Gain enterprise-wide application visibility, uncover dependencies and guide complex changes with greater control using IBM Bob
Modernize IBM Z with control
Mainframe still runs the business, processing billions of transactions with decades of proven reliability. But hybrid architectures, retiring experts, scarce z/OS skills and complex application dependencies make modernization urgent and risky. The challenge is not whether to modernize, but how to do it without disrupting what works.
IBM Bob Premium Package for Z extends IBM Bob with deep mainframe expertise, enterprise-wide application context and purpose-built agentic AI workflows for IBM Z. Available through SaaS and self-hosted deployment options, it helps teams understand applications across the enterprise, then plan, execute, validate and govern multi-step modernization workflows across the SDLC. By combining application metadata, IBM Z domain expertise and guided workflows, Bob brings greater context, automation and intelligence directly into the development experience.
What you can do
Understand applications across the enterprise
Build a deeper understanding of complex IBM Z applications using application metadata, data dictionaries, dependencies, control flow, and business context.
Move beyond individual files and programs to understand how applications fit together, identify important relationships, and give architects and developers the context they need to assess modernization impact before making changes.
Accelerate code modernization workflows
Move from analysis to implementation with guided, repeatable workflows designed for enterprise mainframe development.
IBM Bob Premium Package for Z helps teams explain and modify code, refactor COBOL and PL/I applications, extract reusable service programs, create implementation plans, and validate changes through structured modernization workflows.
IBM Z-specific context, application insight, and developer checkpoints help teams modernize incrementally while maintaining control over complex changes.
Visualize application structure and dependencies
See how programs, application components, data, and dependencies connect across complex IBM Z environments.
Application analysis helps teams uncover relationships that may extend beyond an individual developer workspace, improve impact analysis, and identify the programs and dependencies that matter before implementation begins.
This broader system context helps teams plan changes with greater confidence across large, interconnected application estates.
Turn application knowledge into reusable documentation
Make complex IBM Z applications easier to understand with generated program and application documentation, business rules, logic flows, diagrams and cross-referenced application views.
Teams can move from explaining an individual program to building a broader view of application structure and behavior, helping preserve institutional knowledge, accelerate onboarding, support impact analysis and prepare applications for modernization.
See how it works
Benefits
Build application context across programs, dependencies, business rules, and system relationships so teams can assess impact and plan modernization with greater confidence.
Use guided workflows across analysis, planning, refactoring, transformation, validation, and documentation to help teams move modernization forward in controlled, incremental steps.
Combine IBM Z expertise, deterministic application understanding, developer oversight and validation to help teams modernize critical applications while maintaining architectural awareness and governance.
Capture application logic, business rules, dependencies, and system context in reusable documentation so knowledge can be shared across teams and does not remain concentrated with a small number of experts.
How to buy
IBM Bob Premium Package for Z
Extend IBM Bob with specialized modernization capabilities for the enterprise mainframe applications that run the business.
- Understand applications and dependencies across complex IBM Z estates
- Generate business-aware application and program documentation
- Refactor and modernize COBOL and PL/I through guided workflows
- Extract business logic and reusable service components
- Apply IBM Z-specific language, middleware, and application context
- Plan, execute, validate, and govern modernization through structured workflows
- Choose SaaS or on-premises deployment options to align with enterprise infrastructure and operational requirements
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Resources
Learn more about the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z Modernization features and capabilities built to accelerate mainframe development.
Explore other IBM Z application development portfolio products designed to accelerate mainframe modernization with generative AI and DevOps automation.
Visit the IBM Bob developer site to review product documentation, tutorials, and in-depth demos of Bob in action.