Johannesburg, 11 Apr 2014
A technology that many analysts predicted would not survive the turn of the century - the mainframe has just turned 50.
While some may argue that mainframe technology is, or is becoming, obsolete, due to the rapid expansion of the personal computer market, this is not entirely the case, according to Andy Hoiles, new workload leader for the Middle East and Africa at IBM Middle East. He notes that IBM is one of the small, lone voices championing this computing system within the technology space.
By continually adapting to trends and evolving IT, the evolution of the mainframe is driving new ideas and strategies around cloud, analytics, security and mobile computing; with the potential to tackle challenges that many would never have thought possible, says IBM.
"The IBM mainframe continues to astound the pundits for its longevity," says Hoiles, attributing this endurance to two things. Firstly, he outlines that the system was built on a sound footing with great design characteristics. The second being that the continual innovation of this hardware has transformed the mainframe from what it was when it was first launched in 1964 to the modern enterprise technology that is still being used today.
Hoiles asserts that the mainframe has not been "killed" by new technology but rather that these innovations have forced the mainframe to evolve. While he does acknowledge that some of the smaller mainframe clients have fallen away, most of the larger mainframe users continue to grow their workloads on the technology.
Of the top 100 banks across the globe, 98 are still using mainframe technology and are running substantial parts of their business infrastructure on it, Hoiles states. He continues that many government industries and institutions are also embracing the mainframe because they need a computing solution that will improve many of their core assets and promote reliability and security.
"While there is a loyal base of customers for the mainframe, it is not like we are adding thousands of customers to that base every year. It is a niche technology," he admits. "That said, many new industries are starting to embrace the mainframe."
The mainframe has survived and continues to prosper, he notes, and with the recent updates and innovations to the system, it continues to thrive "in a modest way", acknowledging that while it is not a pervasive technology, it is certainly a very pertinent one.
He highlights the mainframe's critical role in the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 to the introduction of Linux on the system in 1999 as examples of how the mainframe has promoted many areas of innovation across industries in the past.
"It doesn't look like the continual improvement and innovation will stop any time soon so I wouldn't predict a future without mainframes for a good while yet."
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