Whether a state or local government, or a U.S. government agency, a major problem facing government and industry alike is their aging mainframe systems. A shrinking workforce with experience in older languages such as COBOL, limits the ability of organizations to maintain these legacy systems and prepare for the future. This was apparent as states like New Jersey, facing strain on their systems during the early days battling COVID, called for assistance with their COBOL systems.

Now as federal agencies seek new opportunities to introduce efficiencies via artificial intelligence (AI), these systems provide an easy target for modernization. AI with its ability to tackle complex, repetitive tasks accurately provides one solution to the government mainframe modernization challenge.

To this end, our Karsun Innovation Center experts devoted their time to producing a complete suite of AI solutions dedicated to tackling the mainframe modernization challenge.

The COBOL Modernization Challenge

With their decades-old interconnected applications and systems, these legacy mainframe systems are complex, expensive to maintain, difficult to change, and vulnerable to attacks. At the same time, the cloud presents the opportunity to build secure, resilient systems that adapt to the changing needs of its users.

Past modernization and migration attempts appeared out of reach for these systems. Stymied by both the cost and time required to transform these systems. These high-value assets handling mission-critical workloads present a high stakes challenge for modernization teams. Often core to the business with large customer bases, they have vast complex functionality that must be broken down into smaller parts before proceeding.

Karsun applied AI, speeding up this tedious task while ensuring modernization teams had a complete map of the legacy system. Using its ReDuX platform, Karsun limited the impact of poorly documented systems and unanticipated relationships between components. When integrated with the other tools available in the ReDuX platform, AI-assisted teams generated production ready code two times faster than when they used humans alone.

Further given this complexity, some organizations may decide to simply replatform the system. But AI gives us the opportunity to do more than lifting and shifting the application to the cloud. It empowers us to optimize with a product mindset. With this in mind we can build human centered systems that scale and adapt to a changing environment.

The Solution: AI for Mainframe Modernization

Enter ReDuX, Karsun’s AI-powered digital transformation platform. We built our platform using AI to accelerate modernization while reducing risk. Using Amazon Bedrock, a platform that provides access to AI tools via an API, Karsun built a comprehensive digital transformation platform. Karsun’s ReDuX provides AI-enhanced tools for modernization team members from designers to developers in a single platform.

Using generative AI, the platform creates a complete blueprint of a legacy system, reducing risk, and generates behavioral insights. Using this information business analysts, designers, and others do more than rewrite these legacy systems, they reimagine an optimized system designed to match the needs of its users.

This product oriented process is enhanced throughout the modernization effort via the platform’s digital transformation agents. Using agentic AI, the modernization team can chat with their code for deeper understanding and apply reusable templates using automations to rapidly scale their work while reducing risk.

ReDux is already in use by the Karsun teams delivering large-scaled complex modernization solutions to our federal agency customers. We recently shared our experience on the AWS Public Sector Blog. To learn more about AI Solutions for government modernization visit us here: https://karsun-llc.com/solutions/artificial-intelligence-ai-solutions/

Stuck with a difficult modernization challenge? Check out GoReDuX.AI and get unstuck today!

This summer, our Karsun Innovation Center was filled with excitement as our intern cohort tackled AI research and development projects. These talented students addressed real-world challenges and contributed to our cutting-edge AI toolkits and resources. As we conclude 2024, we highlight below the exceptional work done by our interns, with a focus on their projects and the skills they honed while with our modernization experts.

Embracing Real-World Challenges

From their first day in our Herndon, Virginia offices, our interns were exposed to complex problems that demanded innovative solutions. Namrata Hari, a Computational Modeling and Data Analytics student, applied her knowledge to develop a task management application using Java Spring Boot and React. Her project prepared her team for upcoming tasks and equipped them to handle the intricacies of modern software development. Namrata’s primary focus during her AI internship was on testing ReDuX, a toolkit for AI-accelerated modernization. She and her team assessed memory, user interface, and overall user experiences, identifying and addressing defects to improve the AI bot’s functionality.

Pioneering AI Solutions with ReDuX AI

Another inspiring story comes from Samhita Kumar, a rising sophomore at Yale University. Samhita leveraged the ReDuX toolkit for her projects, particularly the AI code generation capabilities included in AppPilot. She combined various tools—Java Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Podman, and React, among others—to build full-stack projects and refine her understanding of AI applications. Her work involved proposing enhancements to ReDuX and resolving defects within the AppPilot’s frontend design. Samhita’s contributions are an excellent example of AI internships at the Karsun Innovation Center pushing the boundaries of modern software development.

