The energy at AWS re:Invent 2025 was electric. The enthusiasm in the expo hall was unmistakable – a palpable sense that the industry is at an inflection point. For Pega, this week in Las Vegas wasn't just about showcasing our technology; it was about being part of a fundamental shift in how enterprises think about transformation, AI, and the future of their most critical systems.
So what stood out at re:Invent 2025 and what does it mean for how enterprises should think about their AI, automation, and modernization strategies?
- The legacy modernization conversation has changed
- AI agent reliability is paramount
- Composable solutions unlock increased ROI with simplified procurement
#1 The legacy modernization conversation has changed
Modernization – moving away from legacy on-prem systems into cloud-native architectures – has always been a priority for AWS. But this year, the conversation shifted to something bigger: how AI can accelerate transformation compared to traditional refactoring or lift-and-shift approaches, while eliminating the technical debt that has slowed innovation for decades.
For example, AWS Transform analyzes COBOL-based Mainframe applications to accelerate cloud modernization, helping enterprises rethink their business processes and tech estate prior to deploying to the cloud.
At our booth, the energy was palpable – our team wore “No Tech Debt” shirts to drive home the point. The conversations weren’t “Can we modernize?” but “How fast can we get there – and how do we leave technical debt behind?” Customers told us they’re ready to move beyond incremental improvements. They want transformation that delivers business value, not just technical migration.
The alignment between AWS Transform's reimagining capabilities and Pega's Blueprint approach stood out. Both recognize that true modernization requires more than rewriting code – it demands reconsidering workflows, reimagining user experiences, and unlocking the intelligence trapped in legacy systems. We had the opportunity to showcase exactly how we're leveraging AI to transform complex legacy into agile, cloud-ready applications with Pega Blueprint™ in our lightning talk. Check it out here.
TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION
The most powerful validation of this approach didn't come from product announcements – it came from customer stories. During one of the mainframe modernization sessions, a representative from Unum shared how they used AWS Transform to analyze 1.5 million lines of code and brought that analysis into Pega Blueprint to rapidly create an application prototype.
“We had two vendors come in and give us a similar quote to do what we're doing now at 7 years, $25 million dollars." And instead, “We went from COBOL to cloud with a testable application in 3 months."
Watch the full Unum presentation to hear how they achieved this remarkable acceleration.
EXPLORE THE FULL STORY
Watch our lightning talk with Ravesh Lala and Matt Healy to see how AI-driven application modernization brings this full circle, demonstrating that it's not just possible – it's the fastest path to unlocking enterprise agility.
#2 AI agent reliability is paramount
If there was a single thread connecting every major announcement at re:Invent, it was the vision of an agentic future. But what does that actually mean?
KEY INSIGHT FROM THE KEYNOTE
AWS CEO Matt Garman provided crucial clarity when he emphasized that AI agents need to be predictable and reliable. That statement, delivered about halfway through his keynote, cut to the heart of the challenge.
Everyone wants autonomous systems that can make decisions, take actions, and drive business outcomes. But autonomy without control is chaos. AWS addressed this by announcing that AWS Bedrock AgentCore now offers new capabilities that let enterprises set up guardrails and validations for agent behavior, establishing policy controls that define exactly what agents can and cannot do.
At the Pega booth, we demonstrated how this plays out in practice. Our approach around predictable AI agents gives organizations that same level of control out of the box – defining clear boundaries for agent actions while enabling the autonomy that makes these systems powerful. It's the difference between building autonomous agents and building trusted autonomous agents that enterprises can confidently deploy at scale.
The conversations we had with customers reinforced this. They're not looking for flashy demos of what AI could do in some theoretical future. They're asking for proven approaches to deploying AI agents today, with the governance and control their industries demand.
#3 Composable solutions unlock increased ROI for legacy transformation
One of the most exciting developments from re:Invent was the launch of two powerful joint offerings on AWS Marketplace that showcase how composable solutions can accelerate transformation and simplify procurement.
First, we announced a mainframe transformation solution with Accenture that combines Accenture's GenWizard™ AI-powered analysis capabilities, AWS Transform's specialized agentic analysis for IBM Mainframe environments, and Pega Blueprint's reimagine-first approach. This integrated solution fundamentally changes the modernization equation by enabling enterprises to move from analysis to a functional prototype in weeks instead of years.
Second, we launched a Lotus Notes transformation offering with Capgemini that combines Capgemini's Legacy Modernization Workbench with Pega Blueprint to rapidly analyze and redesign legacy workflows. Running on Pega Infinity's intelligent automation platform and leveraging AWS scalable cloud infrastructure and enterprise security, this offering helps you replace outdated Lotus Notes systems with AI-powered, cloud-ready applications. You can achieve modern user experiences, cloud scalability, and launch an MVP in just 90 days.
As one of AWS’s first partners to take advantage of composable solutions – highlighted by Ruba Borno in the AWS Partner Keynote – we’re proud to demonstrate how collaboration drives transformation. At our booth, this commitment came to life as attendees created over a hundred Blueprints using the Pega Platform™ and Blueprint, tackling everything from streamlining customer onboarding to optimizing claims processing. By combining the expertise of our partners with Pega’s capabilities, we’re accelerating legacy modernization and shaping the future of enterprise transformation.
What we're taking home
As the frenetic energy of re:Invent winds down, a few themes stand out. First, the modernization conversation has fundamentally shifted from "if" to "how fast." Second, AI agents are moving from experimental to essential, but only when paired with the governance and control that make them trustworthy. Third, the autonomous enterprise is no longer a vision statement – it's a roadmap being executed by forward-thinking organizations right now.
Las Vegas was a showcase for what’s possible – now comes the exciting part: turning vision into reality. If you missed the action on the expo floor, take the first step today and start building your Blueprint.