- 83% of mainframe customers plan to modernize, 46% will do so using hybrid cloud
By contrast, migrating mainframe applications to the public cloud is part of the modernization drive for only 19 per cent of enterprises, according to the survey by Macro 4, a division of UNICOM® Global, which questioned 54 attendees at this year's GSE
"The interest in hybrid cloud strategies is very understandable," said
"
How zSystems customers are approaching modernization
Q Which of these approaches are part of your modernization plans?
*Integrate some mainframe applications with public cloud applications (hybrid cloud) 46%
*Modernize the end user experience (e.g. add or improve web interfaces) 44%
*Modernize the developer experience (e.g. by introducing modern IDEs or open systems tools) 40%
*Containerization 39%
*Migrate data from mainframe applications to other platforms/applications 31%
*Retire some mainframe applications 21%
*Move some mainframe applications to the public cloud 19%
*No current modernization plans 17%
Interestingly, 39 per cent of survey respondents said their modernization plans included using containerization tools, mentioning the likes of Kubernetes and z/OS container extensions (zCX). Containers support hybrid cloud strategies by allowing organizations to use the same orchestration technology across cloud and zSystems and to adopt similar IT tools and processes across mainframe and other platforms.
When mainframe customers were asked specifically about moving zSystems applications to the public cloud, there was skepticism as to whether it provides major advantages.
The majority (60 per cent) believe mainframes to be more secure and resilient than the public cloud, and 54 per cent consider mainframes to be better at high-volume transaction processing. Only 17 per cent think that running applications in the public cloud is usually cheaper, with fewer still (15 per cent) seeing cloud migration as a solution to the zSystems skills crisis.
Overall, only 13 per cent of the survey respondents said they are very likely to move core applications to the cloud in the next few years (or have plans already under way to do it). 29 per cent said they are very unlikely to do this. The majority were less certain either way, with 33 per cent saying they are somewhat likely and 25 per cent opting for somewhat unlikely to move core applications to the cloud in the next few years.
"Clearly cloud migration makes sense for some applications and for some organizations. But it's not a panacea, and while there are strong feelings on both sides of the argument, it's important not to rely on generalized opinions for and against," said Harris. "The key thing is to look objectively at which platform best delivers the benefits you are trying to achieve, such as faster processing speed, reliability, security, sustainability and cost savings. You also need to be realistic about the effort, skills and risks involved in shifting your zSystems applications to the cloud, bearing in mind that some core applications are huge and complex."
Over half (56 per cent) of survey respondents feel that organizations often underestimate the complexity of moving mainframe applications to another platform. Just over a quarter (27 per cent) say it's too risky to move mainframe applications to the public cloud.
Another interesting finding was that around a third (35 per cent) see the value of using
Only 21 per cent said they aim to retire any mainframe applications as part of their modernization plans, suggesting that zSystems applications remain relevant to their business operations and will be a part of their future technology strategies.
-Ends-
About Macro 4 www.macro4.com
Macro 4, a division of
About UNICOM® Global www.unicomglobal.com
unicomglobal.com
unicomsi.com
unicomgov.com UNCOM Government (formerly NASDAQ: GTSI) - Government IT solutions
unicomengineering.com
unicom.org UNICOM Science and Technology Parks
www.unicomtechnologypark.com
www.unicomsciencepark.com UNICOM Science and Technology Park -
unicom-capital.com
solidDB.com solidDB - In-memory relational database management system
usrobotics.com USRobotics - Data communications products
memeo.com Memeo - Enterprise-grade Secure File Sharing for the Cloud
firetide.com
detec.com DETEC - Document composition products
softlanding.com SoftLanding Systems -
macro4.com Macro 4 (formerly LONDON: MAO) - Document Management products
illustro.com illustro - z/OS and z/VSE software products
iet-solutions.com iET Solutions - ITIL® ITSM software products
eden.com Eden - Mergers & Acquisitions,
cics.com CICS.com - Hardware, Software, Outsourcing and Professional Services
All trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of their respective companies.
Media contact:
CloudNine PR
uradia@cloudninepr.com
+44(0)7940 584161
Source: RealWire
.
(C) 2022 M2 COMMUNICATIONS, source