Enhancing User Experience through Full-Stack Development

Manojdeep Dakavaram‘s internship was a blend of full-stack development and problem-solving. A master’s student in computer science, he worked on multiple projects, including a centralized task management system and automating user access to Karsun’s O’Reilly virtual training library. His efforts improved user experiences by addressing critical bug fixes and developing new features in the React front end of AppPilot. Manojdeep’s work showcased the powerful impact of meticulous development and technology integration.

Data Management and Visualization Innovations

Pravalika Gollapudi, a Master’s student at Arizona State University, concentrated on data management and dashboards. She developed a CRUD application and a React dashboard, which streamlined data interactions and improved presentation reliability through rigorous testing. Pravalika’s role also involved conducting data quality analysis, ensuring data integrity and reliability. Her projects underscored the pivotal role data plays in modern AI and software systems.

Automation and Streamlined Workflows

The importance of automation and workflow optimization was highlighted by Visvajit Murali’s contributions. A student from the University of Virginia, Visvajit utilized technologies like PostgreSQL, Spring Boot, and Docker to automate tedious tasks, enhancing user experiences and system efficiency. His work illustrated how automating repetitive tasks can drive productivity and innovation.

Advancing with Generative AI

Generative AI continues to be a game-changer in the tech industry, as evidenced by the work of our interns and our ReDuX mainframe modernization team. The Karsun Innovation Center challenged these students to explore and propose enhancements to our AI toolkits. This focus on generative AI was epitomized by their efforts in developing and refining AI-driven code generation tools, which promise to accelerate and streamline modernization processes effectively.

Lessons and Growth from Internship Experiences

The professional growth of our interns was significantly influenced by their experiences at the Karsun Innovation Center. Daily interactions with seasoned experts, regular “Show Don’t Tell” meetings, and hands-on projects provided them with invaluable industry insights. Interns like Namrata and Manojdeep highlighted the benefits of a collaborative and supportive environment, while others, such as Pravalika and Visvajit, emphasized the importance of continuous learning and adaptability.

This summer, our interns at the Karsun Innovation Center not only contributed to the development of AI solutions but also grew as professionals poised to lead the next wave of innovation. Their stories serve as testaments to the power of immersive learning and the impact of forward-thinking, supportive mentorship. As we look ahead, we are excited to see how these budding experts will shape the world of AI and technology. Check out our Innovation Center Projects to learn more about ReDuX and other emerging technology projects from our research and development team.

For many organizations, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Competency is table stakes. In fact, Canalys released a report revealing that organizations with AWS Specializations, including competencies, unlock $315 billion in customer spending. Moreover, 87% of customers surveyed ranked specializations among the top three selection criteria. For the Amazon Partner Network (APN) partners that achieve these designations, it signifies their expertise, commitment to industry best practices, and ability to deliver solutions seamlessly on AWS. For competency partners, it also presents new opportunities to leverage AWS resources to empower their customers as they migrate to the cloud and accelerate technology adoption.

Migration Incentives

An AWS Competency more than differentiates partners based on their expertise and experience. It also opens up new opportunities to support customer modernization efforts. A 2022 Canalys Partner Ecosystem Multiplier study found that for every dollar of AWS infrastructure sold, there is up to $6.40 available to partners to deliver services to customers.

For example, Karsun achieved its AWS Migration Competency in 2021. As a result of this designation, Karsun teams could use AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) resources. This comprehensive program packages best practices, tools, expertise, and financial incentives to make cloud adoption easier. When applicable, Karsun implements these financial incentives as part of its Cloud Runways toolkit, which accelerates cloud migration through fit-to-purpose transformation playbooks. These enable incremental migrations that adapt to unique customer requirements and constraints.

Technology Acceleration

A government information technology contractor with more than a decade of experience serving U.S. government agencies, Karsun achieved its Government Competency status in 2019. The competency differentiates AWS Partner Network (APN) members serving government agencies with deep domain expertise in security and compliance, in addition to innovative cloud solutions that leverage AWS services.

In a recent video, Karsun Innovation Center Senior Vice President Badri Sriraman shares his experience integrating emerging technology with the resources available to AWS government competency partners. Filmed at the AWS Washington, D.C. Summit Government Competency Leadership Circle, Sriraman discusses how his team used tools from AWS to accelerate Karsun’s AI toolkit, ReDuX AI. Powered by AWS Bedrock, ReDuX AI uses analysis generative AI to perform code analysis, provide recommendations, and generate code for teams working on mainframe modernization projects. To learn more about ReDuX AI, visit GoReDuX.AI.

