Why are organizations modernizing their mainframes?
Mainframes are anything but obsolete. They remain an essential part of the IT infrastructure of large organizations, especially in the financial sector, government agencies, and insurance companies. The reason companies modernize is often to connect legacy systems with modern applications, such as web, mobile, and cloud-native solutions. Modernization makes it possible to deliver new functionalities faster, improve scalability, and at the same time maintain the reliability and security that mainframes offer.
Microservices and API strategies
By deploying microservices, organizations can make mainframe functionalities available in a modular way. This means that specific services, such as payment processing or customer data management, can be updated and deployed independently of the entire system. API management plays a crucial role in this. It enables IT teams to make services available to internal and external applications in a secure and controlled manner.
Rehosting versus refactoring
When modernizing, an important choice must be made: rehosting or refactoring. Rehosting involves literally transferring existing code to a new platform, usually in the cloud. This is often faster and cheaper, but offers less flexibility for innovation. Refactoring means that code is rewritten to take full advantage of modern technologies, such as microservices, containerization, and cloud-native deployment. Although this requires more time and investment, it results in a future-proof system that can evolve more easily.
Tools and DevOps practices on the mainframe
Modern mainframe teams use CI/CD pipelines, test automation, and agile workflows. Tools such as Jenkins, Git for z/OS, and Endevor automation help teams deploy code faster and more reliably. Test automation ensures that legacy COBOL and PL/I programs are consistently checked with every release. Agile methodologies enable mainframe teams to work iteratively, allowing updates to be delivered in short sprints.
Security and compliance in modernization
Modernization is not only about speed and flexibility, but also about maintaining security and compliance. Mainframes often process sensitive data, such as financial transactions or personal customer information. Modern API layers and microservices must therefore comply with security standards such as RACF, ACF2, and GDPR. Data encryption, auditing, and logging are essential components of any modernization strategy.
H2: RedCarpet strengthens your modernization team
At RedCarpet, we provide mainframe developers who are experienced in modernization and integration. Our experts help organizations securely and efficiently connect mainframes to cloud-native applications, microservices, and APIs. Whether you want to rehost or refactor existing systems, we provide the knowledge and experience to make projects successful. With RedCarpet on your team, you benefit from reliable mainframe functionality and modern technologies, ensuring your IT infrastructure is ready for the future.
Why are organizations modernizing their mainframes?
Mainframes are anything but obsolete. They remain an essential part of the IT infrastructure of large organizations, especially in the financial sector, government agencies, and insurance companies. The reason companies modernize is often to connect legacy systems with modern applications, such as web, mobile, and cloud-native solutions. Modernization makes it possible to deliver new functionalities faster, improve scalability, and at the same time maintain the reliability and security that mainframes offer.
Microservices and API strategies
By deploying microservices, organizations can make mainframe functionalities available in a modular way. This means that specific services, such as payment processing or customer data management, can be updated and deployed independently of the entire system. API management plays a crucial role in this. It enables IT teams to make services available to internal and external applications in a secure and controlled manner.
Rehosting versus refactoring
When modernizing, an important choice must be made: rehosting or refactoring. Rehosting involves literally transferring existing code to a new platform, usually in the cloud. This is often faster and cheaper, but offers less flexibility for innovation. Refactoring means that code is rewritten to take full advantage of modern technologies, such as microservices, containerization, and cloud-native deployment. Although this requires more time and investment, it results in a future-proof system that can evolve more easily.
Tools and DevOps practices on the mainframe
Modern mainframe teams use CI/CD pipelines, test automation, and agile workflows. Tools such as Jenkins, Git for z/OS, and Endevor automation help teams deploy code faster and more reliably. Test automation ensures that legacy COBOL and PL/I programs are consistently checked with every release. Agile methodologies enable mainframe teams to work iteratively, allowing updates to be delivered in short sprints.
Security and compliance in modernization
Modernization is not only about speed and flexibility, but also about maintaining security and compliance. Mainframes often process sensitive data, such as financial transactions or personal customer information. Modern API layers and microservices must therefore comply with security standards such as RACF, ACF2, and GDPR. Data encryption, auditing, and logging are essential components of any modernization strategy.
H2: RedCarpet strengthens your modernization team
At RedCarpet, we provide mainframe developers who are experienced in modernization and integration. Our experts help organizations securely and efficiently connect mainframes to cloud-native applications, microservices, and APIs. Whether you want to rehost or refactor existing systems, we provide the knowledge and experience to make projects successful. With RedCarpet on your team, you benefit from reliable mainframe functionality and modern technologies, ensuring your IT infrastructure is ready for the future.