- AWS
- Mainframe Modernization
Mainframe Application Modernization with AWS
Reimagine legacy applications at scale with AWS
Why modernize mainframe applications with AWS?
Migrate and modernize your mainframe applications with the leader in cloud computing. With AWS Transform for mainframe — powered by agentic AI trained on 19 years of migration experience — you can extract embedded business logic, generate modern application architectures, and build cloud-native services while preserving the rules that run your business. Leverage our proven methodology, AI services, and certified partners to drive innovation, agility, and cost savings. Confidently move your critical mainframe applications to a secure and scalable cloud environment with global reach. Leverage our extensive catalog of open languages, databases, analytics, and cloud-native services to modernize your applications, deliver new business insights, and attract new skilled talent to deliver real business transformation and competitive differentiation.
Benefits
On AWS, customers can move away from rigid monoliths and remove outdated interfaces and protocols. AWS offers horizontal scalability with virtually unlimited capacity to increase scalability and elasticity and can handle workload peaks and spikes while minimizing unused capacity. By taking advantage of the multiple protocols and interfaces available on AWS, companies can unlock core business processes and data in their mainframe.
Once migrated to AWS, customers reduce costs by 60%-90%, allowing them to gain flexibility for experimentation and innovation. Customers can break data silos, make mainframe data available to a wider range of stakeholders, and gain access to analytic tools to derive more value from this locked data.
Modernizing with AWS allows mainframe customers to transition to modern languages such as Python, Java, or .NET. Moving to a modern technology stack allows access to a large pool of talented architects and specialists for design and operation. This resolves the mainframe retirement skill gap and attracts new talent to modernize core business workloads.
Your path to modernization
Navigate mainframe modernization with confidence and control. AWS supports flexible modernization patterns tailored to each workload—refactor legacy code, replatform existing applications, reimagine them as cloud-native services, or take a multi-pattern approach that combines strategies across your portfolio. Transform at your own pace with the freedom to evolve as your business does.
Reimagine
Redesign legacy applications, leveraging modern architectures to introduce new functionality. Reimagining provides a strategic path to enhance business capabilities and processes, accelerating innovation and time-to-market. AWS's agentic AI-powered services enable the transition from batch to real-time processing while supporting complete architectural redesign.
Check out - Tackling large mainframe portfolio with Agentic AI and AWS Transform for more guidance on pattern selection.
Refactor
Transform mainframe applications into modern, cloud-native services while preserving critical business logic. Refactoring offers full-stack transformation to reduce costs, address skill gaps, and eliminate dependencies on legacy technology while enabling innovation and long-term agility. Leverage AWS's agentic AI-powered services to analyze complex applications, identify dependencies, and refactor legacy code into modern languages like Java.
Watch Replatform, refactor, or reimagine? Choosing the best path for your mainframe modernization for more guidance on pattern selection.
Replatform
Migrate mainframe applications to the cloud with minimal code changes. Replatforming provides a fast path to cost savings while keeping options open for future application retirement or modernization. AWS's mainframe-compatible runtime environment preserves invesments in COBOL and PL/1 applications, supporting familiar mainframe utilities and processes.
Watch Replatform, refactor, or reimagine? Choosing the best path for your mainframe modernization for more guidance on pattern selection.
Replace
Replace legacy applications with modern SaaS solutions or custom cloud-native services. Replacement offers a direct path to modern, ready-to-use functionality while eliminating technical debt and ongoing maintenane of aging systems. AWS's broad partner ecosystem provides proven SaaS alternatives tailored to your industry needs.
Augment
Unlock the value of mainframe data by breaking down silos and enabling real-time analytics and AI capabilities in the cloud. Data augmentation enables parallel processing and advanced analytics without disrupting core mainframe operations. Leverage AWS data replication solutions to ensure data consistency, uncover insights, and drive better business decisions while preserving your mainframe as the system of record.
Tools for transformation
AWS Transform for mainframe
AWS Transform for mainframe is the first agentic AI service for modernizing mainframe applications at scale. It automates the most complex phases of modernization — analyzing millions of lines of legacy code, extracting business logic, decomposing monolithic applications into business domains, and generating modern application architectures. AWS Transform supports strategic application modernization patterns: reimagine your applications as cloud-native microservices or refactor COBOL to Java with functional equivalence. Core features, including assessment and transformation, are available at no cost
AWS Migration Acceleration Program
The AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) for Mainframe helps organizations reach their migration goals through proven methodologies, AWS services, tools, and incentives. Our three-phase approach - asses, mobilize, and migrate & modernize - reduces complexity and maximizes success. With MAP, organizations can confidently transform their mission-cirtical mainframe workloads while reducing risk and costs.
AWS Mainframe Modernization Competency Partners
AWS and our mainframe modernization partners have helped hundreds of organizations successfully transform complex mainframe environments into agile cloud services with speed and confidence. From initial assessment and planning through implementation, AWS and our partners provide innovative tools and specialized expertise to ensure successful outcomes during modernization and beyond.
Learn more about AWS Mainframe Modernization Competency Partners
Recognized Leadership
AWS is a leader in ISG Provider Lens Mainframe Application Modernization Software U.S. quadrant 2026 report
ISG, a leading global technology research and advisory firm, has recognized Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a leader in the Provider Lens Mainframes Application Modernization Software quadrant for the fifth consecutive year.
"AWS applies a pragmatic, multipattern approach to comprehensive mainframe modernization. Through AWS Transform for mainframe, it blends deterministic analysis with agent-driven automation to extract business logic, decompose and refactor or reimagine workloads, embed testing, and coordinate partners with traceability and human oversight."
Industry expertise
Financial services
Modern fina services organizations face unprecedented pressure to innovate and compete in an evolving digital landscape. Confidently modernize mission-critical mainframe systems into secure, high-performance cloud services that enable real-time operations and drive innovation. With AWS's AI-powered automation and proven methodologies, leading institutions are modernizing complex workloads—from core banking to claims processing—reducing costs and unlocking new capabilities for growth.
Read about how ADP reimagined tax compliance infrastructure.
Hear about how Itau Unibanco reimagined mainframe applications with AWS Transform.
Hear about how Danske Bank used Agentic AI to reduce modernization effort by 90%.
Public sector
Transform mission-critical mainframe applications into modern, secure cloud services that enhance government operations and citizen experiences. AWS enables public sector modernization at scale, combining AI-powered automation with proven methodologies that maintain strict security and compliance requirements. Government agencies that modernize with AWS reduce infrastructure costs, improve service delivery, and gain the agility to rapidly respond to changing needs.
Automotive and manufacturing
In today's innovative automotive and manufacturing industry, mainframe modernization is key to maintaining competitive advantage. AWS helps manufacturues transform legacy systems into cost-efficient cloud services that accelerate product development and streamline operations. With AI-powered automation, leading automotive companies are modernizing complex mainframe workloads with speed and simplicity, laying the foundation for continued innovation.
Learn how Toyota accelerated mainframe migration with AWS Transform
Healthcare and life sciences
Healthcare and life sciences organizations need agile, data-driven systems to accelerate research, improve patient care, and meet evolving regulatory requirements. AWS helps providers and payers transform mission-critical mainframe workloads into secure, scalable cloud services that enhance operations and enable innovation. Leading healthcare organizations are modernizing mission-critical workloads with AWS to reduce costs while maintaining the highest standards for data privacy and regulatory compliance.
