This Is One You Didn’t See Coming

When we introduced the ClearPath® Software Series a short six months ago, we never thought we’d be where we are today.

We knew we had something special with the Software Series. A suite of software-only deliverables represented a massive leap in terms of how we utilize the capabilities within the ClearPath Forward™ environment – as well as how we extend these qualities to the organizations that rely on ClearPath Forward systems day-in, day-out.

And our clients have been quite pleased with this strategy. They reacted in an extremely positive way to both ClearPath MCP Developer Studio and MCP Express, making it clear to us that targeted, software-only versions of the MCP environment built to support development and educational practices, respectively, speak to and solve for specific areas of need among our client base.

Feedback like this drives us. It validates our strategies and compels us to push further, to innovate more, and keep the ClearPath Forward environment in its rightful place on technology’s cutting edge.

So with this in mind, we’re beyond excited to announce the next phase in the evolution of the Software Series – and, in many ways, the strategy underpinning the ClearPath Forward program as a whole: a software-only, production-ready instance of the full ClearPath MCP operating system designed to run on VMware® or a client-chosen system conforming to a reference specification.

Putting one of the world’s premier operating systems onto the industry’s most ubiquitous and popular virtualization layer is an enormous change no one thought was possible. Even internally, many long-time Unisys veterans never envisioned a day where a full MCP production workload would be running on VMware.

And yet, here we are. It’s a monumental advance that pulls us ever closer to our ultimate goal of making ClearPath Forward a central component of the software-defined data center. The industry is already shifting towards this integrated data environment concept – where the application layer receives more emphasis than the infrastructure on which it runs – and with this new innovation, we’ve made it possible for the MCP software to fully participate in that environment.

MCP, Gone Virtual

With this move, we’re opening up an entirely new set of doors for our clients.

As we’ve seen for several years, cost remains king and companies are constantly searching for ways to reduce expenses while increasing simplicity. That’s why many turned to virtualization in the first place. But even though they reaped the benefits virtualization delivers, many of our clients’ businesses still challenged them to further optimize their overall infrastructure investments.

Now, the ClearPath MCP environment becomes an integral part of the solution.

Merging the MCP and VMware environments brings simplicity to the forefront. There’s no longer any need for you to operate a separate system solely for your MCP applications – nor will you have to continue dedicating time, budget, and resources to maintaining this additional hardware.

As we fill out the future roadmap, the first software-only deliverables for production workloads will be targeted for entry-level ClearPath MCP environments. Making the virtualized version of MCP initially deployable on an entry-level reference architecture, as well as an industry-standard VMware deployment, means you might be able to implement the environment using components you already have on hand, making it possible to minimize additional investments.

Either way, you’ll be able to take advantage of everything VMware brings to the market, while making it possible for your applications – MCP or otherwise – to run in the same environment and benefit from the improvements in performance and manageability that come from blending these two worlds into one.

Going Next-Next Level

There is no doubt that the merging of the MCP and VMware worlds is a significant move. But, it’s also one that expands on the heritage we’ve been building since the MCP environment’s inception.

The MCP operating system has long been able to run hundreds of critical applications under a single instance. And now that we’re extending this concept to an industry-standard virtualization platform, we’re enabling both the MCP and VMware environments to become stronger, much more versatile, and optimally suited to help support your current and emerging business needs.

That’s what makes this change so big. But that said, calling it a “next level” move would only serve to minimize everything we’ve achieved. It’s next level and then some, something that actually moves us several rungs up the ladder from where we were less than a year ago.

But this isn’t all we’ve been up to. We’re also happy to announce the availability of another member of the ClearPath Software Series family: OS 2200 Express. The first OS 2200 focused Software Series deliverable, OS 2200 Express gives hobbyists, students, and teachers – as well as members of our clients’ teams looking to enhance their skills – an easy, intuitive way to interact with and explore the OS 2200 environment for non-commercial, personal, or educational purposes. And what’s more, it sets the stage for an exciting future that sees us introducing Software Series deliverables purpose built to address the needs, challenges, and business imperatives of our OS 2200 client base.

Combine these two advances and it’s evident that the ClearPath Forward environment’s metamorphosis is not just ongoing – it’s moving in an exciting, innovative new direction. And we can’t wait to show you where we’re headed next.