The Cobol Group

We help teams maintain and maximize their systems and facilitate smooth migrations to more contemporary technology.

COBOL stands for Common Business Oriented Language.

First designed in 1956 as a US Department of Defense-led initiative to create a programming language for data processing purposes, COBOL is a widely used programming language used mainly for business application purposes.

In the years since COBOL was created, it’s become widely used by businesses and teams around the world.

However, a lot has changed since the mid-20th Century. In the decades since COBOL was widely adopted, a range of cutting-edge programming capabilities have become standardized, from dynamic memory allocation to recursion functionality.

Despite these advances, business teams around the world rely on COBOL technology to power their daily operations and workflows. As teams grapple with the decision of whether to migrate to newer technology, they also need to ensure that their legacy systems are well-maintained, secure, and stable.

Simply maintaining legacy systems isn't enough though. Businesses expect a partner who can also help transition their team into the future.

At The Cobol Group, this is what we do. We merge past & present to unlock sustained business success for our clients.

We're fluent in business-oriented languages, and our results are proven through our clients’ success.

Contact us
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Technology Assessment & Consultation

We begin every client engagement by evaluating the organization's COBOL-reliant system  to better understand how its people use legacy technology  to accomplish their work. We evaluate our clients’ current-state technology using our thorough assessment model that accounts for all relevant factors and use-cases. Armed with a full  accounting of a client's current-state, our team can optimize their existing-technology (and help plan a future migration to a newer technology down the road).

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Systems Maintenance

Relying on our team’s deep proficiency in optimizing COBOL technology for a wide range of applications, The Cobol Group is the ideal business technology partner for organizations aiming to get the most out of their legacy systems. We can ensure that COBOL technology remains functional, secure, and capable well into the future. In the course of maintaining a legacy system, we often  identify potential enhancement opportunities that our clients were unaware of.

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User-Training

During the course of maintaining a client's COBOL system, The Cobol Group is capable of training a wide range of  system users on how to operate and maximize their COBOL system. These trainings are fully customizable and can be formatted for either individual training session or large group presentations.

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Systems and Data Migrations

Once a client is ready to migrate away from their legacy system to newer technology, our team is the ideal partner to help plan and facilitate the complex migration initiative. When facilitating a system migration, data migration related difficulties are often the culprit for unforeseen setbacks and other negative project impacts. Our team of data experts is proficient at migrating legacy data to using COBOL-optimized ETL processes.

Kent Hudson at his computer waaay back in the day

About us

The Cobol Group was founded and is led by Kent Hudson, a technology application architect with more than 30 years of hands-on COBOL experience.

Throughout his career maintaining and optimizing COBOL systems, Kent saw firsthand the challenges that organizations reliant on legacy technologies face: as legacy-specialized support staff retire, teams that haven’t prepared a future-state technology migration path are feeling unprepared and unsupported.

COBOL-reliant organizations are in need of reliable technology partner that can both maintain their current technology, and chart a realistic migration path toward contemporary business technology.

The Cobol Group is a team of COBOL-specialized technical consultants selected for their proficiency and experience in real-world COBOL applications.

We understand the uncertainty that teams reliant on legacy technology often face, and we’re here to help.  

We aim to be true partners to our clients. We help organizations ranging from businesses, non-profits, and government agencies keep their legacy systems functional and optimized. Once a client is ready to migrate to a newer system, we help to plan and execute the journey.

At The Cobol Group, our team prides itself on enabling our clients’ success.

Please contact us to learn more about how The Cobol Group can support your team's technology objectives.

In the news

"Code Happy" spelled out in decorative lit letters
Why programmers still love COBOL
An illustration of a computer/robot flipping switches at a console
Making the Case for COBOL
COBOL code on a computer screen
Long-Enduring COBOL May Still Have a Shelf Life
Blocks spelling COBOL
COBOL Language Still in Demand as Application Modernization Efforts Take Hold
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
Can't File for Unemployment? Don't Blame Cobol
A man using a computer in the 1960s.
New Jersey needs volunteers who know COBOL, a 60-year-old programming language

Frequently asked
questions

What is COBOL?

