The maligned and misunderstood mainframe is ready for another round
Connecting state and local government leaders
Underappreciated in our cloud-fixated era, the mainframe is in fact the most powerful, cost-efficient technology fueling government databases and applications.
What can be replaced in favor of newer, more efficient, safer technology? CIOs and CTOs of large organizations constantly ask the legacy question. And not just because the Office of Personnel Management's data breaches have raised this inquiry for the mainframe, with some suggesting its COBOL programming language was the cause. A deeper examination there is warranted, but it’s likely the ultra-secure mainframe was not to blame.
Underappreciated in our cloud-fixated era, the mainframe is in fact the most powerful, cost-efficient technology fueling government databases and applications. It has retained that distinction throughout its 63-year (yes, born in 1952!) history and should prompt us to review our negative perceptions of legacy systems.
How has the mainframe managed this longevity? There are several answers, but one is its ability to constantly modernize, adapt and address the growing technology needs of the times. Look closely and you’ll see that, right now, we are in the early stages of another period of mainframe rejuvenation. Here are the early clues…
Today’s mainframe resurgence
The one bright spot in IBM’s recent earnings was the mainframe. Sales of the new z13 – a machine capable of handling 100 Cyber Mondays every day – grew 9 percent, with 24 percent capacity growth. This was particularly impressive given last year’s strong quarterly performance; IBM’s mainframe business had a difficult revenue comparison to beat.
Another clue is the disconnect between the number of organizations exploring mainframe migrations and the rare few actually executing them. My colleagues and I are hearing this from several industry analysts, with their anecdotal evidence supported by a recent global survey of CIOs showing that 88 percent think the mainframe will continue to be a key business asset in the next decade.
Other notable results from that survey:
- 81 percent said their mainframe is running new or different workloads than five years ago, and handling greater big data throughput.
- 78 percent see the mainframe as a key driver of innovation.
- And in a finding particularly relevant to the OPM breach: 70 percent of CIOs said they were surprised by the additional work and money required to ensure new platforms could match the security of the mainframe.
Challenges ahead
So as today's CIOs grapple with increasing complexity, the need for real-time performance and unmatched security, they are starting to have a new appreciation for the mainframe and investing accordingly. But while some organizations are getting it, many others are not. Several key challenges remain before an organization can have its mainframe investment support the needs of the future:
Agility. The speed at which applications must evolve or add features is at odds with the slower pace of mainframe development. The mainframe must be more responsive to business needs with more frequent software updates and shorter mainframe development time.
Collaboration. Typically the mainframe was seen as performing set tasks and rarely, if ever, interfacing with other systems. This is out of synch with the sprawling interconnected technologies upon which large organizations now depend. Simplification and standardization in the mainframe ecosystem is coming and will speed this progress.
Brain drain. Many mainframe engineers are retiring, and organizations must enable the next generation to understand the business logic built into their most critical applications. CIOs can accelerate preparations for this generational shift by providing the right tools, processes and culture to fully leverage their mainframe knowledge base.
Forward-thinking organizations are already rejuvenating and expanding the return on investment of their mainframe investments by addressing these issues. And this process isn’t new. It is simply repeating the historical pattern of the mainframe, which has always managed to keep pace with the times.
So the biggest mainframe challenge may not be about replacing legacy technology, but about reversing legacy thinking.
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