CPT Global believes its one of the very few resources that businesses can turn to for truly independent advice. We don’t sell hardware or software (yet). We only sell our services. Sometimes our services include our opinion: what we think, as well as what we see with other clients and in the industry.
Our viewpoint is truly unique. Collaborating with our clients, we see what is actually happening across multiple industries and environments, and can often obtain a more "honest opinion" on their plans, problems, and projects. So, what are we seeing with mainframe modernization?
Mainframe modernization is on the rise, but not all businesses are doing it in the same way. Where some companies are taking a "big bang" approach to modernization, others are opting for an incremental path.
As "big bang" approaches go, we see a few businesses moving away from traditional mainframe architectures to fully cloud-based services. But currently, most of our clients are actively exploring Modernization in Place as a proven and proactive strategy, with more businesses leveraging their existing mainframes instead of replacing them with newer, more expensive technologies.
Additionally, IT teams are looking for ways to enhance their existing mainframe capabilities and strike a balance between performance and pricing, looking at how to make their mainframes do more at a lower cost, so they can access more budget for innovation or simply cut back on expenses.
It's not just the architecture that is changing. We are also seeing a shift in development tools and languages.
In terms of tools, Zowe is one of the more noteworthy being used by clients, because it provides more control over the development process. Although, some organizations are investigating new programming languages instead, opting for ones that provide more flexibility, such as Python and Node.js, to modernize their mainframes.
Additionally, there has been a rise in clients reassessing their COBOL code inventories and considering more modern alternatives like Java. However, more recent features such as z/OS Container Extensions could gain traction, so we expect this to change as more software vendors list this as a prerequisite.
There's also the hybrid approach. Here we are seeing some businesses taking an incremental path that leverages both z/OS and non-z/OS technologies in a single system, thereby creating a bridge to cloud environments or other new technologies within their existing mainframes.
In terms of hybrid integration, most of our clients are using technologies such as z/OS Connect EE, IBM MQ, Zowe, Db2 DDF, IMS Connect, and CICS Web Services to enable their systems to better interact with other platforms.
Likewise, roughly 50% of organizations are replicating mainframe-resident data to make it more easily processed and accessible to users. With non-mainframe solutions like Git available, IT teams are also looking at source code management options to better control, protect, and manage their code.
When it comes to moving workloads off the mainframe, our clients are considering many potential solutions, such as:
In fact, many of our clients have already started or completed projects to move mainframe workloads off the platform.
While none of CPT Global's current clients have retired their entire mainframe environment yet, we are aware of other companies that have done this successfully, most notably within smaller system sizes. Many organizations are still exploring the opportunities and impacts of a complete mainframe retirement, while some have already started projects to achieve this.
Given the market's current state, it’s clear that modernization and optimization should be high priorities for any organization with an existing mainframe environment. Well-informed sites will be ready to benefit from more recent technologies and will understand both benefits and pitfalls with migrating workloads to other solutions.
As the demand for modernization grows, CPT Global will continue to serve as a trusted source of independent insight and advice. We are always watching for industry trends and closely following our clients’ projects as they work toward optimizing their systems. We look forward to sharing and discussing our findings in the future.
Read more about our modernization perspective in The 7 Deadly Sins of Technology Modernization.