In addition to migration and technology benefits, competency partners have access to specialized training, industry events, and support from AWS experts. Partners with AWS Specializations have a wealth of opportunities to support their customers’ modernization ambitions. Overall, the partners that have obtained AWS Competencies significantly enhanced their ability to deliver high-quality AWS solutions.

Karsun is among those partners using the full range of resources available to it as it serves its agency customers. It elevates agency capabilities through modern software development, cloud, data, and AI solutions. Its cloud portfolio offers a full suite of solutions, including hybrid architecture, platform buildout, and application migration. It has AWS Government, Migration, and DevOps Competencies and is a Well-Architected Partner. To dive into Karsun’s complete cloud solutions portfolio, visit https://karsun-llc.com/solutions/cloud-solutions/.

Our Karsun Innovation Center (KIC) Interns explore complex modernization problems, experiment with emerging technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), and engage with experts on our research and development team. Every summer, we feature our interns’ work on the Karsun website. In this interview, Computer Science student Samhita Kumar shares her experience with the AI code pairing tools included in Karsun’s ReDuX AI, front-end design using component libraries, and task management automation.

Finding Her Next: Software Development, Cryptography and AI Innovation

First, please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

Samhita: I’m Samhita, a rising sophomore at Yale University studying computer science. In my free time, I enjoy reading, visiting museums, and baking. I’m also part of my school’s moot court team and love learning about Constitutional law.

What do you want to do after this internship? What are your career goals?

Samhita: I hope to build on the skills I’ve acquired while here, and to apply my knowledge to real-world problems. I aim to pursue opportunities in software development and cryptography, and to continue working with new innovations like ReDuX.

Full Stack Development and Generative AI

Karsun’s ReDuX AI uses generative AI to make code, data, and access control recommendations. In addition to their work exploring the use of AI for modern software development, we also challenged our interns to identify and propose enhancements to our AI toolkits. Samhita applied her full stack development skills to this challenge.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

Samhita: I have primarily been working with KIC’s ReDuX AI code pair tool, AppPilot. I used Java SpringBoot, PostgreSQL, Podman, Testcontainers, Nx, React, and Jest to build a full-stack project while testing AppPilot. My front-end design pulled in several component libraries such as Metrostar Comet. I also created a Task Manager project with CRUD functionality and user accounts to strengthen my understanding of the technology stack. Finally, I helped find and resolve defects within AppPilot.

Flexibility, Adaptability, and Innovation

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

During our biweekly “Show, Don’t Tell” meetings, I’ve been able to learn about the projects that the Karsun Innovation Center is working on. It has been amazing to explore so many different technologies and to see the different approaches that can be taken to address blockers.

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

It is definitely the importance of flexibility. I’ve gained so much practical experience and observed how unexpected issues can arise at any moment. To tackle these challenges, I learned to remain adaptable and prepared for anything. This approach has proven incredibly helpful, and it’s one I will definitely carry forward in my career.
Samhita worked alongside Karsun Innovation Center experts throughout her internship program. Discover how Karsun experts are modernizing for every next in our Innovation Center by accelerating transformation with the ReDuX AI toolkit.

Recording live from the AWS Summit Washington, D.C., Karsun’s Badri Sriraman sits down with John Gilroy and the Federal Tech Podcast to discuss all things AI, accelerating legacy systems modernization and hyperlocal contextualization. Badri is the Vice President of the Karsun Innovation Center. Here, teams work to eliminate or reduce friction for the agencies modernizing their legacy systems. As part of that work, they developed ReDuX AI, a toolkit using AI resources to address common issues related to modernizing these older, more complex legacy systems. Throughout the interview, Badri and John discuss the costs and security risks associated with staying on current systems and the opportunity for AI to provide insight through hyperlocal contextualization to tackle these challenges.

Addressing the O&M Problem

The interview begins by acknowledging the drag aging infrastructure has on these agencies’ enterprise systems. The issue becomes intractable when operations and maintenance (O&M) costs become so high they take up the budget that would otherwise be used for modernization and systems enhancements. A 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examined the 10 critical systems it identified most in need of modernization. Some of those systems were over 50 years old and, in total, cost the government upwards of $337 million annually to operate and maintain.

