The Modern Mainframe:
The Beating Heart of Your Digital Ecosystem
highlights of the 16th annual bmc mainframe survey
Invest, Innovate, and Integrate
to Improve Business Outcomes
Survey respondents who see the mainframe as a platform for long-term growth and new workloads
Top 4 Mainframe Strengths
Survey respondents see the mainframe as a strategic asset and are retreating from a cloud-first approach. They recognize these strengths in the mainframe:
SECURITY
AVAILABILITY
CENTRALIZED DATA SERVING
SUPPORT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGY
SECURITY
AVAILABILITY
CENTRALIZED DATA SERVING
SUPPORT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGY
Are You a Mainframe Champion or a Laggard?
CHAMPIONS*
increasing their mainframe investments or experiencing MIPS growth
focusing on platform management
LAGGARDS*
Champions Aim to Increase the Strategic Value of the Mainframe
INNOVATION
INVESTMENT
INTEGRATION
INVESTMENT
SECURITY
2x MORE LIKELY
than Laggards to see the return on their DevOps investment in ≤ 6 months
>50%
were able to reduce the skill level/number of staff by implementing AIOps
MORE THAN 2x MORE LIKELY
to leverage IBM’s academic initiatives to source and train staff
ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY
to cite new technologies on the platform as a strength
INNOVATION
MORE THAN 2x MORE LIKELY
to update apps daily
88%
state it would be useful to update apps even more frequently
75%
more likely to see a benefit of DevOps in improved IT infrastructure stability
64%
state the mainframe will grow and attract new workloads
Innovating to meet increasing digital demands
1/3
have DevOps in use in mainframe-only environments
INTEGRATION
85%
more likely than Laggards to send SIEM data to an Enterprise SIEM
MORE LIKELY
to have integrated staff across mainframe and other systems
Integrating systems, processes, and teams
Security
Applications
People
INVESTMENT
2x MORE LIKELY
than Laggards to see the return on their DevOps investment in ≤ 6 months
>50%
were able to reduce the skill level/number of staff by implementing AIOps
MORE THAN 2x MORE LIKELY
to leverage IBM’s academic initiatives to source and train staff
ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY
to cite new technologies on the platform as a strength
Investment in people, processes, and technology
Champions are investing in the mainframe for innovation and business growth and the investment is paying off:
3 Key Survey Takeaways
Quicker time to value in application development
Reduced need for specialized mainframe skills through new technology and practices
Integrated, enterprise-wide security and development practices
Take the Lead
Mainframe Champions are realizing that the mainframe is the best platform for many business-critical workloads. They’re leveraging transformative technologies like AIOps and APIs, attracting and empowering new talent, increasing application development and delivery, and integrating the mainframe into enterprise-wide DevOps initiatives. Meanwhile, Laggards are in maintenance mode.
Are you a Champion or a Laggard?
Champions focus on added business value
The mainframe is powering their business:
Increased transaction volume
Increased data volume
Increased number of databases
Increased transaction volume
Improving application development velocity
They are focused on how it can deliver even more value:
Improving application development velocity
Increasing security visibility, tools, and processes
Integrated with enterprise DevOps initiatives
Cost management
Management perception
Staffing and skills
Cost management
They are focused on the day-to-day rather than...
Increased number of databases
Increased data volume
Increased transaction volume
Have yet to see the value their mainframe data and apps can give them:
Laggards focus on platform management
Increased transaction volume
Investment in people, processes, and technology
INVESTMENT
Investment in people, processes, and technology
ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY
to cite new technologies on the platform as a strength
MORE THAN 2x MORE LIKELY
to leverage IBM’s academic initiatives to source and train staff
>50%
were able to reduce the skill level/number of staff by implementing AIOps
2x MORE LIKELY
than Laggards to see the return on their DevOps investment in ≤ 6 months