Is it really easy to maintain mainframe

Is It Really Easy to Maintain Mainframe?

A computer literate with knowledge of commercial computing would not underestimate mainframe testing. The popular research company. Forrester’s report Digital Transformation Needs Mainframe DevOps: Improving User-Facing Processes Means Streamlining Core Systems provides insights on the mainframe-based applications and their increased use in enhancing customers’ digital experience.

The need for mainframe DevOps cannot be undermined and accepting that mainframe specialists are difficult to find is important. Let’s look at some challenges and possible solutions that affect mainframe.

What Are the Challenges?

Mainframe is an integral part of IT businesses and there are some challenges that businesses often face while working. Here is a list of just a few things that act as a hindrance: 

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Underestimation: In most of businesses, the decision-makers are often not directly involved in individual processes and with superficial knowledge, they end-up making decisions which are not balanced. For example, a business head would not overlook mainframe but he or she might not understand the need for a separate team.

Lack of Talented Developers and Testers: There is a real dearth of talented mainframe professionals. Mainframe is different than usual Software development and requires knowledge of COBOL, CICs, JCL, etc. In most

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companies, the IT team is tasked with the responsibility of handling mainframe without understanding that mainframe might require a little more expertise.

Cross Functioning: The IT team is required to work in coherence with mainframe developers and testers. The kind of cohesion required between the two teams is often difficult because of overlapping duties which is mainly due to employees not understanding the difference between the roles.

Software and Hardware Requirements: Mainframe has a certain type of infrastructure requirement and companies might often struggle to meet up to this requirement because of cost constraints and other factors like professional staff. This problem also arises when companies are planning to retire mainframe and are concerned about the cost involved.

The challenges have been identified on the basis of occurrence. These are the issues that are mostly faced by big and small companies alike. There are various other challenges that will differ from company to company based on its size, nature of business, etc.

What Are the Solutions?

Each challenge has a solution and the only thing you need is to identify what is the problem and then select the solution according to your need. A few options are listed below: 

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Virtual Libraries: As mentioned above, it is difficult to find efficient mainframe professionals and therefore, even if you have found one, the chances of finding a replacement if he or she resigns are minimal. Therefore, many companies opt for virtual libraries where all IT-related information is stored on a cloud or an enterprise server. An example of this is iSolve for Softlib.

Targeted Solutions: Companies like Compuware have been in mainframe business for long and they offer practical solutions for all mainframe requirements. Their Agile/DevOps solutions like Topaz for Total Test, Strobe, etc. help in analyzing, debugging, maintaining, testing, etc. Some consider this a good investment and others consider this a better deal than hiring a specialized mainframe professional.

Streamline Roles: This might seem like an obvious solution to a problem where cross functioning becomes a problem, but it is not easy to implement. A good solution is to have a ticketing system in place which would synthesize the problem, offer self-assisting solutions, and if those don’t work then assign it to the right team which can later take care of the issue.

Third Parties: Involving a third party for all your mainframe needs is often the best solution because it helps you curb the cost of maintaining the mainframe systems and keeping full-time dedicated employees. A third party often offers these services at competitive prices with state-of-art infrastructure and highly skilled professionals. One example of a third party that comes to my mind at the moment is PSR Inc. which deals only in mainframe.

The solutions offered are mainly for the challenges identified. In case, your problem is not listed above, the chances are that your solution would not be mentioned either. In this case, you can always consult a third-party advisor who can suggest solutions and quote a price for the services.

The major manufacturer of mainframes is IBM and it also offers enterprise level services for mainframes either directly or through associated partners. Check out the official website for more information on IBM’s mainframes and services.

With mainframes becoming mainstream, companies are hopeful about finding the right talent pool and professional-service providers that can enhance the mainframerelated work experience. With proper planning and management, it should not be difficult to maintain mainframe.

If it still sounds intimidating, then your plan and approach needs a little bit more work. Share your mainframe related challenges or solutions in the comments section.

The information presented experts of Java application development here.

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