CICS (Customer Information Control System) is a transaction server that runs primarily on IBM mainframe systems under z/OS or VSE. CICS was/is available for other operating systems, notably OS/400, OS/2, and as the closely related IBM TXSeries software on AIX, Windows, and Linux, among others.
CICS is a transaction processing system designed for both online and batch activity. On large IBM zSeries servers, CICS easily supports thousands of transactions per second, making it a mainstay of enterprise computing. CICS applications can be written in numerous programming languages, including COBOL, PL/I, C, C++, Assembler, REXX, and Java.
CICS is one of the world's most durable software products thanks to its ever-expanding capabilities, continuous and aggressive vendor support, large installed base, exceptional reliability, high performance, and huge variety of applications and tools. (IMS has a slightly longer history.) CICS first went on sale on July 8, 1969. Originally developed in the United States, CICS development shifted to IBM's programming labs in Hursley, United Kingdom, where work continues today.
The financial industry (banking, insurance, etc.) is one of the most heavily invested in CICS applications. However, reportedly over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on CICS for their core business functions. Most state and national governments do as well.
Recent CICS enhancements include support for Web services and Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs). IBM began shipping the latest release, CICS Transaction Server Version 3.1 for z/OS, in early 2005.
Pronunciation
CICS is pronounced the same as the word kicks or by reciting each letter (C-I-C-S). Both pronunciations are popular.
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