A survey by Micro Focus has indicated that many enterprises could benefit from modernising COBOL and mainframe-based infrastructures, instead of replacing or retiring it.
According to Micro Focus, 70% of respondents in the survey pointed out that COBOL can offer low-risk and effective transformation pathways to support modern digital transformations and business initiatives.
“Thanks to the original design’s readability, adapability and portability, COBOL adds tremendous value for companies as a dependable solution that will continue to grow and thrive,” said Chris Livesey, senior VP for application modernisation and connectivity at Micro Focus.
“With 60 years of experience supporting mission-critical applications and business systems, COBOL continues to evolve as a flexible and resilient computer language.”
Livesey said that although there were changes to where and how COBOL should be delivered, its credentials remain solid and it could well be “set for another decade” of use in the enterprise.
Sixty-three percent of respondents indicated they were choosing to improve on existing COBOL systems in 2020, focusing on functionality and process. Additionally, 92% of respondents felt their organisation’s COBOL applications were strategic – up from 84% of respondents in the same survey in 2017.
The global survey with Vanson Bourne asked COBOL-connected architects, software engineers, developers, development managers and IT executives from 40 different countries about the strategic importance of COBOL applications to their business, future application roadmaps and planning, as well as their development toolchains and resources.
Other findings included that 53% of respondents are planning intiatives around application modernisation and integration of COBOL systems. Thirty-seven percent of respondents are pursuing process modernisation efforts, and another 38% investing in infrastructure modernisation, according to the survey.
