Background Space

Behavior-first,
test-driven

Rewriting the risk equation for mainframe modernization

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Mainframe modernization is stuck

Stopgap patches, code conversion, and cloud emulation amplify technical debt. But the pressure to adapt—whether it’s about cost, compliance, or staying competitive—is running into the hard limits of aging but essential systems.

Recreate and Deliver

Based on our learnings, we build a perfect replica of this component in a secure cloud environment where it’s subject to rigorous performance and functional criteria before it goes live. Now this component is modern, tested, instrumented and well understood. Most importantly, it’s ready for innovation—while running smoothly with the rest of the legacy system.

Repeat and Innovate

The process iterates with the next component until the entire system has deployed into the cloud environment. Each subsequent component could take progressively less time through applying our AI tools and organizational learnings.

Because we only work with a single component at a time, each one has a proven fallback method. This profoundly limits the risk to your living, breathing system at any given time.

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Transformation without traditional trade-offs

Imogen captures real data flows to create a precisely equivalent, behavioral replica of a complex system in modern code through a clear, iterative, and transparent process. This makes it remarkably easy to make changes and introduce a state of continuous modernization.

Recreate and Deliver

Based on our learnings, we build a perfect replica of this component in a secure cloud environment where it’s subject to rigorous performance and functional criteria before it goes live. Now this component is modern, tested, instrumented and well understood. Most importantly, it’s ready for innovation—while running smoothly with the rest of the legacy system.

Repeat and Innovate

The process iterates with the next component until the entire system has deployed into the cloud environment. Each subsequent component could take progressively less time through applying our AI tools and organizational learnings.

Because we only work with a single component at a time, each one has a proven fallback method. This profoundly limits the risk to your living, breathing system at any given time.

Learn more
Get in touch

“What was originally scoped as an 18-month effort was delivered in approximately five months.”

⎯ Fortune 100 Industrial Manufacturer (Read the case study)

“We spent years working around the constraints of an outdated system. Now, we have one that moves with us, not against us. With Mechanical Orchard’s approach, we’re set up to modernize faster while maintaining the same level of precision and quality. That’s a real game-changer.”

⎯ Fortune 500 Retailer

“Mechanical Orchard didn’t just modernize our system—they proved that mainframe rewrites can be done safely, without disruption. Their methodology ensures the highest quality, which is what truly matters.”

⎯ Fortune 500 Retailer

“I've been very impressed with the amount of rigor that Mechanical Orchard brought to this engagement.”

⎯ Fortune 100 Healthcare Company

“I'm really impressed with what the team was able to accomplish in a short number of weeks.”

⎯ Fortune 100 Automotive Company

About Imogen®

The conventional modernization model relies on large teams, a patchwork of vendor tools, some of which use AI, and a sequence of phases — analysis, code transpilation, then a long, uncertain stretch of integration and regression testing. After what are often years of effort, success hinges on a single, high-stakes moment to see if everything actually works. Most of the time, it doesn't.

Instead of focusing on code, Imogen captures how individual workloads actually behave — through real data flows — and rewrites that behavior into modern code. By creating a rapid loop of generation and validation against actual production data as each workload is rewritten, Imogen eliminates the long, uncertain integration phase that has defined — and derailed — conventional modernization efforts.

Rather than applying generative AI directly to code translation, Imogen first builds a precise behavioral specification from the running system, then applies a closed loop of rapid code generation and verification against those specifications. The result is software that is audit-quality, idiomatic, and genuinely ready for what comes next — not just syntactically modern.

While the methodology works for any legacy system, our data capture technology is optimized to automate the modernization process for the following mainframe technologies.

OL

Easytrieve

PL/1

Assembler

CICS

IMS

ISAM

IDMS DB

DB2

VSAM

IDMS ADS

OL

Easytrieve

PL/1

Assembler

CICS

IMS

ISAM

IDMS DB

DB2

VSAM

ADMS ADS

An overview of the Imogen® Platform

Imogen® for industries

Background Trees

Your new legacy starts here.

We believe that every company deserves to realize their vision, free of constraints from the past. Our team's technology, and experience can help them move into this evolving version safely, reliably, fearlessly.

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