In 2001 the INPS determined that the popularity of the Web and the size of its end-user community (more than 50 million Italian citizens) made providing Web access to many of its applications desirable. However, the process would require considerable modernization of the INPS' large suite of COBOL applications, perhaps even requiring rewriting in another language. Both AS/400-based solutions and solutions on other platforms were considered.

The INPS ultimately selected the .NET Framework because it offered far better future potential for the applications and, with NetCOBOL for .NET, offered a way to migrate the code without having to embark on an expensive and risky rewrite. Accenture won the contract to perform the modernization, taking advantage of NetCOBOL for .NET to migrate the existing code and integrate with any new code written in other .NET languages.

Maurizio Cortili, CEO of Bizlogica, Italian distributors for NetCOBOL describes their migration plan, "The migration process is aimed at transforming present AS/400 COBOL applications so that their functions can be executed on the .NET platform, allowing further evolution based on a consistent multilevel architecture. The application knowledge (business rules) will continue to be maintained in COBOL inside INPS, leveraging present personnel skills."

The INPS has headquarters in Rome and branches throughout the country to facilitate the collection of pension contributions and payment of pensions and other benefits. It employees 30,000 people and supports them with a network of more than 300 AS/400 machines located in the major branches, connected by a WAN. Approximately 300 COBOL applications implement the complex requirements of collecting and distributing monies satisfying different rules for employers and numerous categories of workers. It is estimated that these applications comprise 24 million lines of code, implementing 260,000 function points. Data is mostly held in standard AS/400 ISAM files with about 30 percent in DB2/400 databases. Interaction is through 5250 screens supported by 5250 emulators on Windows PCs.

According to Ron Langer, senior director, language group at Fujitsu Software, in addition to providing Web access, using NetCOBOL for .Net for the migration also offers other benefits including independence from proprietary technologies and systems; ease of reusing existing functions and data for new applications and/or channels; reusability and portability of new code (development by components); support of heterogeneous environments; both vertical and horizontal scalability, which is the ability to maintain an application's performance when the number of users increases, either by increasing computing power and/or distributing the applications over more systems; ease of adapting to changing business needs through productive development and maintenance environments; integration with networking systems; marketplace access to widely used solutions (giving ease of support); an industrial strength object-oriented environment; and the ability to distribute business logic.