemy Solutions legacy modernization software products are our NeoKicks, NeoBatch, NeoSort and NeoData products that are designed to speed the application migration process while positioning the applications for future growth. These are built around and tightly integrated with the NetCOBOL compilers from Fujitsu, for which we are the primary distributor. From the proof-of-concept we move to a pilot project in which a selected application is migrated and put into production. Following the successful completion of the pilot, the full application migration is planned and can be performed in-house using our tools or, more commonly, by our consultants or SI (System Integrator) partners. The first step of modernization is automatically part of the process as the NeoKicks and NeoBatch tools position the applications in the .NET environment. There are several advantages to engaging our consultants or partners:

  • Your legacy modernization is performed by our migration experts
  • You don't have to wait for your staff to learn the details of the new platform before starting your application migration.
  • Your programmers can learn the new system while taking control of the application testing - by the time the system is released they are fully up-to-speed.
  • Your staff continue to maintain and enhance your systems while the IBM migration work proceeds - you don't have a migrate-or-enhance choice to make.
Our main legacy modernization offerings are described on the pages linked from the following list. However, if your COBOL modernization needs do not appear to be covered, it is still worth contacting us as our consultants are always expanding the range of software we handle. Legacy Modernization Software

The Alchemy Solutions legacy modernization software products are our NeoKicks, NeoBatch, NeoSort and NeoData products that are designed to speed the application migration process while positioning the applications for future growth. These are built around and tightly integrated with the NetCOBOL compilers from Fujitsu, for which we are the primary distributor. Full details of these products can be found on their product pages. Below are short overviews explaining how each product fits into our legacy modernization solutions.

NeoKicks™
NeoKicks is designed for bringing CICS and batch applications to the .NET environment, providing a similar system architecture while enabling the applications to take maximum advantage of the modern interfaces and technologies provided by the .NET Framework. You can convert BMS maps into ASP.NET Web pages yet preserve mainframe style keyboard input. This often allows companies to transform one of the most inflexible parts of their application architecture to a modern, agile architecture.
NeoKicks integrates with Visual Studio and NetCOBOL for .NET to provide a highly productive maintenance and enhancement environment for CICS and batch applications.

NeoBatch®
NeoBatch is the long term solution for bringing mainframe JCL to the Windows/.NET environment. It executes JCL under the control of the NeoBatch Job Manager in a manner that is highly compatible with mainframe batch job execution. You can choose to maintain your batch jobs as JCL or have them transformed to Microsoft® JScript® as a route to greater .NET/Windows® operating system integration in the future.
Features such as the NeoBatch catalog manager, support for generation data groups (GDGs), IEBGENR, IBR14, IDCAMS, NeoSort integration for DFSORT® and Syncsort® commands, highly usable console window and mainframe print file support, make NeoBatch one of the best application migration options for the future of your batch jobs.

NeoSort®
NeoSort is a specially packaged version of Nsort™, the world’s fastest sort program, that integrates with NeoBatch to support IBM® DFSORT® commands within migrated JCL jobs. Because NeoSort takes advantage of all the hardware made available to it – such as multiple processors, multiple disks, and memory – it can deliver exceptionally fast sorts of even your largest files. With NeoSort you can improve the performance of your batch sort jobs by migrating to the .NET platform.

NeoData™
NeoData migrates VSAM data to Microsoft® SQL Server® without rewriting legacy COBOL code. NeoData provides well-designed tools and tight integration with SQL Server to provide a highly viable route for bringing your VSAM data to a modern SQL database and giving your users more flexible reporting options.

NetCOBOL for .NET
NetCOBOL for .NET provides the foundation for bringing CICS and batch applications to an exciting future. It is tightly integrated with Visual Studio and generates standard, verifiable MSIL (Microsoft Intermediate Language) code so programs can take full advantage of the rich .NET Framework class libraries in a memory-safe manner. The integration with Visual Studio provides a highly productive COBOL development environment.
Features of NetCOBOL for .NET that make the biggest difference for developers coming from mainframes are:

  • Immediate help and syntax checking provided by IntelliSense as code is entered
  • Powerful interactive debugging enabling quick bug resolution and deeper program understanding
  • Fast, visual interface design with Visual Studio's designers
  • Greatly increased programming power with the thousands of classes and methods available in the .NET Framework
  • Ability to take advantage of OO programming techniques

COBOL Modernization Services

Often organizations seek assistance in making the move from mainframe to Windows server as the application migration part of the effort is seen as a one-time process, requiring specialist skills that are not required for the organization's regular IT work.

Alchemy Solutions provides training; consulting and mentoring services in the area of legacy migrations/modernizations that can help start larger projects or perform smaller application migration projects. Alchemy Solutions also partners with a number of system integrators that offer specialized legacy modernization services and who are capable of handling projects of any size.

Partners

See the list of our Mainframe Migration Partners on our Technology Partners page.

Mainframe Migration Alliance

Alchemy Solutions is an active member of the Mainframe Migration Alliance (MMA). The MMA is an organization created by Microsoft and other industry partners designed to help customers migrate workloads off the mainframe and onto the Microsoft Windows platform. The alliance represents a group of companies that have their interests aligned in making legacy migration easier and more efficient for customers. The MMA has a Website which is a good reference for checking options for your complete IBM migration solution, for example when your applications contain significant elements not covered by Alchemy Solutions solutions such as large amounts of assembler, or reliance on non-SQL databases.

Legacy Modernization Case Studies

Exploring a Successful Modernization Project

Webinar (recorded)

Alchemy Solutions, in association with Microsoft, presented a unique opportunity for users to hear from Alchemy customer, Crystal Cruises, the benefits of moving from the mainframe to the .NET environment.

View Recording

Legacy Modernization Case Study Videos and Presentations

  • Join Crystal Cruises’ staff as they sail through the benefits of migrating. Select the CrystalCruisesVideo.wmv link at the right of Microsoft’s case study page or watch the Silverlight presentation on the Crystal Cruises modernization project.
  • See Simon & Schuster staff explain how moving to Windows with NetCOBOL helped increase their agility threefold. Select one of the “.wmv” files in the “Download Documents” section of Microsoft’s case study page.
  • See the staff of Stockholmshem describe their migration experiences. Select one of the ".wmv" files in the "Download Documents" section of Microsoft's case study page
  • State of Washington Department of Licensing
    See staff from Washington DOL, Microsoft and Fujitsu describe the project in this fast-paced, three-minute video.

Legacy Modernization White Papers

Articles Related to Legacy Modernization

Legacy Modernization Overview Presentation Walk through an overview PowerPoint presentation (requires PowerPoint) on the Alchemy Solutions legacy migration software, or see the PowerPoint presentation with notes and outline. Alternatively you may download the presentation if you'd prefer to view it on your own machine or share it with others in your organization.

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