What is Mainframe Modernization?

Technically speaking, mainframe modernization simply refers to the process of improving an enterprise’s existing mainframe footprint in several aspects, including interface, code, performance, maintainability, and cost. Some would say that modernizing the mainframe means replacement of these legacy systems with commodity servers, which is a bold claim since it calls for a drastic change.

In mainframe modernization, one should look at the bigger picture because, ultimately, the goal is to achieve a connected ecosystem. A business should determine where and how resources should be allocated to create a computing framework that integrates implementations across the organization. Essentially, modernizing a mainframe system involves the adoption of applicable modern philosophies and methodologies using existing applications or installing modern hardware or software. The most cost-effective approach is to take a look at what’s currently working and build upon that; mainframe modernization should build upon existing COBOL systems and incrementally improve or add capabilities. Replacement should be a last resort so as to preserve the functionality of existing platforms.

Modernization of COBOL systems can be achieved by integrating them with more modern cloud and mobile applications. Although referred to by many as a legacy system, COBOL applications are still used to power 65% of enterprise software and 70% of business transaction processing globally. Advances in technology have also made it simple to make enterprise COBOL work with Java, XML, and JSON. This provides the necessary data and host-based processing mobile applications require.

The integration of multi-platform DevOps is another approach to the modernization of the mainframe. To ensure that the mainframe remains a vital element in the development and deployment of modern applications, DevOps and agile should be combined with a unified development environment. This proves that, even today, it’s important to have an IT system and workforce that’s mainframe-ready. IT professionals should continue learning about new technologies and the changes that need to be implemented across the board to adopt them.

Practically speaking, the modernization of mainframe systems should address three main areas that provide an inherent challenge to the process of modernization in general.

• Cost
  Cost is one of the major challenges with mainframe modernization because mainframe systems aren’t cheap. This is why mainframes are reserved for business-critical workloads. If more than half of your revenue is dependent on processes run by your mainframe, then cost is a non-issue. Running the same thing on commodity servers would require a multitude of servers, which would cost a lot more because you’re not only looking at the system itself but the facilities and manpower needed to maintain it.

• Skills
  As it stands, fewer people remain that are proficient and have experience in maintaining a mainframe system. People in the IT industry have been clamoring for an education approach that will provide IT professionals with technical skill across the board, ensuring coverage of all systems, including the mainframe.

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• Interface
  Migration to new technologies would lead to new, more modern interfaces that must be learned, and such a paradigm shift can be jarring to any business. Although there are risks in doing so, there’s no reason why mainframes shouldn’t be using modern interfaces. The key is in finding the right way of doing it for your business.

The Benefits of Mainframe Modernization

The mainframe is a robust system that has lived on through decades, and it can live for decades into the future if businesses take the time to modernize the system. Business applications change according to how the business develops, and having a modernization strategy ensures that your mainframe system keeps in tune with what your current business needs are. The main mainframe modernization benefits are the following:

• Modernization of legacy stacks
  COBOL was a common programming language back in the heyday of the mainframe. As such, the majority of applications vital to government and the finance industry were written in COBOL code. The challenge today is that, due to rising workloads, the technical limitations of these legacy applications have become more apparent and made maintenance a challenge. Modernization uses the power of modern API’s to integrate these applications into modern distributed ones.

• Reduced MIPS costs
  Mainframes aren’t cheap to maintain, and this cost only grows as workloads increase. One of the main drivers of this increase in cost is the licensing required by specific hardware and software. Mainframe modernization allows you to offload transactions into a distributed data fabric, effectively addressing this issue with MIPS costs.

• Cloud integration
  Maintaining a mainframe doesn’t prevent a business from using a cloud-based platform. Modernizing a mainframe system makes it possible to leverage the benefits of the cloud using a mainframe architecture since a mainframe has characteristics similar to those of the cloud, including massive storage and the capability for workload virtualization.

Leaving a Legacy With the Mainframe

Modernization is a phase that all businesses must go through if they are to stay afloat in this ever-evolving business landscape ruled by technology. However, as with any core change, the prudent approach is to tackle modernization in phases so it’s not too bitter a pill to swallow. Focus on what the business needs now and determine the tools required to meet those needs. Technologies, especially new ones, should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and not be taken as the best by virtue of its newness. Your modernization process should be placed according to how your business develops so that your computing platform works for you and not the other way around.