This document discusses legacy application modernization and automated migration. It defines legacy applications as older software that provides core business functions but runs on outdated hardware and software. The document outlines customers' dilemmas in modernizing these systems and compares alternatives like replacing applications, redesigning, rehosting, or migrating using automated tools. It presents FreeSoft as a company that offers automated migration services to transform legacy applications while preserving functionality and training end users on new systems. Case studies show examples of projects modernizing applications from platforms like ADABAS/Natural and Informix to Java and Oracle databases.

1. Vilmos Vaspál
President
vvaspal@freesoft.hu
http://www.freesoftus.com
Legacy
Application
Modernization

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27.03.2012
Agenda
▪ What is legacy?
▪ Customer’s dilemma
▪ Solution alternatives
▪ Benefits of automated migration
▪ Case studies

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27.03.2012
What is a Legacy Application?
▪ „One that works”
▪ „A legacy application has been with the
enterprise longer than the programmers who
are now maintaining it, lacks documentation
and has untouchable code”
▪ „…every application in existence before the
birth of the Web”
▪ Any application based on older HW/SW
technologies and provides IT services to the
core business

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27.03.2012
As you might remember…
IBM Mainframe, BS2000, DEC VAX/ALPHA, HP3000

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27.03.2012
The Legacy Market
▪ Typically mainframe, 3rd and 4th generation
languages (Cobol, PL1, Natural) and non-
relational databases (VSAM, ISM, ADABAS)
▪ According to Gartner:
▪ > 200 billion lines of code in legacy apps
▪ 30 billion Cobol transactions processed daily
▪ 40% of current IT systems are legacy
▪ 60-80% of a typical IT budget is spent on
maintaining running applications

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27.03.2012
Customer’s Dilemma
My hardware and software env.
has limited support
My costs for these
apps are way too high
The business is at
risk by staying put
How to follow continues
reorganizations?
Why continue to invest
in older applications?
Our core business is
embedded in these
applications
We have invested a lot
in these business rules
I don’t have manpower
with this skill set
Changing is a career risk

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27.03.2012
Why to change?
▪ Management attitude: „if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it!”
▪ Business drivers
▪ mergers and acquisitions
▪ internal reorganisations
▪ increasing workloads
▪ reduce costs
▪ Technical reasons
▪ web enabling
▪ keeping up with evolving technology
▪ going to the cloud

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27.03.2012
Modernization Choices
▪ Replacing with a package
▪ if you accept market-standard functionalities
▪ Redesign – new development
▪ if you need fully new functionality
▪ Rehosting – new hardware
▪ if your goal is to reduce costs
▪ Migrating applications via an
automated toolset
▪ if you want to preserve the core functionality and
need the latest technology

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27.03.2012
Replacing with a package
▪ Pro’s:
▪ standardization, you can learn from „best
practices”
▪ you can find expertise on the market
▪ Con’s:
▪ endusers must be heavily trained
▪ implementation and support costs are very high
▪ long-term dependency on the vendor (SAP,
Oracle, etc.)

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27.03.2012
Redesign – new development
▪ Pro’s:
▪ it is fully tailored to your needs, it is your IP
▪ you will have the latest technology
▪ Con’s:
▪ endusers must be retrained
▪ costs are very high
▪ you can easily have a never-ending project

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27.03.2012
Rehosting – new hardware
▪ Pro’s:
▪ quite quick with low risk
▪ no need to retrain endusers
▪ Con’s:
▪ further dependency on old software
▪ further dead investment into old technology
(while maintaining the application)
▪ further lack of expertise
▪ you postponed only the real modernization

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27.03.2012
What is Automated Migration?
▪ Transformation of existing applications into a
new environment and a new architecture,
preserving data and main functionalities of
the old application, using automated tools
▪ more than a database conversion
▪ more than a code conversion
▪ more than the use of tools

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27.03.2012
Automated Migration

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27.03.2012
Supported Environments
▪ Mainframe
▪ CICS, IMS
▪ DB2, IMS DB, IDMS, VSAM
▪ Cobol, PL/1
▪ Adabas / Natural
▪ RPG
▪ Informix / 4GL
▪ Ingres / 4GL
▪ Countinous development – ask for your needs!

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27.03.2012
Automated Migration
▪ The core business functionality is the same
▪ No need to retrain the end-users
▪ Fastest and most cost effective
▪ Less risky
▪ Best code quality provided by automated
converter tools
▪ Best ROI

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27.03.2012
Project Methodology

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27.03.2012
FreeSoft’s Method
▪ Before starting the project
▪ assessment
▪ proof-of-concept or pilot (if needed)
▪ fix price offer
▪ Iteration by fine tuning of our converters
▪ Customer corrects and cleans out the legacy
code (if needed)
▪ Iteration by using test cases
▪ User acceptance

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27.03.2012
Conditions of a Successful Project
▪ Clarifying the expectations
▪ Strong management support (need for an internal
champion of changes)
▪ Getting a closer view into the legacy application
▪ Preparing the consistent input
▪ Setting up the new environment
▪ Working out a test concept and test cases
▪ Further development strategy and guidelines
▪ Perfect co-operation of participants

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27.03.2012
Project sample 1
▪ ADABAS/Natural Migration project
▪ migration of the ADABAS data store to RDBMS
▪ migration of the Natural application to Java EE 
automated migration of 5M lines of code, 20.000
legacy programming objects to Java
▪ FreeSoft as prime contractor completed the project in
16 months
▪ Benefit: the legacy platform is completely replaced
with Java and RDBMS

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27.03.2012
Project sample 2
▪ Sixt – Leading Car Rental Company in Europe
▪ Migration of the core Informix database into Oracle
▪ Automated migration of the 4M lines of code COBOL
application
▪ FreeSoft’s DataPropagator product ensures data replication
among 80+ databases (36.000 tables)
▪ FreeSoft as prime contractor
▪ Benefit: Enterprise scale Oracle RAC
▪ Oracle reference:
http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/customers/sixtag-database-
casestudy-322101-de.pdf
http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/customers/sixt-1-db-snapshot-
197278.pdf

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27.03.2012
About FreeSoft
▪ Software development & integration
services
▪ Established in 1990, 300+ employees
▪ HQ in Budapest (www.freesoft.hu/en )
▪ Listed on Budapest Stock Exchange
▪ International reach (EMEA, USA, APAC)
▪ ISO 9001:2000 certification
▪ Partnerships with Fujitsu, Oracle

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27.03.2012
What you gain with our services?
▪ The core business functionality is preserved
▪ No need to retrain the end-users
▪ State-of-the art technology
▪ Best code quality provided by automated
converter tools – easy to maintain
▪ Fastest, most cost effective and less risky way to
modernize your legacy applications
▪ Liberate Your Legacy! www.freesoftus.com

23. Thank you for your attention!
vvaspal@freesoft.hu
http://www.freesoftus.com