Unisys Corporation has announced ClearPath MCP Software Series for Microsoft Azure − the first availability of its flagship software environment in the public cloud. This offering can leverage complementary Unisys CloudForte hybrid and multi-cloud services and the Unisys Stealth cybersecurity solution in transitioning to Microsoft Azure.
With this initiative, Unisys has not only taken the latest step in platform independence for this powerful, secure enterprise-computing environment, but also enabled new ways for clients to transition their IT infrastructure to the cloud while preserving their longstanding software investments and avoiding additional capital expense for server platforms.
ClearPath MCP clients can now deploy business-critical applications in the public cloud without altering existing business models, re-engineering, refactoring, re-architecting, changing code, recompiling or changing workloads and related databases. They can then use other familiar Unisys technology, such as Data Exchange data integration software and – with availability planned for 2021 – ClearPath Forward ePortal microservices development software to extend the power of those native applications in Azure.
“ClearPath MCP Software Series for Azure affords organizations a more seamless transition to hybrid and multi-cloud environments, with reduced risk and time to achieve value from the cloud,” said Vishal Gupta, senior vice president, Products and Platforms and Chief Technology Officer, Unisys. “It also enables them to streamline operations and reduce associated costs over the long term.”
Unisys clients such as longtime MCP user Job Service of North Dakota (JSND), the state’s unemployment insurance agency, are committing to ClearPath MCP Software Series for Azure because of the economic, operational and customer-service benefits it provides.
“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that we need to be more agile than ever in developing and deploying new applications to deliver benefits to citizens in immediate need,” said Pat Kelly, JSND’s IT director. “ClearPath MCP Software Series for Azure, combined with the Unisys CloudForte consulting services in the Azure GovCloud, will enable us to achieve that customer-service goal while reducing our capital-equipment costs, streamlining IT operations, enabling compliance with federal-government regulations and reducing potential for fraud in benefits payouts.”
In this new offering, the MCP operating system runs directly on Azure, so clients can transition and run their applications in this cloud environment with no disruption. Microsoft Windows and Hyper-V have long supported MCP, so this new solution expands the Microsoft environment on which MCP clients can capitalize.
“Microsoft welcomes the opportunity to bring the power and flexibility of the Azure cloud to ClearPath Forward clients,” said Bob Ellsworth, Director, Mainframe Transformation at Microsoft Corp. “We are committed to helping with their digital transformation journey while preserving the value of their strategic software solutions. Deploying ClearPath on Azure gives them the choice to leverage a new cloud computing model in order to reduce operational costs and quickly seize new market opportunities.”
Incorporates CloudForte services and Stealth security software
CloudForte consulting services assist clients in transitioning their applications to Azure. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Unisys plans to make CloudForte Navigator™ available to provide ClearPath MCP for Azure with an automated guide to decision-making in cloud adoption and governance based on best practices. An upfront Navigator assessment ensures that all internal teams collectively understand the impact a cloud implementation will have on cost, security, performance, reliability and operations. It documents how to configure the underlying cloud environment properly for ClearPath Forward and automates deployment and configuration audits of crucial ancillary components of the software environment.
The ClearPath Forward operating environment – the only one on the market from which data has never been forcibly extracted – is hardened to provide unmatched security. Organizations adopting ClearPath MCP Software Series for Azure can also incorporate Stealth, which uses microsegmentation, encryption and Dynamic Isolation™ to contain threats and protect public, private, hybrid and multi-cloud environments, as well as datacenters.
