03/10/97 TEACHING OLD NETWORKS NEW TRICKS

TEACHING OLD NETWORKS NEW TRICKS

DESPITE THE REVOLUTION IN the Internet and PCs, many companies still rely on so-called legacy systems--old mainframe setups and minicomputer networks that run proprietary software. Rewriting those programs into Internet-savvy code, such as Java, can be costly and time-consuming. But a small Atlanta company, Client Server Technologies Inc. (CST), has a solution that allows legacy systems to join the Internet wave.
Jacada is a software program that acts as a translator on a corporate Web server. Users can access mainframe data through the corporate Web site, and the program automatically converts commands written for the legacy system into a Net-friendly format. Jacada costs vary--from $17,000 on up--depending on configuration, such as the number of terminals on a network. Another advantage of employing Jacada software is that corporations can easily add low-cost network computers, which are designed to support Java applications.
By Paul Eng
EDITED BY IRA SAGER