COBOL at 60: the past, present and future of the enduring and evolving programming language

In 2019, Amazon and Google, two driving forces behind ongoing technological change, celebrate key milestones, turning 25 and 21 respectively. And this month the IT sector will witness another important industry landmark: the 60th anniversary of COBOL.

In an age of constant innovation, where new trends are fleeting, six decades later COBOL has remained an enduring force within the business technology landscape. Here's why.

COBOL - invented for business

The inception of COBOL can be traced back to September 1959, a time when ‘IT' did not exist and only a handful of people knew about data processing. Standing for "Common Business-Orientated Language", it was initially invented for commerce, as the need for computer services grew across the public and private sector.

COBOL was a result of the development of a specification framework which aimed to establish a way for non-computer-literate professionals to communicate with computers. The specification required the language to be open-ended, allow for change and amendments, be problem-orientated and use ‘simple or pseudo-English and avoid symbolism as far as possible'.

Built by a committee inspired by the work of Grace Hopper, the first version of the programming language, COBOL-60, was built within a year. Even today, the readability and portability characteristics of the original specification mean COBOL can be recognised almost immediately and run practically anywhere.

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COBOL in the face of digital disruption

In the digital age, organisations are experiencing an unprecedented pressure to innovate. On a daily basis, new microservices and API capabilities are created, blockchain and AI solutions are trialled and developers work with an array of programming languages such as Python and JavaScript. Within this increasingly competitive technical environment, survival boils down to two choices - adapt or perish.

It's becoming near impossible to picture an existence untouched by disruptive change and the same applies to IT systems. But regardless of circumstances, there are certain systems which simply cannot fail. These are the ones that are too critical and deliver too much value to be ripped out and replaced. If history has taught us anything, it's that introducing new functions to an IT system is rarely an error-free process.

More often than not, such important systems run on more established, business-centric technologies. The platforms behind them are often mainframes or other robust servers running Linux, UNIX or Windows, while the data layer could be built on dependable, flat-file structures or industrial strength databases such as DB2 or Oracle. But when it comes to the application language, there's usually no argument or variance - the answer is always COBOL.

Core IT systems written in COBOL provide the main functionality relied upon by many companies. For instance, the financial sector depends on COBOL to power an estimated $3 trillion in daily commerce, as it underpins deposit accounts, card networks, ATMs and other services.

COBOL's role in IT modernisation

As the IT modernisation market grows every year, more IT leaders are looking to integrate these core systems with emerging technologies to deliver new business capabilities and user experiences. When modernising critical systems, IT teams can follow a practical, low-cost and low-risk transformation model, supporting three key areas: the application, the process and the infrastructure.

Application modernisation is driven by demand for a multi-functional user experience, but that new capability requires essential processes and secure transactions to change. Using API models, managed code, containerisation and collaborative IDE technology, IT departments can develop a best-of-breed model that bridges trusted COBOL-based systems and newer technical innovations.

When it comes to the process, service delivery is fuelled by customers' needs and when they want these met. Through the rise of DevOps and the technological and operational changes that have gone along with it, enterprise COBOL can provide the speed that businesses require today.

On the infrastructure side, due to the increase in users consuming apps from anywhere, companies require flexible deployment solutions. In a hybrid IT environment where mainframes, mobile and the cloud coexist, modern platform deployments must support always-on, secure and flexible business services.

Modern day innovation needs to be executed at a rapid pace. Businesses cannot afford to put time and resource into getting rid of systems that already provide value. By reusing what works and combining it with new technology, IT leaders can create a competitive edge more quickly and with less risk. And for this reason, COBOL will remain at the centre of innovation in future.

The next 60 years

Inventions like the telephone and the motor car have demonstrated that the best ideas need to adapt to the environment and demands around them - and COBOL is no different.

To help businesses innovate more and faster, COBOL is continuously evolving. Through vendor investments, COBOL supports integration with other language applications such as Java, C++ and C#, while today's application developers are building cloud, containerised and managed code apps, all using COBOL.

Ultimately, COBOL has withstood the test of time. It was designed for business needs in 1959 and is constantly adjusted to meet today's ever-changing business requirements - something it will continue doing for years to come.

Derek Britton is product director at Micro Focus