From Green Screens to Modern Web Interfaces

Mainframe applications remain at the heart of critical business operations, but their 3270 green screen interfaces often pose challenges in usability, integration, and modernization. Organizations seeking to improve productivity and user experience while maintaining the robustness of their mainframe systems face a common dilemma: 

👉 How can companies modernize their legacy applications quickly, cost-effectively, and without major code changes?

This question was at the center of the recent Enterprise Systems Media (ESM) webinar. During the session, Alex Moulin (VP of Business Development) and Sebastian Dewar (CTO) walked attendees through these challenges and answered audience questions. 

Let’s take a look at the key insights and takeaways from the event. 

The Challenges of Mainframe UI Enhancement

For years, enterprises have struggled with outdated, text-based TN3270 mainframe user interfaces, which:

❌ Require extensive training for new users
❌ Make data entry cumbersome and error-prone
❌ Lack the graphical features of modern web applications 
❌ Are difficult to integrate with cloud and web-based systems 

Traditional mainframe modernization projects often involve costly, long-term development efforts, such as: 

🔹 Rewriting applications from scratch 
🔹 Replacing legacy systems entirely 
🔹 Migrating to new architectures 

These approaches introduce significant risks, including business disruption, loss of application logic, and high development costs. 

The question remains: Is there an easier way to modernize 3270 applications without rewriting them? 

Introducing Virtel Screen Redesigner: A No-Code UI Modernization Solution

Virtel Screen Redesigner (VSR) is an innovative approach to modernizing mainframe applications without altering the underlying code. 

Key features of VSR

✅ No-code, drag-and-drop UI transformation 
✅ Works directly within a web browser – no additional software required 
✅ Retains existing mainframe application logic – zero impact on business operations 
✅ Quick deployment – transform screens in weeks, not years 
✅ Supports incremental modernization – update screens progressively 

How It Works

VSR intercepts the data flow between the mainframe terminal and the end-user interface, allowing organizations to create modern HTML templates that replace the traditional green screen views. 

🔹 Outdated 3270 screen ➡️ Modern web-based UI 
🔹 PF keys and text-based menus ➡️ Clickable buttons and dropdowns 
🔹 Manual date entries ➡️ Intuitive calendar widgets 

Because VSR acts as a presentation layer, users can switch between modernized and legacy screens seamlessly. 

🎯 Live Demo: Transforming a 3270 Application in Minutes

During the webinar, Sebastian Dewar provided a live demonstration of Virtel Screen Redesigner in action. 

🎬 The Demo: 
1️. Capturing a 3270 screen from a CICS application 
2️. Converting it into a modern, user-friendly web page 
3️. Adding widgets and UI enhancements (e.g., dropdowns, buttons, calendars) 
4️. Deploying the new interface without modifying the mainframe code 

💡 Key Results: 
🔹 Menus, date selection, and checkboxes were added in minutes. 
🔹 The new UI provided an intuitive experience without requiring user training. 

One real-world example shared during the session involved a leading insurance and risk management firm, which used VSR to modernize 1,600 CICS screens in just eight months with a team of only two to three mainframe developers. 

Conclusion

The Enterprise Systems Media webinar highlighted how Virtel is reshaping mainframe usability with a simple, no-code approach to UI transformation. 

💡 If you missed the live session, you can request access to the webinar replay or a personalized demo of Virtel Screen Redesigner. request link here

👉 Want to try Virtel Screen Redesigner? Contact us for a free trial and consultation! 

https://www.virtelweb.fr/contact.html  

🔗 Learn more at www.virtelweb.com