On Dec 16th, 2025, we announced the End of Life of BizTalk Server. With it, we announced HIS 2028 as a Stand-alone product. After more than 20 years, HIS will be offered again, as a standalone SKU, decoupled from BizTalk Server as BizTalk reaches end of life.
Many organizations continue to rely on IBM mainframe and midrange platforms for high-value, mission-critical workloads. At the same time, application modernization, security requirements, and hybrid cloud operating models are driving the need for reliable, supported connectivity between host systems and modern Windows, Linux, and Azure-based applications.
Microsoft Host Integration Server 2028 (HIS 2028) is the next release of Host Integration Server and the successor to Host Integration Server 2020. It helps enterprise IT teams and developers integrate existing IBM host systems, programs, messages, and data with modern Windows, Linux, and Azure applications—while improving security posture, developer productivity, and platform alignment for the years ahead.
HIS has long provided essential capabilities across network, data, application, message, and security integration—supporting technologies such as SNA connectivity, 3270/5250 sessions, Transaction Integrator (TI) for CICS/IMS, DB2 connectivity, and IBM MQ integration. With HIS 2028, we continue this mission with targeted modernization investments and deliberate product cleanup to reduce legacy dependencies.
Read on for what’s new in HIS 2028, what’s being deprecated, and how to start planning your upgrade from HIS 2020.
What’s new in Host Integration Server 2028
HIS 2028 focuses on three themes: (1) platform modernization to align with current Microsoft engineering systems and developer workflows, (2) new and extended connectivity surfaces—especially via modern APIs, and (3) product cleanup to remove older dependencies and unsupported technologies. The table at the end of this document summarizes the planned feature areas and cleanup items. Some features will be available after the main release, as a Cumulative Update (CU).
- Platform modernization: Upgrade to .NET 10 and update the SDK to align with modern .NET development practices. This allows HIS 2028 to be the first version ever of HIS working on Linux (Post main release, as a Cumulative Update). This is only for non-SNA features via NuGet packages.
- Integration with Foundry (Post main release, as a Cumulative Update): Foundry integration to allow customers create agents that leverage their Mainframe and Midranges data.
- Modern API surfaces: Add REST APIs for key integration areas, including the DB2 managed provider, and Transaction Integrator workloads (CICS/IMS).
- Identity and hybrid management (Post main release, as a Cumulative Update): Add Microsoft Entra ID support and Azure Arc enablement for the HIS Gateway to improve security and manageability in hybrid environments.
- Developer experience (Post main release, as a Cumulative Update): Migrate the designer experience to Visual Studio Code to better fit modern developer workflows.
- Expanded host platform alignment: Add support for newer versions of IBM middleware and platforms, including DB2, MQ, IMS, and CICS.
- New provider capabilities: Introduce an IMS DB managed provider and NuGet packages for Linux scenarios where applicable.
Product cleanup and deprecations
- Remove support for Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019 as supported designers and tooling move forward.
- Remove 32-bit support to simplify engineering, testing, and security posture.
- Remove ODBC provider and remove DB2 Entity Provider where newer provider options are preferred.
- Remove WMI and WCF support to reduce reliance on legacy Windows components.
- Remove unsupported protocols from the SNA Gateway (including older UI paths) to streamline the product.
- Remove BizTalk adapter support to be aligned with the BizTalk Server end of life.
- Remove WCF Channel used by the BizTalk Adapters
- Remove DrdaClient as MsDb2Client and MsIfmxClient have functionality specifically tailored to the target databases
- Remove ESSO to reduce reliance on legacy Windows components.
Security, identity, and hybrid management
HIS 2028 modernizes how host connectivity is secured and operated in hybrid environments. With Microsoft Entra ID support and Azure Arc enablement (Post main release, as a CU), organizations can reduce credential sprawl, improve auditability, and adopt consistent governance and monitoring patterns across on-premises and cloud-connected environments.
These investments are designed to complement existing enterprise identity and operational controls, helping teams manage host connectivity components as part of their broader infrastructure and security programs.
Sign up for the preview today
We’re currently onboarding customers and partners to Host Integration Server 2028 preview, in advance of general availability in the coming year: https://aka.ms/hiseapsignup
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