Mainframe Modernization: Is It Time to Embrace the Future?

In today’s fast-evolving business landscape, enterprises face mounting pressure to adapt and innovate. While mainframes remain critical for organizations managing core transactions and sensitive data, they are often too rigid to meet the demands of the digital era. Seamless integration with cloud platforms, agile development practices, and enhanced security are driving the need for mainframe modernization. But what does this modernization really entail?

Mainframe Modernization: Beyond the Cloud

Mainframe modernization is more than simply migrating workloads to the cloud. A comprehensive strategy encompasses application, data, and infrastructure modernization. This includes updating legacy applications to integrate modern technologies and architectures, and improving performance, scalability, and security.

To simplify this transition, businesses can consider approaches like re-platforming, rearchitecting, or developing hybrid cloud environments that leverage the strengths of mainframes while integrating with cloud services. This strategy allows companies to maximize IT investments while gaining the agility required to thrive in today’s highly competitive market.

Key Drivers of Mainframe Modernization

Several key trends are accelerating the push for mainframe modernization. From fierce competition between incumbents and digital-native players to the growing need for disaster-proofing legacy operations, many CTOs and CIOs are reevaluating their mainframes. Here are some current market drivers:

• Digital Transformation: Organizations increasingly leverage AI, ML, and blockchain to gain a competitive edge. Modernized mainframes enable the integration of these advanced technologies.
• Cloud Adoption: Organizations are turning to cloud solutions for cost savings, flexibility, and scalability. Hybrid cloud models allow businesses to integrate mainframes with cloud platforms, unlocking new possibilities in data management, application development, and infrastructure optimization.
• DevOps Integration: Faster development cycles and continuous delivery make DevOps integration with mainframe systems inevitable. Modernization facilitates the adoption of DevOps principles, driving greater agility and collaboration.
• Test Automation: Automated testing is now a cornerstone of ensuring quality and confidence in the era of rapid application deployment. Automation of testing across multiple testing phases improves development, test consistency, and productivity with better quality. It helps discover issues at an earlier stage of the development cycle to reduce risks and overall costs.
• Data Overload: As data volumes soar, many companies find their existing systems inadequate. Modernized mainframes allow organizations to integrate legacy data into modern platforms, harnessing the power of advanced analytics.
• Refactoring/Re-Architecting Legacy Applications: Refactoring / re-architecting monolithic application code into effective, more maintainable microservices integrated with API/SOA architecture to interact with cloud-native applications. AI power tools/frameworks can be used to refactor/optimize/transform the legacy code.
• Security: Data security and compliance are two sides of the same coin. Complex compliance regulations, such as DORA, GDPR, CCPA, SOX, PCI, HIPAA, and others, all aim to prevent unauthorized access to customers' and users' sensitive information. Comprehensive data security solutions should be implemented on-premises or in a hybrid cloud to help organizations gain greater visibility and insights to investigate and remediate cyber threats. These solutions can enforce security policies and access controls in near real-time and help organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements, improving your data security posture and de-risk data breaches.
• Talent Shortage: The scarcity of skilled mainframe professionals is a growing challenge. Modernization solutions that require less specialized expertise enable businesses to manage applications and infrastructure with a broader talent pool.

Benefits of Mainframe Modernization

Mainframe modernization is far from a passing trend. Upgrading legacy systems with modern capabilities offers substantial benefits, including:

• Performance: Modern architectures enable faster transactions and improved user experiences.
• Scalability: Modernized mainframes can better handle workload increases, reducing the risk of bottlenecks.
• Security: Enhanced security protocols help mitigate risks and ensure compliance with rising regulatory standards.
• Agility: Modernized applications are more adaptable, allowing businesses to respond quickly to market changes.
• Cost Optimization: Modernization reduces operational costs by streamlining infrastructure, software licensing, and maintenance.

Getting Started with Modernization

A hybrid cloud approach leverages the value of existing mainframes while deploying new capabilities with IBM Cloud. This enables businesses to embrace agile development methodologies, access mainframe applications more easily, address skills gaps with open tooling, and enhance IT automation.

Tech Mahindra: Your Partner in Mainframe Modernization

At Tech Mahindra, we’ve partnered with IBM to guide businesses through their mainframe modernization journey. This collaboration combines our deep expertise, proven methodologies, and IBM’s intellectual property, with a focus on customer-centricity. We work closely with clients to craft tailored modernization solutions, including:

• Application Modernization: Using AI/ML-powered tools like Watsonx Code Assist, we help clients migrate COBOL-based applications to modern Java microservices and adopt API/SOA architectures.
• Data Modernization: We help integrate mainframe data with IBM Z Hybrid Cloud platforms, leveraging modern data lakes, analytics, and containerized applications with technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Infrastructure Modernization: Through our Mainframe-as-a-Service (MFaaS) and Mainframe Infrastructure-as-a-Service (MFIaaS), we assist clients in adopting OpEx models to consume cutting-edge mainframe hardware and software.

The Tech Mahindra Advantage

By partnering with Tech Mahindra, you gain access to:

• Deep Knowledge: With over 20 years of experience in mainframe systems, our team of 3,500 mainframe experts can handle projects of any scale.
• Proprietary Tools: Our proprietary TechM LCaaS, TechM LMaaS, and TechM AppGinieZ tools / frameworks analyze and modernize legacy code, enabling seamless migrations of millions of lines of code.
• Hybrid Cloud Expertise: We offer unparalleled expertise in transitioning clients to hybrid cloud environments, ensuring optimal integration with IBM Cloud platforms.

Joint offering by IBM and TechMahindra.

In partnership with IBM, we can help businesses in their mainframe modernization. We can particularly:

• Collaborate with customers on business and technology transformation
• Train customers in mainframe modernization solutions
• Conduct due diligence and assess the customer landscape
• Generate POV report and recommendation to customers
• Create PoC for customer applications on mainframe modernization solutions
• Co-develop innovative joint solutions in cloud, automation, and GenerativeAI

Conclusion

Mainframes remain crucial for modern enterprises, but to unlock innovation, speed, and efficiency, modernization is essential. Tech Mahindra’s deep expertise, proven methodologies, and customer-centric approach can guide your organization through the journey of mainframe modernization.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you unlock the full potential of your mainframe systems in the digital age.