Microsoft, Micro Focus form alliance to target mainframes - Computerworld

Microsoft, Micro Focus form alliance to target mainframes - Computerworld "Microsoft Corp. and Micro Focus International Ltd. today announced an alliance to promote the migration of mainframe applications onto Intel Corp. servers running Windows using Microsoft's .Net technology.
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The alliance enables the migration and deployment of CICS/Cobol mainframe applications to the Windows platform, the companies said. CICS is a mainframe transaction system.
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Until now, Microsoft hasn't sold against the mainframe, said Bruce Burns, director of Microsoft's platform strategies and partner group.
"What's new is today customers aren't wanting to connect to the mainframe; they want off the mainframe -- so it's at their request that we're forming this alliance," Burns said."