Binary compatibility is helping revolutionise mainframe modernisation, unlocking rapid digital evolution for enterprises while eliminating migration risks, explains LzLabs CTO Jan Jaeger
For decades, enterprises have relied on mainframe applications for their most critical operations. But as these systems age, businesses face a dilemma: modernise and risk disruption or stick with ageing technology and fall behind competitors.
What if there were another way? A solution that did not require rewriting applications or undertaking a big bang migration?
In this interview, Jan Jaeger, CTO of LzLabs, explains how the company’s Software Defined Mainframe ®(SDM) leverages binary compatibility to offer a seamless and incremental approach to modernisation—reducing risk, cost, and disruption.
Q: What is binary compatibility, and why is it essential for modernising mainframe systems?
A: Binary compatibility ensures that programs can run on a new system without requiring recompilation. Imagine trying to move a program from an Apple computer to a Windows machine—it would not work because their systems lack binary compatibility. Now, multiply that complexity tenfold when dealing with mainframes.
Mainframe applications use unique data formats, such as how numbers are stored or characters are sorted. Without binary compatibility, migrating a program from a mainframe to a modern environment requires time and significant effort to rewrite or recompile the code, the testing implications are also huge.
With LzLabs’ SDM®, binary compatibility enables companies to move applications directly from the mainframe to open systems—Linux, x86, and cloud—without rewriting or recompiling. It is as safe and straightforward as moving a program between two compatible Windows computers.
Q: Does binary compatibility help reduce the risks associated with mainframe modernisation?
A: Absolutely. If you examine the history of mainframe migrations, many have failed. That is not because rewriting an application is impossible; it concerns the scale at which you need to undertake that task. Banks, insurance companies, and retailers operate large applications – thousands of programmes – that have existed for 30 to 40 years; the risks increase further as you may have lost much of the ‘knowledge’ regarding how the application was developed.
Over time, people may have also modified these programmes. Therefore, while rewriting one programme is feasible, having to do thousands of them and considering different sorting orders, various data formats, and different APIs… becomes an enormous task, and the risk of something going awry or failing to meet your deadline escalates exponentially.
Q: Can binary compatibility enable businesses to modernise incrementally?
A: Yes. one of the greatest advantages of our approach is that it does not require a “big bang” migration. Companies can incrementally move applications, concentrating on those that provide the most significant strategic value.
For example, a bank could modernise customer-facing applications in phases while leaving back-end systems for legacy policies untouched until they are no longer necessary. This flexibility enables organisations to modernise at their own pace while preserving continuity in critical operations.
Q: So is it less risky than a “big bang” approach to migration?
Many of the largest risks in mainframe migrations arise from the ‘big bang’ approach — transferring everything simultaneously. It is challenging to avoid this, as even individual applications frequently share entangled, spaghetti-like data. However, this does not pose a problem for us. Thanks to the SDM’s compatibility with the mainframe, we can relocate applications without dismantling everything.
Q: Can companies continue to run some applications in a legacy mainframe environment while running others on the SDM?
A: Yes, the SDM is designed to interoperate with existing mainframes. Applications transferred to the SDM can still access data stored on the mainframe and vice versa. This interoperability enables businesses to modernise specific applications while retaining others on the legacy system until they are ready to migrate. Additionally, all legacy data is stored “as-is” on the SDM, thereby eliminating the need for extensive data conversion efforts and large amounts of testing.
Q: How does binary compatibility compare to code conversion – that is, transforming code written in COBOL or another legacy language into a modern one like Java?
A: Code conversion involves transforming legacy code (such as COBOL) into modern languages like Java. While this may appear to be a straightforward solution, it is fraught with risks. For example, many companies do not regularly recompile their applications, meaning the source code may not match what is running in production.
With binary compatibility, we completely bypass these challenges—you do not require the source code. Instead, you transfer the compiled binaries directly to the SDM, ensuring accuracy and reducing complexity.
There is often a risk with code conversions where the customer possesses the source code, but they are not entirely certain whether what they have is what is running in production…[because] many companies do not regularly recompile their applications. We do not require the source code – you simply move the compiled binaries and that is that.
Q: What are some of the cost savings and other benefits associated with moving away from the mainframe?
A: Moving applications from the mainframe offers compelling benefits for your business. By modernising your platform, you can accelerate time-to-market for new products and services, fostering greater agility and enabling rapid innovation to meet evolving business demands.
Operational efficiency is also significantly enhanced. With streamlined processes, your teams can focus on strategic priorities rather than the complexities of maintaining legacy systems. This modernisation results in open, agile systems that improve customer experiences through seamless service delivery and personalised engagement.
From a cost perspective, organisations often achieve savings of 60% to 70% by eliminating the high expenses associated with maintaining legacy vendors. These savings, combined with the flexibility of a scalable, open, future-ready platform, support long-term growth while mitigating risks and ensuring uninterrupted business continuity throughout the migration process.
Q: Can the SDM match the reliability of mainframes?
A: The traditional availability issues [that mainframes were thought to address] have shifted. If you look at outages, for example, 99% of them are not caused by hardware failure. They are caused by people pressing the wrong buttons. While mainframe hardware still has an enviable reputation, we do not see people with issues with cloud or on-prem systems; the World has moved on.
Q: How does the SDM’s performance compare to the mainframe?
A: For instance, one telecommunications company we worked with achieved equal or superior performance on the SDM for most of their workloads. Every client is meeting its critical batch window.
Our solution is also highly scalable; in a sample test, it can process up to 6,500 transactions per second—equivalent to half a billion transactions per day. This guarantees that mission-critical applications operate seamlessly in their new environment.
Q: Why should enterprises prioritise binary compatibility for modernisation?
A: Binary compatibility removes the most significant barriers to mainframe modernisation—cost, risk, and complexity. It allows organisations to preserve their existing investments in software and processes while gradually transitioning to modern, cost-efficient platforms.
By enabling a seamless, step-by-step migration, the SDM empowers enterprises to modernise confidently, ensuring they remain competitive in today’s fast-changing business landscape.
For more information on overcoming the legacy tech burden visit: www.lzlabs.com
Binary compatibility is helping revolutionise mainframe modernisation, unlocking rapid digital evolution for enterprises while eliminating migration risks, explains LzLabs CTO Jan Jaeger
For decades, enterprises have relied on mainframe applications for their most critical operations. But as these systems age, businesses face a dilemma: modernise and risk disruption or stick with ageing technology and fall behind competitors.
What if there were another way? A solution that did not require rewriting applications or undertaking a big bang migration?
