Cloudhouse launches Alchemy APS to help banks modernise quickly

Cloudhouse has announced the launch of Alchemy APS (Application Packaging and Provisioning), a service enabling banks to separate critical applications from outdated infrastructure.

With the banking sector facing increasing pressure from regulatory requirements, cybersecurity threats and industry-wide cloud migration objectives, many financial institutions are still reliant on legacy operating systems, such as Windows Server 2008 or 2012. These older environments present obstacles to essential technology upgrades and introduce additional risks and costs.

Traditional migration methods, which often require original installation media, reconfiguration, or time-consuming systems rebuilds, are known to stall modernisation projects and raise operational risks. Cloudhouse states that its Alchemy APS service addresses these challenges by decoupling banking applications from their underlying infrastructure. The applications are then packaged into portable units that can be redeployed independently of the operating system, allowing banks to transition to contemporary servers, such as Windows Server 2022, much faster than before.

"For too long, critical banking applications have been tied to ageing infrastructure, creating bottlenecks for transformation programmes," said Mat Clothier, CEO at Cloudhouse. "Alchemy APS provides a clean break, allowing banks to modernise faster, provision new environments instantly, and avoid unnecessary costs – all while maintaining resilience and compliance."

The new service features a step-based approach, with processes for scanning, manifest creation, packaging and deployment. This structure allows for a combination of automated and manual operations, and Cloudhouse says the packaging process can be customised for each server role, including cards, payments or core banking functions.

Another key feature of Alchemy APS is that all migration work is conducted on cloned environments and not directly on production systems, a method which Cloudhouse says is consistent with established financial security standards. By working in this way, the company claims potential disruptions and risks are minimised while ensuring compliance requirements are still met.

Alchemy APS also provides immediate flexibility for banks wishing to create test, pre-production or feature-specific environments. This capability is intended to help organisations meet both project-related and regulatory deadlines without being encumbered by the limitations of obsolete hardware or software.

Cost savings have been highlighted as another benefit. By separating applications from legacy systems and avoiding new middleware investments or complete infrastructure overhauls, Cloudhouse states that financial institutions can realise budget efficiencies. The company notes that there are no ongoing licensing obligations once the application packaging is finished.

The service is already being used by financial institutions, including a recent engagement with a banking group operating across seven countries in West Africa, which focuses on serving micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses. The bank's core system operated on legacy versions of the Temenos Core Banking System, with configurations requiring individual packaging for each role to enable system upgrades without service interruptions.

Additionally, the solution needed to work without certain registry entries, such as for T24 running on JBoss, providing an alternative to conducting costly upgrades or migrating to an entirely new core banking platform.

Cloudhouse reports that, through Alchemy APS, it was able to migrate the bank's core banking platforms to current server environments across all regions of operation. The company describes the outcome as a resilient and modernised system achieved without disrupting ongoing business processes.

Summarising the broader pressures banks face and the purpose of the Alchemy APS platform, Clothier said: "Banks are under competing pressures - cloud mandates, regulatory deadlines, security threats and vendor upgrade cycles. Alchemy APS ensures they can modernise at speed, maintain compliance, and prepare for the future, without being trapped by legacy technology."