My Rocket Software Journey – Insights from a Former AMC Employee
On May 1, 2024, Rocket Software closed the acquisition of OpenText’s Application Modernization and Connectivity (AMC) Business. This strategic move underscores Rocket Software’s unwavering commitment to modernization for organizations worldwide. Rocket Software’s commitment to bringing the best solutions to the market is clearly displayed with its addition of the products from AMC (formerly part of Micro Focus). For me personally, this journey has been amazing so far, and I look forward to what the future holds for us!
Over the past five years, I have worked as a product marketing manager at AMC. Initially, I focused on our Host Connectivity portfolio, which includes terminal emulation, RPA, and security for the mainframe. Later, I expanded my role to cover all AMC products, including COBOL, the Enterprise Suite, ChangeMan ZMF, and CORBA. This experience allowed me to gain insight into the various aspects of mainframe modernization, from in-place modernization to mainframe migration. With my background, I can confidently state that Rocket Software’s acquisition of AMC is a great move for the mainframe market.
An Analysts Perspective
Don’t just take my word for it—a leading analyst agrees that this acquisition is transformative. Steven Dickens, Vice President and Practice Leader for Hybrid Cloud, Infrastructure, and Operations at the Futurum Group, referring to the acquisition of AMC, stated, “this acquisition enhances Rocket Software’s ability to provide cutting-edge solutions and significantly strengthens its position as a leader in the mainframe modernization space. As Rocket Software continues to integrate and develop AMC’s products, the company is well-placed to drive innovation and leadership in a market that is increasingly critical for businesses aiming to bridge the gap between traditional systems and future technological landscapes.”
Furthermore, Peter Rutten, research vice president, performance-intensive computing, IDC, expressed that “the combination of OpenText’s AMC business and Rocket Software’s highly complementary businesses will create one of the world’s largest mainframe modernization and connectivity software companies, …this investment shows Rocket Software’s commitment to meeting clients wherever they are in their modernization journey. Now, Rocket Software will have a comprehensive portfolio that allows clients to modernize their workloads in place, move applications to the cloud or a combination of both through a hybrid strategy, which we see most enterprises prefer.” Rocket Software is well-positioned to help customers stay competitive, leverage data, applications, and infrastructure effectively, regardless of their chosen modernization approach.
The Combined Portfolio
This acquisition enriches Rocket Software’s already extensive portfolio of modernization solutions. Adding complementary Host Connectivity, Application Development and CORBA solutions. These, along with the additions of COBOL and Enterprise Suite technologies, allow Rocket Software to expand the mainframe modernization approaches that it can deliver, enabling choice and allowing customers to run workloads wherever it makes sense for their business. Notably, the Enterprise Suite solution set enables customers to analyze, develop, test, modernize, and deploy mainframe and COBOL applications seamlessly. This holistic approach strikes the right balance between flexibility, choice, and speed to market, enabling a better modernization journey for mainframe and COBOL applications.
What This Means to Me
As evident from the statements above, this acquisition holds immense promise for both the market and our valued customers. On a personal note, I am thrilled to be part of Rocket Software. This organization demonstrates unwavering dedication to the mainframe market and its customers. Having worked in the mainframe modernization field for over five years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the pressing need for organizations to embrace modernization. Unfortunately, mainframe customers have often been overlooked. Many organizations fail to recognize the critical importance of modernizing their mainframe systems. Yet, the need persists, and there are many organizations on the mainframe. Recent data from IBM shows that:
- 67% of Fortune 100 companies rely on the mainframe.
- The mainframe is used by 45 of the top 50 banks, 8 of the top 10 insurers, 8 of the top 10 telcos, and 7 of the top 10 retailers.
- IBM zSystems run 70% of global transactions on a value basis.
Rocket Software Values and Modernization
The mainframe is here to stay, and it needs to be modernized. Upon joining Rocket Software, I have quickly seen that Rocket Software understands this need and is here to help. Within Rocket Software, there’s an unwavering commitment to serving this market, evident through the Rocket Software Values - empathy, humanity, trust, and love. These four elements make up the values that define Rocket Software and help inform how they serve not only their customers but their fellow Rocketeers and partners as well. And now that I am part of Rocket Software, as a Rocketeer I have witnessed first-hand that this company doesn’t merely talk about these values, they actively live them.
Rocket Software embraces the challenge of modernization, and I am grateful to be a part of this journey.! I am hopeful for what the future holds – for me, for the mainframe, and most importantly for our customers.
Here’s to the next chapter in this exciting modernization journey!
