One of the significant challenges that Rocket Software faces in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) is bridging the gap between legacy systems like mainframes and modern cloud environments.
Praveen Kumar Chandrashekhar, Rocket Software vice president for sales in Asia Pacific, said many organizations encounter hurdles with data retrieval and integration, which can slow down transformation efforts.
A survey by Rocket Software and Foundry revealed that all 200 global IT leaders still rely on mainframes. However, only 28% use mainframe data extensively for data-driven initiatives.
With the Asia Pacific mainframe market expected to grow at a 9.6% CAGR through 2031, businesses can unlock significant value by leveraging years of customer data with AI and advanced analytics to optimize processes and drive results.
“Rocket Software integrates AI into our hybrid cloud solutions to help businesses modernize and manage their environments more efficiently. With AI, we simplify application analysis, speed up onboarding, optimize workload management, and enable seamless data integration between on-prem and cloud systems,” said Chandrashekhar.
“The goal is to empower businesses to enhance organizational agility and decision-making by unlocking the full potential of these assets and integrating them into hybrid cloud strategies. According to the survey, 66% of respondents report that AI has significantly boosted efficiency in their IT modernization efforts, while 59% note improved technological capabilities for both employees and customers,” he added.
The executive noted that global enterprises increasingly recognize AI as a critical driver of efficiency and performance, not only in application modernization but also in unlocking broader organizational value.
“Rocket Software exemplifies this through innovative solutions like Rocket Content Smart Chat, a secure, AI-driven interface that streamlines document access, and data classification, ensures compliance, and protects sensitive data,” Chandrashekhar said.
“Other standout solutions include Rocket Enterprise Suite, which accelerates mainframe modernization and simplifies cloud transitions, enhancing developer productivity across leading cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure. This helps companies optimize migration and reduce complexity.
Rocket Visual COBOL leverages AI to simplify COBOL code understanding, modernize legacy applications, and ensure seamless integration with hybrid cloud environments, reducing the learning curve and accelerating modernization.”
With over 34 years of expertise, Rocket Software said it continues to empower organizations to unlock the full potential of their core business applications while future-proofing operations for a hybrid cloud world.
Chandrashekhar encouraged businesses to recognize that modernization is essential for adopting emerging technologies like AI.
“AI enhances explainability, empowers the workforce, and enables more natural application interactions. These capabilities help businesses train employees, optimize operations, and engage with systems more intuitively,” he said.
“We at Rocket focus on modernization as a foundation. Legacy systems like mainframes are critical infrastructures used to store vast amounts of transactional data vital for AI and analytics. By leveraging these existing infrastructures, we help businesses unlock valuable insights and optimize processes without requiring a complete overhaul,” he added.
“As we enter 2025, the need for modernization continues to be a priority. 69% of respondents stated that it is crucial to achieving their business objectives, citing scalability, real-time data access, and data security for their IT modernization solutions. Through solutions like Rocket Hybrid Cloud Data Suite, businesses can seamlessly integrate mainframes with cloud technologies, enabling firms to scale while maintaining a unified view of their data.”
The official expects the Asia Pacific region to experience a surge in AI adoption, with cybersecurity, hybrid cloud optimization, and infrastructure modernization emerging as critical priorities.
“As organizations digitize, the need to protect essential systems, from power grids to healthcare networks, has never been more urgent, given the growing sophistication of cyberattacks,” he said.
Cynthia Overby, Rocket Software’s director for customer solutions engineering, emphasized that threat actors are leveraging advanced technologies and AI-driven tools, making attacks increasingly complex.
Michael Curry, president of Rocket Software’s data modernization business unit, said that while 80-90% of enterprise data is unstructured, only 18% of organizations harness its value.
“GenAI presents a transformative opportunity to unlock this untapped potential, but challenges around talent and risk hinder adoption. Thus, organizations will prioritize choosing vendors who can help them overcome these AI-related skill and risk challenges.
“On one hand, neglecting mainframe security measures can expose enterprises to significant financial risks and challenges in adhering to regulations such as DORA, PCI 4.0, and NY State laws. So, organizations will shift from a focus on experiments to a focus on governance.
“Rocket Software helps organizations address these vulnerabilities through continuous security enhancements, ensuring compliance and shielding businesses from breaches. Mainframe security is not a one-time task but a continuous commitment — by proactively managing risks and implementing preventive measures, businesses can protect critical systems, strengthen resilience, and confidently navigate the evolving digital landscape.”
Chandrashekhar said Rocket Software actively collaborates with external research organizations such as Forrester and Foundry, which is a leading global research and advisory firm. These partnerships allow Rocket to gain insights that are rooted in thorough, data-driven research and analysis.
“Additionally, they perform studies about the different challenges that their clients experience, like this Foundry Survey, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and pain points that Rocket Software’s potential clients face.
“Through research and analysis, Rocket can uncover what specific problems these clients need to solve and how to integrate AI-powered solutions — be it related to software, infrastructure, performance issues, or evolving business requirements,” he said.
Responsible mainly for sales and marketing, Chandrashekhar has been instrumental in growing Rocket’s business activity and presence in the Asia Pacific region.
With almost 20 years of experience in sales, service, and software development, Kumar developed his expertise in the industry through his stints at T-Systems (Asia Pacific), IBM for Asia, IBM Global Services, and Nortel Networks.