Tech gurus seem to have different thoughts about how mainframe services will survive in this ever-changing technological environment since many believe that mainframes are on the path towards becoming antiquated and obsolete, even though they continue to be the core of many businesses. The features of mainframe systems, such as speed, agility, and security, continue to make them indispensable for many industries, especially those that are data-focused. Though the mainframe is an old technology, it has evolved, is still being upgraded, and continues to play a major role in this IT landscape. Modernizing the mainframe resulted in a significant boost in their access to IT professionals and industry. The outcome of this is that mainframe services remain in high demand and their demand in the market is growing and will enhance with the next few coming years.
Another way of understanding the current state of the mainframe is to take a look at the data used by various industries. According to Skillsoft, mainframe services have been employed by a wide range of businesses and organizations in recent years. Moreover, the data reveals some results from the previous quarter of 2019 as mainframes are the core of the IT industry. Today’s corporate strategies rely heavily on mainframe-based applications, which are part of the new IBM z/OS version. With ever-increasing transactions and database evaluation, the mainframe system has proven to be the most efficient and safe method of doing business. In the past few years, cloud services have developed into a reliable technology, and many firms, such as AWS, have been provided with the necessary expertise and people who are up to date on the technology, system, and latest trends.
The question now arises, What role do mainframes play today? This question can only be answered with statistics of mainframe processes and outcomes that are currently used by professionals and organizations.
- 71% of fortune 500 companies use mainframes
- 90 percent of credit card transactions are processed through a mainframe
- The mainframe manages 68 percent of all IT workloads worldwide, and the cost accounts for only 6 percent.
- IBM’s z15 supports memory capacities of up to 40 terabytes.
- A Mainframe can withstand an earthquake as large as 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale.
- The IBM z15 mainframe manages and executes 19 billion business transactions every day.
- The 2019 release of the newest IBM z15 system is credited with 62 percent of the increase in sales year over year.
- IBM mainframes are used by 44 of the top 50 banks, and by all 10 of the top insurance companies by 2020.
- It is evident from these mainframe statistics that mainframe systems remain a critical part of the business environment.
In the ever-changing world of IT and continuously progressive and updated IT organizations, providing the right service and product and enabling them to realize the benefits they will derive is what makes mainframe services relevant and in demand. Transactions and data can be processed at high speed with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. As a result, it remains the market leader concerning credit card and ATM transactions, processing customer statement information, and internal financial reporting.
Tech leaders, professionals, and organizations are moving forward intending to achieve more and maximize the value of their cloud and mainframe financial investments to improve the efficiency and profitability of their companies and organizations. The mainframe system can be modernized in conjunction with distributed and cloud platforms. Meanwhile, companies that use multiple platforms, including mainframe services, can use the same tools and standards, such as open-source. The mainframe is likely to continue to play a major role for decades to come. Microsoft Azure and Google are already on the market, supplying services to a slew of other major corporations throughout the world. Additionally, hybrid cloud systems are predicted to double their mainframe usage shortly.
