Hi everyone, 

Welcome to Rocket® COBOL Fuel, your monthly source for all things COBOL. In this issue, you’ll discover how Rocket Software is driving COBOL modernization, gain exclusive access to our Product Roadmap, and explore the renewed Rocket COBOL community.

COBOL Now: Rocket Software Advances COBOL Modernization

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 However, running COBOL that has not been modernized, combined with outdated engineering tools and practices, can slow innovation, increase operational risk, and expose systems to today’s security threats. Organizations with COBOL at their core can no longer afford to operate on outdated applications and systems, or take unnecessary, expensive risks with application rewrite projects.

Rocket COBOL’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.
 

“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. 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.”

Phil Buckellew, President of the Infrastructure Modernization Business Unit at Rocket Software.

These new updates will benefit you 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 costs and risks 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.
• Readiness 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.

To learn more about Rocket Software’s updated COBOL solutions or to discuss an upgrade to the latest version of Rocket® Visual COBOL®, please contact your account manager.

The Most Detailed Rocket COBOL Roadmap 

With the release of Rocket Visual COBOL 11.0, we’re proud to present our most detailed and forward-looking product vision to date. This roadmap reflects Rocket Software’s priorities and unwavering commitment to COBOL modernization, ensuring your mission-critical applications evolve without disruption.

Here are some of the key themes shaping our vision:

• AI-driven development and tooling
• Security and resilience
• Innovation in the COBOL language
• Flexible modernization pathways

This roadmap is a living document that we’ll continuously revisit and refine to stay aligned with your evolving needs and the shifting technology landscape.

Want exclusive access to the full document? Reach out to me via skovalenko@rocketsoftware.com.

COBOL events

Watch the recording
COBOL: Modernization Without Myths

Discover COBOL modernization without myths and outdated perceptions. Learn why COBOL remains vital to global businesses and how Rocket Software’s portfolio enables modernization, without disruption.

Watch the recording
 

Recap
The Future of COBOL in London

At the beginning of October, Rocket Software hosted the Future of COBOL event at a beautiful venue near the London Eye. We explored AI-powered modernization, the new features of Rocket Visual COBOL and Rocket® ACUCOBOL® products, and heard an inspiring modernization story from Nationwide Building Society.

Renewed COBOL community 

If you’re reading this, you’re already exploring our upgraded customer community platform.  It’s a place for you to ask questions, share insights, learn from each other, and grow together. 

We want this forum to be a go-to place for COBOL specialists, so if you have any feedback, let us know. We’re all ears!

Have questions or suggestions for future Rocket COBOL Fuel newsletters? Please share your feedback by replying to this email.