Fifty years ago, every computer manufacturer used its own unique programming language. In 1959, a group of programmers devised COBOL, a Common, Business-Oriented Language. Programs written in COBOL could run on more than one type of computer brand. The Department of Defense was especially interested as it frequently purchased computers from different makers.

COBOL was quickly adopted by other federal agencies as well as by first-movers in the private sector. Written initially for the short range, COBOL proved so useful that it dominated much of government and business data processing for decades. As common programming languages became standard, a flourishing independent computer software industry soon emerged.

What is COBOL?

Fifty years ago, every computer manufacturer used its own unique programming language. In 1959, a group of programmers devised COBOL, a Common, Business-Oriented Language. Programs written in COBOL could run on more than one type of computer brand. The Department of Defense was especially interested as it frequently purchased computers from different makers.

COBOL was quickly adopted by other federal agencies as well as by first-movers in the private sector. Written initially for the short range, COBOL proved so useful that it dominated much of government and business data processing for decades. As common programming languages became standard, a flourishing independent computer software industry soon emerged.

Does The Cobol Group specialize in non-COBOL legacy technology?

Yes, our team of technical solutions experts are proficient in maintaining and maximizing a range of legacy technology applications. While we specialize in COBOL technology, our expertise is not limited to it. Contact us so that we can learn more about your organization’s technology objectives so we can determine if we’re the right partner for your team’s needs.

Does The Cobol Group specialize in non-COBOL legacy technology?

Yes, our team of technical solutions experts are proficient in maintaining and maximizing a range of legacy technology applications. While we specialize in COBOL technology, our expertise is not limited to it. Contact us so that we can learn more about your organization’s technology objectives so we can determine if we’re the right partner for your team’s needs.

What kind of organizations does The Cobol Group work with?

We specialize in working with small-to-medium-sized businesses across all sectors. However, our team has experience working with non-profit organizations and local government agencies.If your organization falls outside of these classifications, please contact us so that we can learn more and determine if we’re capable of meeting your team’s technology objectives.

What kind of organizations does The Cobol Group work with?

We specialize in working with small-to-medium-sized businesses across all sectors. However, our team has experience working with non-profit organizations and local government agencies.If your organization falls outside of these classifications, please contact us so that we can learn more and determine if we’re capable of meeting your team’s technology objectives.

What’s The Cobol Group’s team culture like?

We’re a team of technologist, strategists, and business consultants that have worked in nearly every aspect of the technology industry. Driven by our decades of real-world experience, we find motivation in completing challenges that others claim cannot be done. We pride ourselves on our ability to remain, calm, and objective-focused in the face of adversity. We enjoy working with clients that we have the opportunity to form authentic partnerships with.

What’s The Cobol Group’s team culture like?

We’re a team of technologist, strategists, and business consultants that have worked in nearly every aspect of the technology industry. Driven by our decades of real-world experience, we find motivation in completing challenges that others claim cannot be done. We pride ourselves on our ability to remain, calm, and objective-focused in the face of adversity. We enjoy working with clients that we have the opportunity to form authentic partnerships with.

Is The Cobol Group hiring technical professionals with COBOL expertise?

Yes, we are always interested in identifying experienced COBOL professionals that can help meet our clients' needs. We offer our employees competitive compensation and the flexibility to create flexible work schedules. If you feel like you'd be a strong fit and you love solving complex challenges that require particular technical skills, please contact us.

Is The Cobol Group hiring technical professionals with COBOL expertise?

Yes, we are always interested in identifying experienced COBOL professionals that can help meet our clients' needs. We offer our employees competitive compensation and the flexibility to create flexible work schedules. If you feel like you'd be a strong fit and you love solving complex challenges that require particular technical skills, please contact us.

Contact us

Want to discuss a project with us? Fill out the form, and we'll reach out ASAP.

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Mail iconkhudson@cobolgroup.io
Phone icon972-653-0240
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#344 1821 N Lake Forest Dr.
Ste 700
McKinney, TX 75071