Roadmap to mainframe application modernization part 3 |
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By Wayne Kernochan, Contributor
16 May 2006 | SearchDataCenter.com |
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In a three-part series, Infostructure Associates president Wayne Kernochan outlines a modernization path for business-critical applications in an existing mainframe environment. This is the third installment. Check out the previous chapter here.
The potential of Web services
Web services allow IT departments to make a legacy mainframe application available not only to the entire organization, but also to a global customer and partner base of millions. The Web service's ability to provide one service for multiple front-end types of clients -- end-users via the Web site, in-house application, or cross-organization solution -- allows more rapid development of changes to the mainframe application that are available to a broad range of users. The Web service's ability to invoke other Web services such as security, business compliance, and personalization, makes the mainframe application more feature-rich. Web service information, stored in a repository, gives administrators a common software-asset information base to monitor and troubleshoot the enhanced mainframe applications.
These technical advantages also lead to broader business benefits -- lowering the cost of doing business, allowing companies to achieve much greater efficiencies by using their mainframe business-critical applications more effectively, and giving the organization greater ability to quickly adapt to changing conditions.
Criteria for an upgrade solution
IT buyers should emphasize the following criteria in choosing an upgrade-in-place solution for either Web enablement or Web servicizing:
Comprehensive functionality. The solution should include extensive middleware that provides a powerful software infrastructure so that developers upgrading the existing application can easily integrate powerful new capabilities. The middleware should support old and new technologies, as well as the upgrade process. The middleware solution should include a full range of new technology "standards" such as .Net.
Services. The upgrade-solution supplier should provide mainframe-experienced and new-technology-savvy consultants and systems integrators to aid upgraders and train IT in upgrade best practices.
Flexibility. The solution should handle undocumented mainframe applications and allow easy addition of a wide range of Web/e-business features.
Low risk. The upgrade solution should draw on long experience with mainframes to detect and minimize dangerous changes to the application, such as changes to the schemas of an underlying database.
Programmer productivity. The upgrade solution should support tool sets from the supplier and/or third parties. The middleware should provide powerful APIs so that e-business functionality can be rapidly added.
IBM Mainframe Web Services Development and Software Evolution Solutions
IBM offers a large set of mainframe-software legacy modernization and Web-servicization tools and services. The primary tools, offered under both the Rational and WebSphere brands, are development and upgrade tools based on the Eclipse open source framework, which provides standards-based flexibility and third-party tool integration.
WebSphere Developer for zSeries (WDz) adds to Rational Application Developer mainframe-development and existing-application-upgrade functionality that allows users to prepare typical existing/legacy software for inclusion in composite applications that integrate business processes effectively. WDz also includes support for Web services and JCA connectivity to multiple versions of CICS and IMS, as well as visual modeling and flow-generation support for the CICS V3 Service Flow Feature. IBM WebSphere Integration Developer (WID) adds workflow and business integration functionality to allow creation of new composite applications that integration with existing application functions and Web services. WID includes native support for WS-BPEL4WS-compliant processes and a range of process integration and ESB capabilities.
The Eclipse initiative specifically supports substituting or adding third-party development tools to IBM's tools and framework. WebSphere Application Developer provides support for CICS-based application upgrade. IBM's service arm offers modernization outsourcing, advice, and support, including Web-servicization services. Moreover, IBM modernization solutions allow users to incorporate IBM's security, privacy, business-compliance, and master-data-management software as part of the standard interface to these applications.
The advent of the Internet has had a mainframe-application effect directly opposite of what one might expect. Instead of increasing the attraction of migrating performance-critical and similar existing applications, the Internet makes it easier for enterprises to Web-enable and Web-servicize in place, adding cost-effective Internet connectivity and application deployment with minimal impact on the enterprise's production environment. Mainframe users should, therefore, look either for upgrade-in-place capabilities in an overall development solution or for a separate upgrade toolset to allow cost-effective reuse of the existing software portfolio in any development project.
Recently, Infostructure Associates and others have noted an upsurge in conversion of key mainframe applications to Web services offering Web service provider interfaces. This is a major win for customers. Web-servicizing mainframe applications in place allows users to leverage not only the mainframe's business-critical applications but also its security, privacy, business-compliance, and master-data-management software. Web-servicization upgrades the mainframe's legacy applications, turning the corporate application portfolio's vicious circle of increasing maintenance costs into a virtuous circle of decreasing costs and business benefits available to a wider range of end users. IBM's extensive mainframe development and legacy-application modernization tools, and its software for security and other Web-service needs, make it a logical choice for users seeking to get full value from a business-critical or mission-critical mainframe application
About the author:Kernochan is president of Infostructure Associates.
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