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How Mainframe-as-a-Service Delivers Agility, Innovation and flexibility, while Driving Down Costs

IT departments must be able to respond to an array of requirements critical to the organisation. To be successful they are expected to leverage leading-edge IT to provide services and support their citizens, customers and business partners like never before. Otherwise, they risk failing the organisations they are dedicated to serving.

In a perfect world, organisations could modernise their IT and Mainframe technology quickly to meet unexpected requirements. Ideally, IT resources would be readily available for as long as required. Processing and storage capacity could scale to meet demands – and technicians would be able to assess and deliver the necessary capacity to support new capabilities. Unfortunately, the current reality is less than ideal in the mainframe space and actually puts many organizations well behind the IT curve.

Behind the Curve & Missing Opportunities
A large majority of organisations rely on mainframe computers to run their applications and use traditional IT procurement models, wherein any and all requirements are carefully assessed and IT resources are determined, to refresh and replace equipment.  A formal procurement process can take months or longer to prepare and execute.  New or additional IT resources can take weeks or months to order, deliver, install and make “Ready for Use.”  While trudging through this long process, windows of opportunity can be and indeed are often missed.

Moreover, far too many organisations are relying on mainframe hardware that is often reaching its end of life.

How IBM zCloud Bridges the Divide
To bridge the technology divide, IBM’s Mainframe-as-a-Service (zCloud) delivers the flexibility, any enterprise, using a traditional IT procurement model would not have otherwise.  With zCloud, organisations can use Operational rather than Capital Expense (OpEx vs. CapEx) to access the mainframe compute and storage resources required for normal operations. Enterprise mainframe IT infrastructure – compute, storage and networking – can be acquired on an as-needed basis. This allows an organisation to scale capacity to align with  unique requirements. Further, IBM owns and pays for maintenance and upgrades to the mainframe infrastructure, which immediately translates to dramatic cost- and risk-avoidance. zCloud permits enterprises to maintain and keep pace with the modernisation of mainframes while adapting to a more flexible and agile infrastructure in a cloud-based financial model.

Once the zCloud contract is in place, IBM’s comprehensive service catalog delineates mainframe capacity, functions and capabilities into simple and easily orderable service items, which can be used to quickly ramp up mainframe capacity to meet unique requirements.  Incremental changes can easily be applied to match the true needs of an application. Both the IT and the procurement departments can avoid rushed acquisitions that often result in over-buying.  Plus, 24/7/365 support is always on-hand.

IBM’s zCloud not only provides the agility modern organisations require, but also gives mainframe clients the freedom and flexibility to leverage leading edge technology approaches. For example, organisations can utilize Linux on the mainframe to consolidate distributed servers that have been rampantly multiplying, enhance IT reliability and even take advantage of cloud computing safely.

Organisations can use open source on to foster innovation and drive down costs by allowing extreme sharing of system resources across departments or even multiple agencies. In addition, when it comes to separation and isolation of workloads, mainframe’s EAL5+ Common Criteria certification provides peace of mind and distinction for organisations.

In summary the benefits of a move to zCloud include:

  • zCloud enables an organisation to transform its mainframe costs from a capital budget expense into an operational expense.
  • An as-a-Service model allows an organisation to accurately forecast operational expenses and effectively manage the mainframe budget.
  • zCloud reduces the headaches of mainframe infrastructure upgrades, hardware maintenance costs, support services and negotiations with OEM vendors for hardware maintenance.
  • zCloud customers benefit from IBM’s highly trained workforce – a real advantage for organisations facing the retirement of workers with mainframe skills.
  • Organisations can reposition their mainframe in an as-a-Service cloud platform to meet the provisions of the “Cloud First” mandate. Service offerings can be provisioned either on premises or off-premises in any data center hosting facility.

So, if your organisation is struggling with obsolete technology and reduced resources, you don’t need to wait until you can replace your legacy systems. Investigate zCloud options with experts who understand how to modernize infrastructure and maintain compliance without overburdening your budget. Explore IBM’s as-a-Service offerings here schedule a consultation with an expert here to ask questions about zCloud.