Background
Digital transformation is upon us, and the pace of change is accelerating. IDC reported that “direct digital transformation (DX) investment is growing at 17.5% CAGR and expected to approach $7.4 trillion over the years 2020 to 2023”.
The clamour to deliver on digital is intense, but so are the debates of how best to get there, and there remain a worryingly high number of examples of DX projects that just did not work out. The practical solution is to harness the core values of existing IT investments, the critical applications and data – and add to them to make a true asset of the digital age. In other words, modernizing those key applications and data to ensure they go with the transformation flow.
Failure is not an option. So many CIO’s are moving away from risky transformation projects. Analysts IDC said “we are seeing a shift from a rip and replace approach towards modernization strategies” that are aimed at gaining significant business value in the form of agility, new business capabilities, and a reduction in TCO and risk.
Modernization is potentially as complex and diverse as the many and varied business and technical challenges it can help resolve. With hundreds and hundreds of successful modernization projects under our belts, here is some free guidance from Micro Focus: any working solution is going to require enterprise-scale technology, blended with proven best practices.
The Micro Focus Modernization Maturity Model
Addressing the need for a robust framework around the discipline of application modernization, Micro Focus has created its Modernization Maturity Model, which, as the brochure describes, provides a “best-practice approach for enterprise modernization projects”. Introduced as a “practical framework” for success, the brochure explains further, “the Micro Focus Modernization Maturity Model aims to provide a mapping from the initial business drivers behind the change requirements, through a technical strategy towards appropriate tactical options.”
In the press release, Chris Livesey, VP and GM of the Micro Focus Application Modernization and Connectivity business unit, explained “We are delighted to launch the Micro Focus Modernization Maturity Model … which provides a new framework to highlight the most important considerations any organization should have when embarking on a modernization journey. A critical success factor in any such project is the clarity and unity of the stakeholder groups involved, and for the first time, this new model from Micro Focus provides a standard set of terms and classifications that consider viability, complexity and effort. Importantly, this is then supported by a set of industry leading best practices that help to evaluate an organization’s modernization options, resulting in more successful projects and better business outcomes.”
Our global modernization partners agree – CTO of Astadia, Steve Steuart, commented “Our industry expertise and use of class-leading Micro Focus technology is the cornerstone of our many successful client projects. Micro Focus’ Modernization Maturity Model further illustrates their capability and experience, underlining their position as true experts in the field of application modernization.” Meanwhile Durga Prasad, AVP, Global Head of Modernization Practice, Zensar Technologies, remarked, “The new Modernization Maturity Model from Micro Focus outlines best practices and vital considerations that will help our clients’ navigate and accelerate their modernization journey.”
World Class Application Modernization Technology
Underpinning our Modernization Maturity Model is the Micro Focus AMC Solution. To us, application modernization has three constituent parts. The Application, the Process and the Infrastructure. After all, most major modernization projects will affect what will be delivered (the application), how it is delivered (the process), and where it is delivered (the infrastructure). No surprise therefore Micro Focus sees its role in supporting those three elements with class-leading technology solutions.
Application Modernization
Application modernization could involve delivering an innovative user experience as well as appropriate functionality and quality. Leveraging trusted core processes and secure transactions, reusing business logic and implementing new API models, interfaces and service-based architectures.
Learn more about Application Modernization
Process Modernization
The business has to respond to market needs faster than ever: IT needs to deliver more quickly. Distributed, agile teams are more flexible than the world of TSO/ISPF, and revisiting outmoded processes with Agile and DevOps methods and tooling will enable faster delivery of better applications, at the speed of digital transformation.
Infrastructure Modernization
In their whitepaper, Modernization: A Flexible Approach to Digital Transformation, IDC asserted “Businesses … are engaged in platform modernization initiatives to position their organizations for an era of business transformation, much of which is driven by digital transformation.” No platform stands alone as the only enterprise deployment choice. BMC’s annual survey of 2019 showed 58% of executive respondents calling z15 a platform for growth, while another 46% were prioritizing on the Cloud. Choice, flexibility. Running workload anywhere it needs to run, swiftly, securely, has been the Micro Focus mantra for years. Bob Ellsworth, Director Mainframe Transformation, Microsoft, echoed this view, “Microsoft offers a truly enterprise-class platform to support our customers’ modernization to the cloud. As a long-standing Micro Focus partner, we see their Modernization Maturity Model as valuable best-practice in helping our customers modernize their core business systems to Azure.”
2020 Vision
Micro Focus’ modernization solution and supporting processes offers robust technology to support the entire lifecycle of application modernization – from analysis through development, unit testing, debugging, system testing and through release management to delivery. It provides capabilities to enable secure application integration and access between mainframe, cloud and elsewhere in the IT infrastructure. And it enables all this to happen quickly, and without risk, based on tried and tested approaches. Considerations built up over the decades.
Micro Focus 2020 vision for modernization is clear: Core Business Applications. Forever Valued, Digital Ready, Expertly Delivered.
We will be making our case for application modernization, including our Modernization Maturity Model, at various events across the globe in 2020, including Micro Focus Universe, our #DevDay Events, SHARE and GSE. Please find Chris Livesey or myself on Twitter if you’d like to talk directly and download a copy of the Micro Focus Modernization Maturity Model right here. We’ve got a Press Release here you can read too.
