Amazon Web Services Inc. today expanded its AWS Competency Program to make it easier for enterprises to find partner firms that can help them migrate mainframe applications to the cloud.

More than half a century after IBM Corp. launched the world’s first commercial mainframe, systems in the category continue to see active use at many organizations. They’re particularly popular among large enterprises. More than 70% of the companies on the Fortune 500 list run business-critical workloads on mainframes, according to AWS.

The AWS Competency Program is an initiative through which the Amazon.com Inc. unit recognizes partner firms, such as consultancies, that have proven expertise in helping organizations adopt its cloud platform. AWS’ seal of approval helps enterprises find partners with the technologies and know-how they require for their technology projects. For AWS partners, in turn, the validation that the program offers provides a business boost.

AWS’ addition of a new “Mainframe Migration” category to the AWS Competency Program today means that partners focused on this area can demonstrate their expertise to potential customers more effectively. Two types of partners can participate: firms offering technology tools for easing mainframe-to-cloud migrations and consultancies that provide related professional services.

In the technology products category, five partners are featured at launch: Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd., Blu Age Corp., Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, TSRI Inc. and Micro Focus International plc. The companies provide software tools that automate some of the steps involved in moving mainframe applications to the cloud, which can be considerably more challenging than a standard migration. 

Mainframe applications are often written in legacy programming languages, such as COBOL, that were created decades ago and are no longer practical to use. As a result, companies must often rewrite an application’s entire code base in a new language before they can shift it off-premises. The five partners acknowledged by AWS provide software products that automate certain parts of the rewriting process, such as modernizing an application’s database and determining which code components don’t have to be carried over to the new version.

The second group of partners recognized in the Mainframe Migration category offers consulting services. Deloitte is on the list, along with TCS, Wipro Ltd., NTT Data Corp., Infosys Ltd., DXC Technology Co. and HCL Technologies Ltd. 

“Recognizing the complexity of a mainframe migration, AWS customers seek proven methodologies, tools, and best practices to empower successful migrations,” AWS’ Renata Melnyk, Ramesh Jadhav and Phil de Valence wrote in a blog post today. “The AWS Partner Network (APN) plays a critical role in these efforts by providing validated technology products and services for customers’ mainframe migrations.”

AWS says some customers see cost savings of up to 70% by moving mainframe workloads to the cloud. There are other benefits as well. Mainframe applications are difficult to maintain because they’re based on legacy technologies such as COBOL that only a few developers are familiar with. Rewriting such workloads in a newer language and moving to them to the cloud reduces the need for specialized skills, which in turn makes it easier to recruit staffers who can maintain them. 

Photo: Tony Webster/Flickr