IBM Mainframe Modernization
Heirloom on IBM Z Benefits
The Power of IBM Z & Migration To Java
Rethink IBM Z Modernization
While others dictate migration away from IBM Z for application modernization, Heirloom delivers something revolutionary: enterprise application transformation that harnesses the full power of your existing mainframe investment.
Transform Applications, Preserve Infrastructure
Our proven platform for IBM mainframe modernization transforms legacy IBM Z applications into modern Java applications that run directly on your IBM Z hardware—on Linux for Z or within zCX containers under z/OS. The result? The agility and developer productivity of modern Java stacks combined with the unmatched reliability, security, and performance that only IBM Z enterprise computing can deliver.
Maximize Investment, Unleash Potential
This isn't about abandoning your enterprise computing investment. It's about unleashing its full potential with modern application architecture while preserving every advantage that made you choose IBM Z in the first place.
The IBM Z Advantage Amplified
Enterprise-Scale Computing Excellence
Cloud-scale or mainframe-scale? With Heirloom, the freedom to choose is yours. Your IBM Z infrastructure investment represents decades of engineering excellence with:
- 99.999% uptime reliability that cloud platforms aspire to match
- Military-grade security with pervasive encryption and secure enclaves
- Unparalleled performance handling millions of transactions per second
- Battle-tested resilience proven in the world's most demanding environments
- AI acceleration with integrated IBM Telum processors
Modern Development Meets Infrastructure Excellence
Heirloom for IBM mainframe modernization preserves every one of these advantages while adding modern application agility at the coal-face, modern application development lifecycle toolchains, and integration with a vibrant Java ecosystem.
Best of Both Worlds Architecture
Modern Applications, Mainframe Foundation
Application Layer Revolution:
- Modern Java applications with contemporary frameworks
- Continue development in COBOL, PL/I or Java—with line-by-line flexibility
- Industry-standard JDBC connectivity to any relational database
- Cloud-native development practices and DevOps integration
- Preserve existing team expertise while building Java capabilities
- Faster feature delivery with modern tooling
Infrastructure Excellence Preserved:
- Deployed on Linux for Z or zCX containers
- Leverages IBM Z's superior hardware capabilities
- Maintains proximity to core data and systems
- Eliminates network latency and security boundaries
- Preserves compliance and governance models
Strategic Value Proposition
Why IBM Mainframe Modernization on IBM Z?
In-Place Cost Optimization:
- Preserve your infrastructure investments
- Preserve existing team expertise and institutional knowledge
- Replace costly z/OS software with open-source alternatives
- Continue development in familiar languages while adding Java capabilities
- Maintain existing security and compliance frameworks
- Leverage existing operational expertise
Performance Excellence at Enterprise Scale:
- Sub-millisecond response times with local data access
- Handle transaction volumes that can break distributed systems
- Benefit from IBM Z's superior CPU efficiency
- Scale vertically without architectural complexity
Skills and Agility:
- Preserve existing COBOL/PL/I expertise while adding Java capabilities
- Continue development in original languages or Java—your choice
- Attract modern developers without displacing existing team
- Enable gradual skill transition at line-by-line granularity
- Accelerate development with contemporary tooling
- Integrate with modern CI/CD pipelines
Future-Proof Architecture:
- Run modern applications on the world's most reliable platform
- Benefit from IBM's continued Z hardware investment & innovation
- Maintain strategic optionality for future technology adoption
- Preserve institutional knowledge while modernizing delivery
Unlock Additional zIIP Cost Savings
Maximize Your Software License Savings
When Heirloom transforms your COBOL applications to Java on IBM Z, the modernized applications become eligible to run on zIIP specialty processors—unlocking additional cost savings beyond our standard 90% operational cost reduction.
zIIP Eligibility Benefits
- Java applications bypass IBM software licensing charges on zIIP processors
Customers report up to 98% reduction in costly CPU consumption
Hardware costs are a fraction of general processor pricing
zIIP processors run at full speed for optimal performance
The Compounding Effect
Your modernized applications not only gain cloud-native agility and reduced operational overhead—they also qualify for IBM's specialty processor cost advantages. This creates a compounding savings effect that traditional migration approaches cannot deliver.
Pragmatic Modernization That Makes Sense
If the IBM Z hardware platform creates value for your business, then consider an in-place modernization strategy.
While others force you to choose between modern infrastructure or mainframe quality-of-service, Heirloom gives you both. Transform your IBM Z applications into modern Java applications that exploit every advantage of your existing infrastructure investment.
The result? Applications with the agility of modern cloud-native development running on the most reliable, secure, and performant computing platform ever built. This is modernization that enhances your competitive advantages rather than abandoning them.
Your IBM Z investment was made for a reason. Now make it work even harder.
Architecture & Deployment
TECHNICAL FAQ
How do applications modernized with Heirloom actually run on IBM Z hardware?
Heirloom migrates mainframe applications into modern Java applications that can be deployed in two ways on IBM Z:
- Native Linux for Z environments using standard JVM deployment.
- Within zCX containers under z/OS, leveraging Docker containerization with a Linux kernel running inside z/OS.
What Java technologies are used in modernized applications?
Modernized applications run on JDK 17 and JDK 21 and can be deployed to any Jakarta EE application server, giving you complete flexibility in your Java platform choices without vendor lock-in.
Can modernized applications access both z/OS and distributed databases?
Yes. Through industry-standard JDBC connectivity, modernized applications can connect to Db2 for z/OS, Oracle on z/OS, and any other JDBC-compliant database—all from the same application. Additionally, we support JZOS for direct access to VSAM files (KSDS, ESDS, RRDS), sequential files, and partitioned datasets.
Do we need separate LPARs for modernized applications?
Not necessarily. With zCX, modernized applications run as containers within your existing z/OS environment, eliminating separate Linux LPARs while maintaining z/OS operational control.
Performance & Scalability
TECHNICAL FAQ
What's the performance advantage versus distributed systems?
The key advantage is unmatched data access speed. Since zCX runs in the z/OS address space, you achieve direct, local access to your data without network latency. This proximity advantage is crucial for high-performance applications. Read our in-depth analysis of the latency challenge.
Can modernized applications handle mainframe-scale transaction volumes?
Yes. Running on IBM Z hardware provides access to the same processing power, memory bandwidth, and I/O capabilities that handle millions of transactions per second in traditional mainframe environments, but now within a modern application architecture.
What about network latency between applications and data?
Applications running in zCX within z/OS eliminate network latency entirely—data access is local to the same address space, providing sub-millisecond response times that are impossible with distributed architectures.
App Development & Skills
TECHNICAL FAQ
What skills do developers need to maintain modernized applications?
After modernization, you can continue development in your original COBOL, PL/I, or in Java. This is a decision you can make at a very granular level, even at a single line of code. Existing mainframe developers can continue working in familiar languages while Java developers can enhance and extend the same applications using the full capability of the Java ecosystem.
Can we gradually transition our development team to Java?
Absolutely. Heirloom's unique architecture allows incremental skill transition. Your COBOL experts can continue maintaining business logic in their preferred language while Java developers add new features, create APIs, or modernize specific modules. This eliminates the "big bang" retraining requirement that other modernization approaches demand.
How does modernization affect our software licensing costs?
This is where the economics become compelling. Modernized Java applications use open-source components, eliminating the need for many traditional mainframe software products from IBM, Broadcom, BMC and other vendors. Our clients typically see OpEx reductions of at least 60% through reduced software licensing costs alone.