Mainframes still matter

In its tenth annual Mainframe Research Report, BMC today announced key findings showing that security, availability, superior data server and transactional throughput are the primary drivers for the continued increase in mainframe capacity, which is especially timely as the digital economy increasingly runs on transactions.

This year’s report confirmed the mainframe’s continued growth is being powered by today’s digital ‘always on’ world and its demand for secure access to applications and data, at mobile speeds and scale.

Security was the largest factor for continued investment in the mainframe with 56% responding that they see the security strengths of the platform as an advantage. This was followed closely by availability, as 55% of respondents leverage the mainframe’s availability benefits.

Another notable data point this year is that 48% of customers are continuing their investment because of the mainframe’s centralised data server capability, and 45% said their transaction throughput requirements are best suited to the mainframe.

In looking at the top priorities for the year ahead, 65% said they will focus on cost optimisation and 59% on application availability, which underscores IT challenges to balance the delivery of innovation while efficiently operating their industrialised infrastructure.

This year’s research findings also indicated that business/IT alignment, data privacy, data recovery and application modernisation tied as the number three priority, which are all keys to successful digital transformation.

“Mobile services with their need to be always on, always available to consumers are driving increased interest in mainframe technology due to its ability to speed the delivery of secure data coupled with its high availability,” said Bill Miller, president of ZSolutions Optimisation at BMC.

“As the digital enterprise model gains momentum, BMC is enabling these robust capabilities through our BMC Database Solutions with Next Generation Technology for DB2, which easily manages the largest structured and unstructured databases.

“Additionally, our Mainframe MLC Cost Management solution helps optimise mainframe costs to enable IT to focus on innovation.”

Over the last 10 years, mainframes have remained incredibly relevant and resilient with 90% of respondents predicting the continued long-term staying power of the platform, and 83% continually projecting steady and growing mainframe capacity.

“The IBM z13 can process up to 2.5 billion transactions per day — that’s the equivalent of 100 Cyber Mondays,” said Mark Anzani, vice president z Systems Strategy, Resilience and Ecosystems.

“Facing this boom in data and transaction growth, digital businesses are looking to transform their IT infrastructures to handle the load with maximum security, availability and performance.”

In Australia, there are only approximately 35 large z/OS mainframe servers for IBM’s zSeries, each running the most critical and largest business systems that both the private and public sector still rely on. The survey includes responses from just over 50% of those users.

Highlights specific to Australian respondents include:

• 97% verified the mainframe’s long-term viability for its ability to be a platform for security, mobility and growth of apps, where most of the data being accessed is managed and accessed via mainframe systems.
• 62% said the mainframe will continue to grow and attract new workloads.
• 50% said MIPs growth will come through legacy apps and new apps.
• 86% said growing MIPs consumption and investment was driven by security, and 79% because of centralised data server capability and availability advantages.
• 71% said transaction throughput requirements are best suited for the mainframe.
• 8% expect general-purpose MIPs growth of more than 10% over the next two years, with 46% growing between 1 and 10% — this is a more optimistic outlook than other parts of the world.
• Looking ahead at the next 12 months, 94% said they will focus on cost reduction and optimisation and 69% on application availability.