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Overcoming the complexities of Java application modernization
rKube, a Morocco-based IT solutions provider specializing in modernizing IBM® WebSphere® applications and delivering Java upgrades across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), found itself amid growing demands to help customers update its Java applications. Organizations face many potential challenges with modernizing Java applications, including poor documentation, complex codebases and outdated testing. For many businesses, these challenges hinder their growth and impact their competitive edge.
With a decade of experience in this space, rKube recognized the urgent need to accelerate Java modernization capabilities with a solution that understood the entire software development lifecycle and assisted with the actual transformation. Traditionally, application modernization processes have required extensive manual effort, often resulting in significant bottlenecks and increased costs. So, rKube sought an approach using generative AI (gen AI) and automation.
To effectively tackle these widespread challenges, rKube engaged IBM for help, and they worked together with IBM Client Engineering to conduct a proof of concept (PoC) with IBM® watsonx Code Assistant™. Watsonx Code Assistant iis a solution that helps accelerate code generation and increase developer productivity with generative AI, and is also specifically trained and optimized for modernizing enterprise Java applications. The pilot ran for 6 weeks and involved 10 participants from both companies, using data primarily from rKube.
During the PoC, watsonx Code Assistant was integrated into rKube’s workflow, helping to automate several laborious steps. These steps included generating precise code transformations that were directly applicable to existing systems, creating comprehensive unit tests to help ensure accuracy after updates and providing a detailed explanatory analysis of the modified components, which enhanced overall transparency throughout the development cycle. These capabilities enabled developers to accelerate the process of application modernization and substantially streamline operational efficiency.
Enhanced efficiency, sustained high quality and reduced costs with gen AI
The PoC was successful. Because watsonx Code Assistant is specifically trained for modernizing enterprise Java applications, the team achieved an impressive milestone of transforming 80% of the in-scope WebSphere application code automatically into contemporary frameworks for IBM WebSphere Liberty. Additionally, the entire application modernization development cycle was accelerated with unit test generation and summarization capabilities that are built right into watsonx Code Assistant.
- Transformed 80% of traditional WebSphere application code automatically
- Increased Java unit test coverage to 90%
For rKube, the capabilities of IBM watsonx Code Assistant proved to be ideally suited for streamlining software development and increasing employee productivity while modernizing enterprise Java applications and improving the customer experience in the process.
rKube (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a leading application modernization company based in Morocco, providing innovative solutions to help businesses upgrade and migrate their existing applications to the cloud with ease.
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Examples presented as illustrative only. Actual results will vary based on client configurations and conditions and, therefore, generally expected results cannot be provided.