IDC: Mainframes still have legs

According to an IDC survey of 300 end-users, nearly one-half of respondents indicated they plan to increase annual spending on mainframe hardware and software. The study identifies the emergence of a blended, or hybrid, approach to computing on the IBM System z platform. The mainframe is still seen by respondents as an element of centrally managed corporate data and high value computing workloads by providing them with a layer of highly controllable enterprise management software. Additionally the survey found that IBM has revitalized the mainframe by implementing new processor strategy, and that processing power and reliability remain the mainframe’s advantage. Price of hardware was the primary reason for migrating applications from mainframe systems.