Source URL: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure-modernization/mlogica-and-google-cloud-partner-on-mainframe-modernization/
Source: Cloud Blog
Title: Accelerating mainframe modernization with Google Cloud Dual Run and mLogica
Feedly Summary: Mainframe modernization is no longer a question of if, but how, with organizations seeking ways to accelerate modernization while also minimizing costs and reducing risks.
Today, Google Cloud and mLogica announced a strategic partnership focused on accelerating and de-risking mainframe application modernization, combining mLogica’s LIBER*M automated code refactoring platform with Google Cloud Dual Run for validation and de-risking, offering a non-disruptive and validated modernization path to our joint customers.
LIBER*M provides automated assessment, code analysis, dependency mapping, and code transformation capabilities. It supports multiple target languages and platforms, providing a crucial foundation for refactoring projects.
Dual Run enables simultaneous operation of mainframe and cloud applications in parallel, letting you compare and validate refactored applications before cutting over. This, along with powerful testing capabilities, enables a controlled, phased transition, minimizing business disruption and substantially reducing the risks inherent in large-scale mainframe modernization projects.
This partnership with mLogica complements Google Cloud’s existing mainframe modernization solutions, including our Mainframe Refactor offering, with mLogica’s expertise and tools. Together, we can address a wide spectrum of mainframe languages and use cases, and ultimately provide customers with more modernization options.
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Automated code refactoring with LIBER*M
Enterprises seeking a nuanced approach to mainframe modernization often combine multiple modernization patterns, for example, reimagining the application with Google Gemini Accelerated application rewrites, as well as refactoring workloads. For applications where innovation and new capabilities are critical, generative AI can help reimagine them from the ground-up as entirely new cloud-native applications and user experiences. But for workloads where modernization speed is critical, customers can choose automated code refactoring from legacy languages to modern equivalents, which optimizes for cloud deployment while delivering functional parity. This strategy maximizes innovation and cost-efficiency, balancing the desire for deep modernization with practical considerations of cost and time-to-value.
Refactoring involves transforming existing mainframe applications (often written in COBOL, Assembler and other legacy languages) into modern languages and architectures, typically Java or C# running on cloud-native platforms and services, through rule-based transformation. This is distinct from other modernization patterns such as replatforming, which focuses only on infrastructure changes, or rewriting, which recreates the target application from the ground-up.
Refactoring offers several advantages for customers, striking a good balance between modernization potential and speed:
Refactored applications leverage modern development practices (CI/CD, DevOps) and cloud-native services, enabling faster feature delivery and response to changing business needs.
Modern languages and architectures are easier to maintain and enhance, reducing technical debt and expanding the pool of available talent.
Refactored applications are designed to integrate with cloud services, such as databases, analytics, and AI/ML.
Cloud-native architectures are inherently scalable and elastic, allowing applications to adapt to fluctuating demands.
While refactoring requires an upfront investment, the long-term benefits of reduced infrastructure costs, improved efficiency, and faster innovation often lead to a lower total cost of ownership.
Refactoring doesn’t imply a monolithic approach. It supports a wide modernization spectrum, from automated code conversion to more extensive architectural redesign. The optimal approach depends on the specific application and business goals.
The mLogica modernization foundation
mLogica brings a comprehensive suite of tools and decades of experience to the mainframe modernization challenge. Key products include:
LIBER*M: This platform provides automated assessment, code analysis, dependency mapping, and code transformation capabilities. It supports multiple target languages and platforms, providing a crucial foundation for refactoring projects.
CAP*M: As a dedicated solution for database migration and modernization, CAP*M facilitates the transition from legacy databases (e.g., IMS, DB2) to open-source or cloud-native databases.
STAR*M: Allows for automated testing during modernization.
These tools are complemented by mLogica’s deep expertise in mainframe technologies and modernization methodologies.
