Micro Focus Announces Next Generation of Mainframe Migration Tools

 New Micro Focus Studio Enterprise Edition and Server Enterprise Edition releases enable users to move data to Microsoft SQL Server, migrate PL/I applications 

Rockville, MD, September 7, 2010 — Micro Focus® (LSE.MCRO.L), the leading provider of enterprise application modernization, testing and management solutions, today announced the release of the newest versions of two mainframe migration tools. Micro Focus Studio Enterprise Edition (Studio EE) and Server Enterprise Edition (Server EE) v6.0 SP1 deliver enhanced mainframe migration capabilities to companies looking to simplify their IT infrastructures, reduce risk, lower IT costs and deliver more innovative products and services.

Micro Focus Studio EE is a suite of graphical tools that allows users to migrate mainframe business applications to lower cost platforms and supports the entire applications development lifecycle – from analysis to testing. Micro Focus Server EE supports the deployment of the migrated applications on the new platform with virtually no application code changes, making application migration a low-risk, high-performance alternative to re-writes or rip-and-replace strategies.

New functionality includes a unique capability to migrate data to Microsoft SQL Server. The ability to automate data migration to SQL Server means lower risk and increased efficiency as organizations move their applications to more cost-effective environments. In addition, the new releases enable organizations to migrate and re-host PL/I applications, resulting in the ability to further reduce their reliance on the costly mainframe.

“Any mainframe shop faced with rising costs, skilled personnel retirement and lack of IT agility should consider these solutions as a way to begin the long-term modernization process,” said Dale Vecchio, Research Vice President at Gartner. “Mainframe rehosting solutions offer lower-cost and more immediate modernization results, with reduced IT spending within 12 to 36 months of the migration, and offer companies a way to leverage their COBOL and PL/I skill sets and modernize, as appropriate, on lower-cost platforms.”

“Micro Focus Server EE and Studio EE have given us a cost-effective, flexible IT platform that allows us to provide better service to our members by continually refining our products and performance,” said Jan Lehmann, CIO at TIB, one of Denmark’s largest trade unions. “We’ve seen phenomenal results in migrating our mission-critical applications from the mainframe to Windows, with cost savings of 70 percent and an improved experience for our staff.”

Micro Focus Server EE and Studio EE v6.0 SP1 feature functionality native to Micro Focus that further enhances the migration and modernization of enterprise applications. It includes functionality from Micro Focus Modernization Workbench, which helps users to better understand their application portfolio before a migration project, allowing them to plan and prioritize modernization initiatives accordingly. It also provides improved extensibility and integration capabilities, allowing organizations to expose CICS and IMS transactions as Web services.

“Businesses today – particularly in this economic climate – are constantly looking for ways to simplify their IT infrastructure, to lower costs, and to do so without sacrificing the ability to deliver innovative new products and services to their customers,” said Stuart McGill, CTO at Micro Focus. “Time and again we’re seeing companies turn to mainframe migration projects to achieve these goals. Our new generation of modernization and migration tools will help companies complete their migration projects even faster with minimal changes to their applications.”

For more information, please visit:

Micro Focus Studio Enterprise Edition

Micro Focus Server Enterprise Edition

About Micro Focus

Micro Focus, a member of the FTSE 250, provides innovative software that allows companies to dramatically improve the business value of their enterprise applications. Micro Focus Enterprise Application Modernization, Testing and Management software enables customers’ business applications to respond rapidly to market changes and embrace modern architectures with reduced cost and risk. For additional information, please visit www.microfocus.com.