Subject: CM First Group April 2025 Newsletter

Modernization news fit to print

April 2025

In this issue...

  • Article: How to Get Back on Broadcom Support for Your CA 2E or CA Plex Systems - CM First Group

  • Video: Latest Advances in Code Analysis and Transformation with CM evolveIT 11.7 - CM First

  • Article: Why CIOs Should Prioritize Application Modernization - CIO Dive

  • Watch: What Is Agentic RAG? - IBM

  • Watch: CM First Video Series

  • Intelligence: Further Reading on the Web

Heads Up

How to Get Back on Broadcom Support for Your CA 2E or CA Plex Systems


If your organization is struggling with unsupported CA 2E or CA Plex systems, you have options to get things back on track and earn some peace of mind. The key is to step back and take a thoughtful, analytical approach to evaluating your current systems. Assess the gap between where you are now and your ideal scenario with clarity and realism.


Take a proactive approach by planning for the future and prioritizing upgrades and support plans tailored to your organization’s evolving needs. This strategy helps mitigate risks, boost system performance, and maintain compliance. By doing so, you can safeguard critical operations and avoid costly disruptions.


Get started with our recent guide, which details the steps to regain Broadcom support for your CA 2E or CA Plex systems.


Read on  →

Announcing CM evolveIT 11.7


Available for Streaming: Join us for informative, hands-on sessions focused on the new CM evolveIT 11.7 release. 


Tailored for future-minded developers, these sessions showcase groundbreaking enhancements aimed at revolutionizing your code analysis and transformation workflows. Expect hands-on demonstrations that you can take to your development workflows right away.

Watch a webinar now...

Mainframe COBOL

Latest Advances in Mainframe COBOL Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn about cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools that promise streamlined analysis and transformation processes, automated tools that convert legacy COBOL code to Java, and advanced code slicing.


Watch Now

IBM i

Latest Advances in IBM i Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn how to cut your analysis costs by up to 80% with new capabilities. We'll demo new CA 2E (Synon) and CA Plex superpowers, AI and Code slicing innovations, and improved support for DB2 and COBOL and more.


Watch Now

Heads Up

Why CIOs Should Prioritize IT Modernization



IT modernization is frequently dismissed as a non-urgent, costly undertaking, but this mindset underestimates its strategic value. Delaying modernization not only amplifies technical debt but also heightens security risks, leaving businesses at a competitive disadvantage.


CIO Dive makes the case that successful modernization requires a strategic approach, clear business alignment, and strong executive support to overcome common obstacles like budget constraints and organizational resistance.


Key reasons to prioritize IT modernization:

  • Cost efficiency: While upfront investment is required, modern systems typically have lower maintenance costs and better resource utilization.

  • Enhanced security: Legacy systems are more vulnerable to cyber threats and may lack support for modern security protocols.

  • Improved business agility: Updated IT infrastructure enables faster response to market changes and better support for digital transformation initiatives.

  • Better talent retention: Modern technology stacks help attract and retain skilled IT professionals who prefer working with current tools.

Successful modernization requires a strategic approach, clear business alignment, and strong executive support to overcome common obstacles like budget constraints and organizational resistance.


Read the full guide at CIO Dive →

Watch

What Is Agentic RAG?


In this short but comprehensive explainer by IBM, we get an explanation of Agentic RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), a significant advancement in AI systems. Unlike traditional RAG systems that passively retrieve information based on preset queries, Agentic RAG takes a more proactive approach. The system autonomously decides what information to retrieve, how to break down complex questions, and when additional context is needed.


What makes it great:

  • Independent decision-making about which information pieces are most relevant.

  • Ability to chain multiple retrievals together for comprehensive responses.

  • Self-awareness to recognize when more data gathering is necessary.


The result is a more sophisticated AI system that maintains accuracy while handling complex queries with greater depth and understanding. Most importantly, it preserves RAG's core strength of grounding responses in verified information sources, making it a powerful tool for next-generation AI applications.


Watch Now (5:41) →

Video Vault

Next-Gen Pair Programming: AI Collaboration on IBM i and IBM z Systems


Join us for a cutting-edge webinar that merges the art of pair programming with the innovation of AI for both IBM i and IBM z systems. This session is dedicated to COBOL developers working on IBM's midrange and mainframe platforms, offering a deep dive into how AI can amplify coding collaboration and efficiency.


In this webinar:

  • Discuss the integration of AI-driven pair programming in IBM i and IBM z COBOL development.

  • Address the unique challenges of maintaining and evolving COBOL applications with AI support.

  • Showcase a live demonstration of AI tools tailored to IBM i and IBM z developers.

  • Share actionable strategies for embedding AI into the pair programming workflow on both platforms.

Whether you're involved in IBM i or IBM z development, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge to leverage AI for better code quality, faster problem-solving, and more productive pair programming sessions. Engage with our experts and take the first step towards a smarter, AI-assisted development future.


Watch the video now →

Are you tired of time-consuming manual testing software applications? Fortra's Automate Plus RPA is here to help. Join us for a webinar where we review the features of this powerful tool and show you how it can revolutionize your software testing processes, making it better, more accurate, and quicker to get results.


Watch the Webinar →

Frightened about the prospect of your legacy IBM i and z application developers leaving? We have a solution that can put your fears to rest. In this webinar, we demonstrate how you can “refactor” your legacy app developed in COBOL, RPG, or CA 2E (Synon) directly to maintainable runtime-free Java and JS.


Watch the Webinar →

 Broadcom Support 


Many enterprises struggle with obtaining Broadcom support for their CA 2E (Synon, COOL:2E) or CA Plex systems


If you're working with an older unsupported release, upgrading your IBM OS, or otherwise under the shadow of lapsed maintenance, we can get you back on Broadcom support based on your unique situation. We specialize in all sizes of customers.


Fill out our 2 minute form and schedule a no-commitment fifteen minute conversation with a CM First Group technical rep.

Get rock solid Broadcom support

CM First Support

Current CM First Group customers can access tutorials and submit support tickets at support.cmfirstgroup.com.

Current Releases


CM WebClient 1.8.8 (with nightly builds) For details, go here.

CM Matchpoint ALM 7.0 Build 004. For details, go here.

CM evolveIT 11.7, last supported 10.6
CM M3 2024 Edition
CA Plex 7.3, last supported 7.2.1 (as of October 31, 2024)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
CA 2E 8.7.4, last supported 8.7 (as of October 31, 2024)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
Contact CM First to learn more: info@cmfirstgroup.com

Intelligence

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