What is Software AG?
JOPAZ is a powerful mainframe optimization tool from Software AG designed to help organizations get more out of their IBM Z systems—without costly hardware upgrades. If your business runs critical COBOL applications on the mainframe, you know how expensive and limited central processor (CP) capacity can be. JOPAZ solves this by intelligently shifting eligible COBOL workloads off the general-purpose processors and onto specialty engines like zIIP, instantly freeing up valuable capacity.
This means you can reduce MIPS consumption, lower operational costs, and create room for new digital initiatives—all while maintaining or even improving performance. Unlike risky rewrites or disruptive migrations, JOPAZ works with your existing applications, requiring no code changes. It’s a smart, low-effort way to modernize your mainframe strategy and support ongoing innovation.
What are the features of Software AG?
- COBOL Workload Redistribution: Automatically moves compatible COBOL processing from general CPUs to zIIP specialty engines, reducing CP usage.
- Immediate Capacity Reclamation: Frees up mainframe capacity instantly—no waiting for hardware refreshes or application rewrites.
- Zero Code Changes Required: Works with your existing COBOL applications; no development effort or testing cycles needed.
- Performance Preservation: Maintains or enhances application performance while lowering costs.
- Scalable for Growth: Creates headroom to deploy new workloads or handle increased transaction volumes without expanding CP capacity.
- Seamless Integration: Designed specifically for IBM Z environments and integrates smoothly with existing mainframe operations.
What are the use cases of Software AG?
- A financial services firm reduces monthly mainframe costs by 20% by offloading batch COBOL jobs to zIIP using JOPAZ.
- A government agency extends the life of its legacy mainframe system while launching new cloud-connected citizen services.
- An insurance company handles seasonal spikes in claims processing without purchasing additional CPU capacity.
- An enterprise prepares for digital transformation by reclaiming unused capacity to support hybrid cloud integrations.
- A retail business optimizes year-end reporting workloads to avoid peak-period performance bottlenecks.
- An organization mitigates rising technical debt by maximizing existing infrastructure instead of embarking on risky rewrites.
How to use Software AG?
- Identify high-utilization COBOL applications running on your IBM Z mainframe that are good candidates for offloading.
- Work with Software AG’s Professional Services team to analyze your workload profile (consider requesting their free workshop).
- Deploy JOPAZ to compile eligible COBOL programs into Java bytecode optimized for zIIP execution.
- Monitor performance and capacity metrics to confirm reduced CP usage and cost savings.
- Scale the solution across additional workloads as needed to maximize ROI.
- Combine JOPAZ with other Software AG tools like Adabas & Natural for end-to-end mainframe modernization.
