Rocket Software, a global technology leader in modernization software, announced groundbreaking innovations to its COBOL solutions designed to help businesses update COBOL applications without disrupting ongoing operations or compromising application reliability. The announcement further underscores Rocket Software’s commitment and belief in COBOL as a mission-critical program for business success. The company’s advancements with opt-in GenAI-assisted development, expanded support for ARM processors, and deep modernization expertise uniquely empower enterprises to evolve core systems, integrate seamlessly with modern platforms, and reimagine the future potential of COBOL.
COBOL remains a cornerstone of global business operations powering 70% of the world’s business transaction processing across industries such as banking, insurance, travel, retail, and government. However, running COBOL that has not been modernized —combined with outdated engineering tools and practices—can slow innovation, increase operational risk, and expose systems to today’s security threats. Organizations with COBOL at their core can no longer afford to operate on outdated applications and systems or take unnecessary, expensive risks with application rewrite projects. The company’s latest updates empower enterprises to modernize critical applications and systems, quickly and safely. These advancements unlock new opportunities for innovation and competitive agility while reducing operational risk, lowering costs, and alleviating talent shortage.
The company’s updated COBOL innovations include:
- Visual COBOL standardizes COBOL development alongside other programming languages, giving developers access to modern tools, practices, and DevOps workflows. It enables faster delivery of change, promotes collaboration across teams, and helps organizations unlock and extend the value of their COBOL business logic.
- COBOL Server provides a high-performance, portable deployment platform for COBOL applications. It supports low-risk deployment to new infrastructure, access to modern IT architectures—including cloud and container environments—and enables seamless integration with APIs, .NET, and Java platforms. This flexibility helps organizations modernize quickly and safely, extending the value of their COBOL systems while adapting to evolving business and technology needs.
- COBOL Analyzer helps organizations extend the value of large-scale COBOL systems by making them easier to understand, manage, and evolve. With GenAI-powered insights and tooling designed to integrate into modern developer architect workflows, it enables any team member to work confidently with COBOL applications—boosting productivity and reducing dependence on niche skills.
“COBOL powers countless mission-critical applications that organizations rely on every day—but when these systems, tools, and development practices are not modernized, innovation slows and risk increases,” said Phil Buckellew, President of the Infrastructure Modernization Business Unit at Rocket Software. “With decades of expertise in COBOL modernization, Rocket Software is not just supporting COBOL— we’re transforming how it’s developed, deployed, and integrated to ensure it remains a vital engine of business innovation and digital transformation for years to come.”
These new updates will benefit customers by providing:
- Modernization in place, without disruption: Upgrade existing COBOL systems without rewriting—preserving business continuity, minimizing downtime, and reducing risk. Maximize ROI and avoid costly rewrites. Build on trusted COBOL logic and data to deliver new value by leveraging modern syntax while avoiding the high cost and risk of starting from scratch.
- Accelerated development with GenAI-powered insight: Help developers quickly understand and work with COBOL code through AI-driven explanations and analysis—reducing ramp-up time and enabling faster, safer change.
- Talent flexibility and skills transfer: Empower any developer to maintain and enhance COBOL applications, regardless of COBOL expertise or experience, reducing dependence on hard-to-find skills.
- Ready for what’s next: Easily connect COBOL systems to new applications, APIs, and a broad ecosystem of hybrid and multi-cloud environments to support evolving business models.
“Our partnership with Rocket Software spans many years and is grounded in shared trust and performance,” said David Gemmell, Delivery Practice Director & Programme Director, Nationwide Building Society. “We’re continuing to make decisions on our core systems based on what’s best for our members and are working with Rocket Software to transition onto Rocket COBOL. We look forward to taking this important step with Rocket Software and our continued positive partnership.”
In tandem with these product advancements, Rocket Software is investing in the next generation of talent through its NextGen Academy in the U.K. The innovative program is designed to prepare participants with the essential skills and hands-on experience needed to excel in enterprise software development, with a focus on COBOL and other critical technologies. Rocket Software also offers an online course to teach IT professionals the basics of COBOL in one day.
