Mainframe modernization is a critical need for many large enterprises, who rely on these powerful legacy systems for their core operations. This blog post highlights a real-world success story of mainframe user interface (UI) modernization by Marsh, a global leader in insurance brokerage and risk management
The Challenge
Eurosys, an in-house developed platform used by Marsh for more than three decades, was an extremely reliable mainframe solution, integrating tailored processes to meet their evolving insurance business requirements. It is highly valued for its functionality, performance and security, but relied on a character-based 3270 green screen interface that was cumbersome, difficult to learn and use, and lacked the intuitive features and navigation capabilities that modern user interfaces (UIs) offer.
There was a growing demand for a more modern interface by the Eurosys users, both to improve usability and productivity but also to reduce errors and re-work. A complete system overhaul was daunting and costly, risking the performance of their current system. The cost, effort, and risk of replacing or reengineering such a critical business system was just too great. Marsh needed a solution to improve the usability of the Eurosys platform, without disrupting Marsh’s critical business processes.
The Solution: A Non-Disruptive Modernization Approach
Marsh required a solution to modernize the Eurosys 3270 CICS application interface while maintaining the core functionality of their existing mainframe system. The chosen solution needed to transform the outdated green screens into a modern web interface without changing the underlying application code or interrupting the continued use of the legacy system.
This approach had to be easy to learn and use, allowing the mainframe team to create the new interface without needing specialized web development skills and to implement and adopt the new interface at their own pace.
The desired solution needed to support an adaptable implementation, incremental development and deployment, seamless integration, and sophisticated screen customization capabilities - all without compromising Eurosys performance and security. Marsh selected our solution, Virtel Screen Redesigner (VSR), because it fulfilled all of these requirements.
The Implementation Process
In collaboration with the VSR team, training sessions for a small Marsh mainframe team were conducted, using the modernization of actual Eurosys screens to learn how to most effectively utilize VSR. The user-friendly tool allowed quick iterations with test users, improving on design elements along the way. With VSR's unique architecture that supports concurrent use of both modernized and traditional 3270 green screens, Marsh was able to selectively update screens, focusing on frequently used ones first and gradually addressing less common ones later. This approach to gradual modernization provided crucial development and deployment flexibility. Ultimately, this flexibility led to a unanimous transition to the modernized screens by all users. To date, over 1600 Eurosys 3270 screens have been modernized in a few months months. The final product has been met with enthusiasm throughout the Marsh organization.
The Benefits
Marsh identified 4 major organizational benefits from modernizing the Eurosys 3270 user interface:
😀 Improved User Experience
With the modernized interfaces, Marsh employees experienced a significant improvement in Eurosys usability. The new, intuitive web-based UIs, featuring dropdown lists, checkboxes, radio buttons and more, reduced the learning curve for new and infrequent users and improved overall user productivity and satisfaction.
💪 Increased Efficiency
The streamlined interfaces enabled employees to perform tasks more efficiently, reducing the time required to complete routine operations. The real-time validation and improved data entry features minimized errors and re-work, further boosting productivity.
💰 Cost Savings
Marsh avoided the substantial costs, effort and risks associated with replacing or reengineering the Eurosys system. The VSR no-code approach reduced development, deployment and maintenance time and costs.
🔒 Enhanced Security
VSR ensured the modernized interfaces maintained robust security measures, like Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities and encrypted user session data transmission, which protected sensitive data and ensured compliance with industry standards.
In Conclusion
Marsh's successful modernization of their mainframe 3270 interfaces exemplifies the transformative potential of non-invasive, no-code solutions. By leveraging VSR, Marsh improved their user experience, increased operational efficiency, and achieved significant cost savings without disrupting critical business operations.
Emphasizing modern standards and designs in the use of internal platform is crucial. While solutions, like VSR, can significantly enhance the usability of legacy applications by aligning with current technology trends, it also serves as a powerful complement to broader modernization initiatives, such as hybrid cloud integration, data analytics, API’s integration, AI implementation, etc. By focusing on user interface modernization, new user interfaces not only improves immediate usability but also strengthens the foundation for other critical modernization efforts, making it an integral part of Marsh's strategy to future-proof their mainframe systems. User interface modernization goes beyond design; it’s a key component of a comprehensive transformation that elevates mainframe applications into fully web-enabled platforms, seamlessly aligned with today’s standards.
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Topics: Mainframe, Mainframe Modernization, témoignage, TN3270, terminal emulator, 3270 modernization