Nowadays, billions of lines of code are in the COBOL programming language. This book is an analysis, a diagnosis, a strategy, a MDD method and a tool to transform legacy COBOL into modernized applications that comply with Internet computing, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and the Cloud. It serves as a blueprint for those in charge of finding solutions to this considerable challenge.

Most organizations rely on complex enterprise information systems (EISs) to codify their business practices and collect, process, and analyze business data. These EISs are large, heterogeneous, distributed, constantly evolving, dynamic, long-lived, and mission critical. In other words, they are a complicated system of systems. As features are added to an EIS, new technologies and components are selected and integrated. In many ways, these information systems are to an enterprise what a brain is to the higher species--a complex, poorly understood mass upon which the organism relies for its very existence. To optimize business value, these large, complex systems must be modernized--but where does one begin? This book uses an extensive real-world case study (based on the modernization of a thirty year old retail system) to show how modernizing legacy systems can deliver significant business value to any organization.

Forget what you think you may know about COBOL. Even though the language is more than 50 years old, COBOL applications still reign in the world of enterprise IT. With billions of transactions executed every day and often running behind the scenes, COBOL systems touch many aspects of our daily lives. Your mission: To start a new era of innovation powered by modern tools that bridge COBOL systems to the world of Java and .NET. Brought to you by Micro Focus (www.microfocus.com), the leader in COBOL development tools, this book is written for the COBOL, Java and .NET developer. Key features include: A simplified real-world example to illustrate key concepts; an explanation of the .NET and Java object models for the COBOL developer; an introduction to COBOL for the Java or .NET developer; a complete reference to the new syntax for Visual COBOL; and a free student development tools license integrated within Visual Studio and Eclipse. The author, Paul Kelly, has worked at Micro Focus for over twenty years. He started as a technical author before moving into software development. Paul worked on Visual COBOL for 10 years between 2002 and 2012, initially on Visual Studio development, then later on Eclipse, before changing roles again to work as an architect developing a cloud-based SaaS offering for Micro Focus.

Every major enterprise has a significant installed base of existing software systems that reflect the tangled IT architectures that result from decades of patches and failed replacements. Most of these systems were designed to support business architectures that have changed dramatically. At best, these systems hinder agility and competitiveness and, at worst, can bring critical business functions to a halt. Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) restores the value of entrenched systems by capturing and retooling various aspects of existing application environments, allowing old infrastructures to deliver renewed value and align effectively with enterprise strategies and business architectures. Information Systems Transformation provides a practical guide to organizations seeking ways to understand and leverage existing systems as part of their information management strategies. It includes an introduction to ADM disciplines, tools, and standards as well as a series of scenarios outlining how ADM is applied to various initiatives. Drawing upon lessons learned from real modernization projects, it distills the theory and explains principles, processes, and best practices for every industry. Acts as a one-stop shopping reference and complete guide for implementing various modernization models in myriad industries and departments Every concept is illustrated with real-life examples from various modernization projects, allowing you to immediately apply tested solutions and see results Authored by the Co-chair of the Object Management Group (OMG) Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) Task Force, which sets definitive systems modernization standards for the entire IT industry A web site supports the book with up to date coverage of evolving ADM Specifications, Tutorials, and Whitepapers, allowing you to remain up to date on modernization topics as they develop

Mainframe computers play a central role in the daily operations of many of the world's largest corporations, and batch processing is a fundamental part of the workloads that run on the mainframe. A large portion of the workload on IBM® z/OS® systems is processed in batch mode. Although several IBM Redbooks® publications discuss application modernization on the IBM z/OS platform, this book specifically addresses batch processing in detail. Many different technologies are available in a batch environment on z/OS systems. This book demonstrates these technologies and shows how the z/OS system offers a sophisticated environment for batch. In this practical book, we discuss a variety of themes that are of importance for batch workloads on z/OS systems and offer examples that you can try on your own system. The audience for this book includes IT architects and application developers, with a focus on batch processing on the z/OS platform.

Kill It with Fire chronicles the challenges of dealing with aging computer systems, along with sound modernization strategies. How to survive a legacy apocalypse “Kill it with fire,” the typical first reaction to a legacy system falling into obsolescence, is a knee-jerk approach that often burns through tons of money and time only to result in a less efficient solution. This book offers a far more forgiving modernization framework, laying out smart value-add strategies and proven techniques that work equally well for ancient systems and brand-new ones. Renowned for restoring some of the world’s oldest, messiest computer networks to operational excellence, software engineering expert Marianne Bellotti distills key lessons and insights from her experience into practical, research-backed guidance to help you determine when and how to modernize. With witty, engaging prose, Bellotti explains why new doesn’t always mean better, weaving in illuminating case studies and anecdotes from her work in the field. You’ll learn: Where to focus your maintenance efforts for maximum impact and value How to pick the right modernization solutions for your specific needs and keep your plans on track How to assess whether your migrations will add value before you invest in them What to consider before moving data to the cloud How to determine when a project is finished Packed with resources, exercises, and flexible frameworks for organizations of all ages and sizes, Kill It with Fire will give you a vested interest in your technology’s future.

Companies around the world are trying to solve a critical IT conundrum: How do they harness and integrate long-standing, core business systems, written in COBOL, with a new era of Java-based technologies and modern IT architecture? Those who are successful have learned how to tap into the power of their existing applications and have transformed their IT systems into first-class citizens of the digital world. Underpinning this transformation are new tools from Micro Focus that offer the ability to compile COBOL directly to Java Byte Code and seamlessly integrate with modern Java architectures. With Visual COBOL: New Application Modernization Tools for the Java Developer, you will discover how to bridge these two worlds using REST architectures, containers, and Cloud-and from within a familiar development toolset. Re-imagine software development and application modernization using the power of Visual COBOL. Brought to you by Micro Focus, the leader in COBOL development tools, this book is written for you-the Java developer. Key features include: A real-world example to illustrate key concepts An explanation of the Java object model for the COBOL developer A quick getting-started guide to the COBOL language-designed for the Java developer Patterns and practices to help Java developers bridge COBOL and Java Free access to the student edition of Visual COBOL About the author: Paul Kelly worked at Micro Focus for over 20 years before joining Pivotal Labs to work as an architect helping clients with digital transformation. Paul worked on Visual COBOL between 2002 and 2012, initially on Visual Studio development and later on Eclipse, before changing roles to develop a cloud-based SaaS offering for Micro Focus. In 2017, Paul authored a new book for developers titled Visual COBOL: A Developer's Guide to Modern COBOL. In his spare time, Paul likes experimenting with different ways of making coffee and learning to play the guitar.