Today there are new and exciting possibilities available to you for creating a robust IT landscape. Such possibilities include those that can move current IT assets into the twenty-first century, while supporting state-of-the-art new applications. With advancements in software, hardware and networks, old and new applications can be integrated into a seamless IT landscape.

Mobile devices are growing at exponential rates and will require access to data across the current and new application suites through new channels. Cloud computing is the new paradigm, featuring anything from SaaS to full server deployment. And although some environments are trying to virtualize and secure themselves, others such as IBM® zEnterprise® have been at the forefront even before cloud computing entered the scene.

This IBM Redpaper™ publication discusses how transformation and extensibility can let you keep core business logic in IBM IMS™ and IBM CICS®, and extend BPM, Business Rules and Portal in IBM WebSphere® on IBM z/OS® or Linux on IBM System z® to meet new business requirements. The audience for this paper includes mainframe architects and consultants.

Chapter 1. Business and IT trends and how they affect existing applications

Chapter 2. Attributes of an agile IT architecture

Chapter 3. The way today's mainframe applications are implemented

Chapter 4. Evolution paths to achieve more value

Chapter 5. Summary of reasons and approaches for extension, transformation, and growth