Google Cloud Dual Run directly addresses the key challenges customers face when refactoring mainframe applications: de-risking the modernization, validating and certifying the new system, and ensuring comprehensive testing. By enabling parallel operation of the original mainframe application and its modernized counterpart on Google Cloud, Dual Run eliminates the need for a “big bang" cutover, significantly reducing the risk of business disruption. Parallel operation of both legacy and modernized environments allows for continuous validation, helping to ensure the modernized application behaves as expected under real-world conditions. This kind of parallel processing facilitates extensive testing, including performance, functional, and regression testing, and identification of any discrepancies before the final switch.
Helping our joint customers
This partnership is about delivering real outcomes for customers engaged in mainframe modernization, significantly reducing risk, accelerating time-to-value, and lowering overall costs.
Together, we have certified the combined solution of Dual Run and mLogica’s tools, validating the effectiveness in real-world modernization scenarios. The combination of mLogica’s automated refactoring with LIBER*M and Google Cloud’s Dual Run parallel operation minimizes the potential for errors, downtime, and business disruption. Automation streamlines the modernization process, while Dual Run facilitates application validation and certification, alongside robust testing and a rollback capability for enhanced confidence. This combined solution lets you adopt a modern, cloud-native architecture efficiently and securely, positioning your organization for sustained innovation and growth.
mLogica’s LIBER*M and STAR*M products are available for customers directly on the Google Cloud Marketplace. Dual Run is available through our certified mainframe modernization implementation partners. For more details and inquiries please contact mainframe@google.com.
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The provided text discusses a strategic partnership between Google Cloud and mLogica aimed at modernizing mainframe applications. It highlights the integration of mLogica’s LIBER*M automated code refactoring platform with Google Cloud’s Dual Run for de-risking the modernization process. This partnership offers significant advantages in terms of reducing costs and mitigating risks associated with transitioning legacy applications to cloud-native architectures, a critical consideration for organizations pursuing modernization.
Detailed Description:
– The main focus of the partnership between Google Cloud and mLogica is to facilitate mainframe modernization by combining resources and expertise.
– **Key Takeaways**:
– **Mainframe Modernization**: Transitioning from traditional mainframe systems to cloud-native applications involves both significant challenges and opportunities for organizations.
– **LIBER*M Platform**: mLogica’s LIBER*M provides automated code assessment, analysis, and transformation capabilities that support various programming languages, making it adaptable for different organizational needs.
– **Dual Run Framework**: This Google Cloud feature allows for parallel operation of legacy and newly refactored applications, enabling organizations to validate the new systems while still running the existing applications. This mitigates risks associated with large-scale transformations.
– **Automated Code Refactoring**: The process allows large-scale legacy applications (often in COBOL and Assembler) to be transformed into modern languages like Java or C#, facilitating cloud deployment without losing functional parity.
– **Benefits of Modernization through Refactoring**:
– Enhanced capabilities for faster feature delivery aligned with modern software development methodologies (CI/CD, DevOps).
– Easier maintenance of updated applications, reducing technical debt and increasing talent availability.
– Better integration with contemporary cloud services, including analytics and AI/ML tools.
– Scalability and elasticity of cloud-native architectures that adapt easily to changing demands.
– Long-term cost reductions through decreased infrastructure maintenance and improved operational efficiency.
– **Comprehensive Toolset**: Alongside LIBER*M, mLogica also offers CAP*M for database migration and STAR*M for automated testing during the modernization process.
– **Risk Mitigation**: The partnership aims to eliminate the “big bang” cutover approach, which leads to disruptions, by allowing companies to operate both legacy and modern environments simultaneously for thorough testing and validation.
– **Customer Outcomes**: The collaboration intends to deliver substantial time-to-value for organizations, providing them with tools to embrace modernization with confidence that minimizes the potential for errors and downtime.
– **Accessibility**: The mLogica products are available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, making it easier for potential customers to access these solutions.
Professionals in the fields of AI, cloud, and infrastructure security should recognize the implications of this partnership, not only for modernization but also for enhancing the security and compliance landscape associated with transitioning critical legacy applications to more agile, cloud-based environments. By leveraging such solutions, organizations can ensure their modernization efforts do not compromise on security or business continuity.