Clerity, a provider of mainframe migration and modernization solutions, announced today that its UniKix mainframe rehosting software suite now supports Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Clerity's mainframe rehosting software provides an environment for deploying online and batch mainframe CICS, IMS, IDMS, Adabas, Natural, and other legacy assets on open, standards-based systems. By leveraging existing applications, skill sets, and data investments, Clerity states, its technology reduces ongoing IT costs from 30% to 70% and optimizes legacy investments without diminishing current functionality or adding risk into the migration process.
Although the UniKix technology supported the Windows platform for many years, when Sun took over that technology they focused on Solaris, Cameron Jenkins, COO of Clerity, explains to 5 Minute Briefing. "And so when we took over the organization back in 2006, we knew that there would be the right time to bring back this very important platform-the Windows platform-and make that an offering for our existing customers as well as our prospective clients."
According to Jenkins, with the market and economic pressures customers are facing now, a "very high-powered, lower cost alternative platform like the Windows server environment is extremely important for them. If they can get the same kind of price/performance or even better price/performance on that platform than they can on some of the other platforms then they are going to look at this as a very serious option. Microsoft is making sure that that's known in the market and is aggressively putting campaigns in place to go after mainframe workload and offer the Windows platform as a very viable alternative, and certainly Clerity is working with Microsoft in that regard."
Mainframe migration with rehosting software from Clerity and Windows Server 2008 will deliver several key customers benefits, according to Clerity, including reduced migration risk and rapid payback periods by protecting existing investments in CICS, COBOL, JCL and related environments wherever possible; lower total cost of ownership and competitive economies of scale for ongoing operations; enhanced IT flexibility and enterprise-wide data interoperability; access to skilled systems administrators; and choice of deployment on a range of and Intel x86, x64, and Itanium-based systems.
Clerity supports many different platforms, Jenkins emphasizes. "Now, I believe we have a full complement of platforms to offer our customers." In most cases, "our clients have already decided the target platform and we focus really on providing a world-class tool, world-class product in UniKix and services to deliver and rehost them to that environment," Jenkins adds. "We want to be in a position to offer choice." For more information on UniKix support for Windows Server 2008, go here.