Case Study: LzLabs achieves mainframe modernization and high-throughput performance with Microsoft Azure

LzLabs transforms mainframe technology solutions by leveraging open source on Microsoft Azure

LzLabs, a Swiss software company, helps manufacturers modernize large-scale mainframe environments without risky rewrites. Their Software Defined Mainframe (SDM) addresses the challenge of preserving decades of legacy value — amid a $10 trillion legacy investment, 200 billion lines of COBOL, and the fact that 71% of Fortune 500 firms still rely on legacy apps — while meeting enterprise requirements for reliability, availability, serviceability, and security.

Using SDM on Microsoft Azure (Azure Virtual Machines) and open-source components like Red Hat Linux and PostgreSQL, LzLabs runs legacy executables unchanged in a contemporary cloud environment. The solution processes thousands of mainframe transactions per second, preserves performance and security, and delivers a cost-effective path to cloud-based operations without code conversion.

LzLabs

Mark Cresswell

CEO