Obsoletion? Not for the Mainframe: The future is hybrid for mission critical workloads, from mainframe to cloud
October 24, 2022
Naysayers on the future of mainframe infrastructures have begun to recognize the error of their ways. While hyperscale cloud infrastructures continue to mature, mainframe infrastructures have gained more relevance as a safe, secure and mission critical workload centerpiece of hybrid cloud infrastructure strategies. The future is hybrid and supported by innovation enabling today’s largest enterprises to modernize their infrastructures for a complex, volatile and risk averse world.
A recent Rocket Software survey found that most businesses continue to rely heavily on the mainframe – including two-thirds of the Fortune 100 – over cloud-based or distributed technologies to power mission and business critical workloads. A recent IBM study also supported that data, finding that more than four out of five executives agree their business case still supports mainframe-based applications.
As companies continue to face one crisis after another – the pandemic, global supply chain issues, increased cybersecurity risks, increased regulations and an economic downturn – the mainframe’s relevance as a reliable and secure platform now swells.
The here and now: Modernizing in place
Obstacles do exist, as with any established infrastructure technology, when embracing a hybrid future. Overlooking the need for change poses problems for organizations. It makes the company less competitive for the top IT talent--professionals accustomed to using cloud-based solutions for whom mainframe technology is often foreign.
Many legacy systems, mainframe and distributed, lack connectivity and interoperability with today’s cloud platforms and applications not because of a lack of capability, but because of a lack of effort. Enterprises are at a crossroads for how to invest in their future infrastructure support and have a handful of options:
- Operate as-is. The most cost-effective option – but positions a business for failure against competitors.
- Re-platform or “rip and replace” existing technology. While it addresses the modernization issue, it does it in a costly, disruptive and time-consuming manner that forces businesses to throw away expensive technology investments.
- Modernizing in place. Embracing increasingly mature tools and technologies, from mainframe data virtualization, API development, hierarchical storage management (HSM), and continuous integration & continuous delivery (CI/CD), that bring mainframe systems forward to today’s IT infrastructure expectations.
In the same Rocket Software survey, data shows modernizing in place is the preferred method of today’s IT leaders – 56% prefer this option over continuing to “operate as-is” (27%) and “re-platforming” (17%). Why? With ever increasing innovation addressing DevOps, interoperability and integration, storage, automation and performance and capacity management needs, IT leaders see modernizing in place as a more cost-effective, less disruptive path to a hybrid cloud future.
Bet on a hybrid cloud infrastructure for an ever-changing world
For many organizations, the mainframe remains the choice for data- and mission-critical operations – systems such as financial transaction processing, supply chain transaction processing, big-data crunching and secure storage of sensitive information. Companies need to figure out the right path to leverage that invaluable technology investment alongside the latest and greatest cloud tools.
Modernizing in place to drive a hybrid cloud strategy presents the best path for enterprise businesses that need to meet the evolving needs of the customer and, at the same time, implement an efficient and sustainable IT infrastructure. The investment in cloud solutions bridges the skills gap and attracts new talent while not throwing away the investment in existing systems. By integrating automation tools and artificial intelligence capabilities in a hybrid model, companies eliminate many manual processes, reducing workloads and improving productivity. The flexibility of a modernized hybrid environment also enables teams to modernize operational processes by leveraging DevOps and CI/CD testing, ensuring a continuously optimized operational environment.
If you’re one of those thinking the mainframe is going away, think again. However, as you evolve your strategy, think about how best to leverage past technology investments with the modern tools being delivered through the cloud today. Once you do, it will be clear that a hybrid cloud strategy is the best bet for future success.
To learn more about how Rocket Software can help your organization modernize in place, check out our suite of solutions on our website.
