Who Uses the Mainframe and Why

Learn how and why mainframe is used by businesses.

You might not know the mainframe, however, it is part of your daily routine. Chances are you are not a direct user of mainframes. Still, you are an end user of most of the financial, enterprise, retail, and data management transactions that are taking place throughout the day. Given how competitive markets are and the wide variety of services/providers available to clients, one unavailability or transaction denied might be a trigger for a client to switch for good to another competitor.

Let's imagine a practical example from an end user perspective: as a consumer, you probably hold more than a credit card - still you have your favorite option used on a regular base. If you happen to experience a situation where your main card does not complete a transaction in an important moment, you tend to offer one of your other cards. If the new transaction process works well, you get satisfied - and chances are high that you will keep using this card which delivers a smooth purchase experience. Imagine now the other side of this story: would you like to be the company whose transaction experienced problems? This is definitely a bad nightmare scenario for a transaction credit card company.

All types and sizes of businesses and organizations can leverage mainframe as the foundation technology to support their business, specially for their mission-critical applications. The most common are:

• Big organizations that manage enterprise-wide mission-critical ERP operations

• Banks that handle trillions of transactions

• Backend operations of many digital applications

We invite you to watch the video below to understand why enterprises use the mainframe, the key differences between the mainframe and other platforms, and the different roles and personas in the mainframe world. It shows you the enduring significance of the mainframe in technology's evolving landscape, showcasing its resilience and pivotal role in today's business strategies. With a staggering 76 percent acknowledgment from business leaders and projections indicating a robust 63 percent growth in MIPS, the mainframe remains a foundational element in IT.

Amid the dynamic digital economy, mainframes support the exponential growth of mobile transactions, playing a pivotal role in diverse industries' success. Digital disruptors leveraging mainframes generate 2.5 times more profit, solidifying the mainframe as a cornerstone of innovation and efficiency in the digital age.

Watch the video below and use the following questions for your guidance:

1. How do recent survey results reflect the current perception of mainframes among business leaders, and what factors contribute to the sustained importance of mainframes in the evolving IT landscape?

2. In what ways does the IBM Z13 contribute to the enduring success of mainframes, and how do global studies, particularly those with over 324,000 IT customers, emphasize the efficiency and economic advantages of mainframes in large-scale business computing?

3. Explore the studies conducted by Dr. Howard Rubin regarding mainframes, focusing on their environmental impact, cost-effectiveness, and comparative advantages over distributed servers. How do these findings challenge common misconceptions and contribute to the ongoing reliance on mainframes in various industries?

Understand why enterprises use the mainframe, the key differences between the mainframe and other platforms, and the different roles and personas in the mainframe world.