Mainframe innovation on the rise

The survey, conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of Compuware, reveals that organizations expect to increase the frequency of new mainframe application feature deployments by an average of 41% in the next 12 months, vs. 38% for non-mainframe applications. This comes as 47% of organizations say the mainframe is running more business-critical applications today than ever before. Indeed, the mainframe provides crucial support for a growing number of customer-facing and revenue-driving services.

 

“Today, every company is a software company, as applications have become the main driver behind the way that disruptive business models and compelling customer experiences are built,” said Chris O’Malley, CEO, Compuware. “Given the increasingly crucial role the mainframe plays in innovation, continuously improving the quality, velocity and efficiency of software development and delivery on the platform should no longer be a wishful IT aspiration – it’s an urgent strategic imperative. Enterprises must find ways to translate ideas for meeting and exceeding customer expectations into digital services that make a difference – continuously.”

 

The research further reveals that the overwhelming majority (97%) of application development managers say IT is under more pressure than ever to deliver software innovation faster. It is perhaps unsurprising then, that a similar number (95%) also said their IT teams are under pressure to adopt modern development practices on the mainframe to accelerate delivery and innovation.

 

As they work towards these goals, 52% of organizations have adopted DevOps on the mainframe and 42% have adopted Agile methodologies. While these findings show that organizations have made great strides to implement modern development practices on the mainframe, there is still a long way to go before adoption of DevOps and Agile methodologies on these core systems is as widespread as today’s digital economy demands.

 

“Mainframe developers are more critical to business success than ever before,” said David Rizzo, VP of Engineering, Compuware. “However, to truly innovate on existing core systems and deliver new digital services for customers, developers need the best possible experience and environment to work in. The basis of this should reside in an open and collaborative culture, where developers can work on inspiring and challenging projects, with modern methods and tools, and receive fast feedback that continuously improves their abilities. Providing this kind of developer experience is crucial to enabling organizations to compete effectively in the digital age.”