By Paula Klein

Until recently, it was commonplace to refer to the mainframe as legacy technology. Not anymore. Today’s mainframe, far from being a mere relic of the past, has become a strategic computing platform for the future. In fact, with some 14 million MIPS now installed worldwide, the mainframe has become a platform that enterprise IT decision makers are migrating to, not away from.

Why now? The answer has to do with three R’s: resources, risk and reliability. Pressures are mounting on CIOs to do more with fewer resources, reduce risk and improve service levels. Combined, these pressures have made the mainframe’s unique value proposition more compelling than ever.

Several factors contribute to this convincing value proposition. For one, highly transactional computing — in which large numbers of users access even larger databases — is most efficient when centralized. For another, an estimated 70 percent of all mission-critical applications — representing some 30 to 40 years’ worth of information — still run on mainframes. For yet another, the complexity of managing and supporting highly distributed environments is spiraling upward.

Also, when compared with distributed platforms, the mainframe is relatively simple to manage, and it is extremely cost-effective. The mainframe is also the most reliable platform out there and a redoubt of data security. Technical innovations — from IBM, CA and others — are adding luster to the mainframe by reducing its carbon footprint, lowering its total cost of ownership, and automating core management tasks.

CA in particular is supporting the new, growing role of the mainframe under the Mainframe 2.0 banner. “The mainframe, as it has been reengineered in recent years by IBM, is of singular value to large enterprises seeking to use IT for maximum competitive advantage,” says Chris O’Malley, Executive VP and General Manager of CA’s Mainframe Business Unit. “CA’s Mainframe 2.0 initiative aims to ensure that our customers can fully exploit this value, regardless of the staffing constraints they may face.”

The staffing constraints O’Malley refers to are quite possibly the biggest challenge for CIOs looking to leverage the latest mainframe innovations and improve overall IT productivity. In recent years, mainframe staffing has failed to keep pace with growing mainframe workloads. Also, many experienced mainframe operators are now approaching retirement age. They’re leaving a younger generation of IT professionals — many of whom are unfamiliar with mainframe technology — to carry the torch.

In response, one major thrust of CA’s Mainframe 2.0 initiative is to empower the next generation of IT professionals to effectively manage the mainframe. This means automating many routine tasks and delivering new productivity-enhancing management tools to help IT organizations reduce costs and raise utilization rates. At the same time, next-generation tools — such as a uniform, Web-based administrator console CA is readying — aim to make it easier for young IT professionals to move from distributed environments to zLinux mainframes.

The promise of lower costs, greater efficiency and an empowered staff resonates with CIOs. That’s especially true now, with economic pressures and escalating demands on distributed environments taking their toll. “Because the mainframe offers such outstanding economies of scale, it will remain central to our members’ near- and long-term IT strategies for the foreseeable future,” says Kevin Grimes, President of the Southeastern User Group for CA Endevor® Software Change Manager. Mainframe 2.0 and other new initiatives are addressing IT productivity, “green” computing and other critical challenges, and Smart Enterprise Exchange plans to cover these developments in the coming months. Stay current at smartenterpriseexchange.com. ■

PAULA KLEIN is the Editor of Smart Enterprise Exchange, a membership program that offers peer strategies and resources for IT executives.