Modern Systems Completes Legacy Modernization Initiative With Moorcroft Debt Recovery Group

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - October 01, 2014) - Modern Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Phoenix, LTD (NASDAQ: BPHX), one of the largest legacy modernization companies in the world, today announced the successful completion of its legacy modernization project with Moorcroft Debt Recovery Group, a leading UK-based financial services firm. The application modernization initiative, which was completed in 24 months, leveraged a three-phase approach, which provided incremental business value at each step in the process. The modernized application allows for greater integration flexibility, increased productivity and visibility into the company and generated savings upwards of $300,000 annually.

Moorcroft, which supports debt collection for hundreds of utility, banking and financial service customers, ran its core debt management application on a mainframe for more than 25 years. The legacy application - which served as the backbone of Moorcroft's businesses -- limited the company's ability for reporting and integration, slowed innovation and prevented finance from gaining valuable insight for operational improvements. The system's role in Moorcroft's daily activities prevented a rip-and-replace modernization approach, as just one hour of the application being offline would cost the company $24,000. 

"The mainframe had many strengths such as familiarity, performance, reliability and security," said David Pickering, Moorcroft Information Technology Manager. "However, a complete 'big bang' implementation would have been a significant barrier to our business. We proved mainframe modernization could be split into distinct phases, with each phase delivering real business benefit."

Modern Systems modernized Moorcroft's debt management application using a three-phased approach:

• Liberating Data: Modern Systems implemented its Mainframe DataShare service to replicate data from the legacy platform to a SQL Server data warehouse, providing Moorcroft visibility at all operational levels without the disruption of a migration.
• Improved Reporting Efficiency: Using its "Batch Off the Mainframe" service, Modern Systems enabled Moorcroft to run its reports in an off-mainframe environment, reducing MIPS and overall cost of the mainframe environment.
• Automated Conversion: Moorcroft converted the remaining components (TP and Batch) of the legacy application using Modern Systems' Automated Conversion solution, completing the project and enabling the mainframe to be decommissioned.

"We've seen a subtle change in modernization drivers over the past year," said Rick Oppedisano, Modern Systems VP of Global R&D and Marketing. "Companies recognize that harnessing data and gaining visibility into critical operations and transactions contributes greatly to innovation and competitive advantage. We've purposely designed our technology for flexibility and to address each stage of that legacy lifecycle. This is the approach our customers, and the market, demand."

About Modern Systems

Modern Systems (NASDAQ: BPHX) is the leading provider of legacy lifecycle services. The Modern Systems portfolio includes a comprehensive suite of tools and services for incremental legacy modernization. Leveraging over 20 years of best-practice domain expertise, Modern Systems works closely with its customers to minimize risk and provide a clear path from legacy platforms like COBOL, Natural/Adabas and others to modern solutions like SQL, DB2, Java and more. Modern Systems customers come from diverse industries and vertical markets such as automotive, banking and financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and retail. Modern Systems has 6 offices in the USA, UK, Italy, Romania, and Israel.

About Moorcroft Debt Recovery Group

Moorcroft Debt Recovery Group, based in Stockport, Cheshire UK, serves hundreds of customers in the banking, retail, utilities and telecommunications sectors. The company leverages a unique communication platform to service more than 1 million live accounts every day. Moorcroft Debt Recovery Services is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for Accounts formed under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (amended 2006), and actively maintains ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 27001 (Information Security) certification through regular independent audits.