In addition to the O&M costs, complex relationships between different systems components, older programming languages like COBOL, and outdated documentation all contribute to the difficulty of modernizing mission-critical legacy systems like those studied. As Badri reveals in the interview, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to address many of those concerns. Moreover, those same AI tools may accelerate the transition, further reducing O&M costs as agencies move away from these legacy systems.

Eating the Elephant

In the interview, Badri shares a key component of Karsun’s AI-accelerated modernization methodology, hyperlocal contextualization. In a traditional modernization project, teams typically take an incremental approach. To “eat the elephant,” teams go one step at a time, optimizing as they modernize to reduce costs. The analysis required to peel away each part of the legacy system could slow down modernization to a yearslong process in highly complex systems. Throughout the process, these teams must untangle how different parts of the system integrate and work together.

Alternatively, using AI teams still move incrementally, avoiding the pitfalls of Big Bang Modernization. However, they also use AI to identify and map these relationships within legacy systems. This AI assistance helps those teams move at a rapid pace. Working together with the human team and stakeholders, the AI can quickly create a fuller understanding of the system, its impact on the mission and provide new insights into optimization opportunities during the modernization process. This analysis is the first step in using AI for hyperlocal contextualization.

The Security Imperative

An equally pressing concern is rising security threats. The 2023 GAO report found among the chief concerns for these aging systems were outdated hardware and security vulnerabilities. The same processes that help modernization teams optimize to reduce O&M costs can also be used to move from less secure systems to more secure systems based on industry standards and best practices.

Jumping in with Hyperlocal Contextualization

With more advanced large language models (LLMs), AI tools cannot only write the code but also review, debug, and make recommendations. Powered by AWS Bedrock, ReDuX AI not only takes the insights from its eat the elephant analysis but also makes recommendations to Karsun developers using the context generated from those insights. Plus it can then incorporate best practices and security policies into those recommendations. Using a tool like ReDuX AI, the security optimization recommendations are customized to the complexities found in that legacy system, resulting in a modernization process designed to optimize costs and security. Badri discusses this hyperlocal contextualization in greater depth in the interview.

The future is bright. In a 2019 report, the GAO shared agencies provided 94 examples of successful modernization initiatives over the five years studied. While some of the most challenging projects remain, AI tools, like those used by ReDuX, create a future where the remaining mission-critical systems modernize a possibility. Check out the full interview at www.theoakmontgroupllc.com/ep-161-how-to-overcome-the-challenge-of-legacy-systems/ or visit GoRedux.AI to learn more.

Kartik Mecheri joins GovLoop’s Featured Contributor program to share his insights on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), modern software development, architecting for cloud-native environments, data solutions, and enterprise modernization for the public sector. The co-founder and Chief Architect of Karsun Solutions, Kartik’s achievements include spearheading large-scale digital transformation projects. His expertise ensures that Karsun delivers cutting-edge services to its customers while enhancing their customers’ internal processes. He has earned industry recognition for excellence in technology solutions, keeping Karsun at the forefront of technological advancements and customer satisfaction.

GovLoop’s core mission is to help government employees to do their jobs better. It provides free resources, blogs, online training, in-person training, and online courses on topics relevant to anyone working in public service. This new series is an extension of Kartik’s position as a trusted advisor to senior government executives on the latest technologies.

Throughout his featured contributor series, Kartik will combine Karsun’s experience modernizing complex legacy systems for federal government agencies with emerging technology research from by the Karsun Innovation Center. In addition to its research and development unit, the center also builds resource toolkits to assist Karsun’s modernization teams. As part of his column, Kartik will share Karsun’s experience using these tools to accelerate modernization.

This includes sharing Karsun’s experience implementing its ReDuX AI toolkit. This toolkit uses AI to address the challenges associated with migrating complex legacy systems. Its AI tools analyze legacy systems built on older coding languages, such as COBOL. Next, it produces visualizations and other information on the structure of the legacy system. With this enhanced insight into the complex relationship between system components, teams can effectively plan incremental modernization of the system without disrupting the current mission-critical parts of the application. Next, the toolkit resources use the information from the system analysis to make recommendations, enabling teams to generate code more efficiently and securely than code generated by human teams without access to those resources. More information on ReDuX is available at GoRedux.AI.

In his first post examining AI-assisted modernization, Kartik delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of AI for code generation. Here, he discusses the evolving software development space as teams use AI to analyze codebases, security and regulatory compliance, and increased efficiency for mundane development tasks. For more from Kartik, follow his Featured Contributor series at https://www.govloop.com/author/kmecheri/.