In the recent technological developments, many companies like Google, IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, Dell, etc., are providing cloud services. In between these cloud services many think Mainframes are no longer used in developing modern technologies, but it’s not true. Mainframes are used to manage more than 85% of credit card transactions. Nearly 350 companies in Fortune 500 are using it. Not only these, many insurance companies and banks rely on Mainframes. Many organisations think that depending on Mainframe is risky and consumes time and money.
In this article, let us go through the present situation of Mainframe, its potential, and its modernization to keep up with DevOps. learn DevOps training in Hyderabad and take an edge in this competitive era in DevOps.
Need for the skill
Recent statistics reveal that there is a gap between the professionals and those who trained recently in the Mainframe. Nearly 40% of mainframe developers can’t cope with CI/CD (Continuous Integration or Continuous Deployment). More than 50% of pollees are unable to prefigure the changes applied in the Mainframe. The gap in skills increases the scarcity of professionals, moreover it amplifies the barrier to master Mainframe architecture. These gaps are filled by adopting modern tools and DevOps. Generally people neglect Mainframe as they have limited automation capabilities, release cycles, and deployments. With a mainframe, we can implement changes and make it better for enterprises, and in fact Mainframe is the backbone for many mobile processes in today’s world. Companies need to update their infrastructure and modernise their assessment, and they should replace their traditional mainframe applications as they no longer are capable of competing with modern technologies.
Why integrate Mainframe software development with DevOps?
When we integrate Mainframe, we are enabling automation everywhere. With these update features, we can automate processes and standardise the processes which are ongoing manually in an efficient way. With modern toolchains, we can easily connect & modernise the Mainframe. When we modernise the mainframe environment by using CI/CD and DevOps, it draws developers’ interest and enhances their performance to give their best. With the updated functions and work environment in the Mainframe, it is easy for developers, and they like working on the Mainframe as it is the same as other platforms. Finally, the reason for integration is simple: bringing DevOps to Mainframe will benefit mainframe software development and Mainframe.
Challenges of Mainframe
The major challenge in Mainframe is the workforce. Many Mainframe professionals lack modern skills, and any change in process or system needs their perfect approach. Some of the changes that should be done in the mainframe are:
Process: in traditional manual processes, users lack flexibility and response time to update with business changes. Their improvement depends on changes in business requirements and business which upset timelines, which results in taking more response time for business/ user changes.
People: low skills and an ageing workforce creates a cultural paradigm shift in the Working Environment.
Tools: Most of the mainframes do not have the capacity to deliver automation. Without coordination between operations, testing, development, security, and infrastructure will ultimately lead to lengthy software development lifecycles.
Others: faster deployment and lack of automated deployment, incomplete E2E testing, lack of IDE, structural changes for effective integration, Improved tool standardisation, Identifying and reducing shadow IT projects, Avoid poorly-guided modernization efforts.
Benefits of a hybrid model.
- The hybrid architecture includes both online and on-premises. A hybrid model improves users’ ability to construct DevOps solutions in any language they require and deploy it in any hybrid cloud environment they need.
- Enhances Agile development practices in the organisation to bear the Mainframe resident applications.
- Delivers seamless interaction and shortens release cycles, and offers a complete DevOps solution for companies.
- Improves reliability and enriches automation to allow seamless integration between traditional Mainframe (on-premise) and modern framework (on the cloud).
- Mainframe development tools are integrated with high-velocity toolchains to assist in problem-solving.
- Program and data visualisation enables developers in both non-Mainframe and Mainframe experts able to understand program and data interdependencies.
- When the developer increases team collaboration with developmental tools, it ultimately achieves the business goal of staying ahead in the competition.
- Mainframe is the key competitive differentiator for any organisation that differentiates itself using cutting-edge technology. If we nurture them, they play a significant role in providing good support.
Conclusion
By modernising business applications, they maintain competitiveness in the industry, and the next-gen developers will compete with the best to cope with the talented ones. Mainframe will develop from the olden day’s computer to present an innovation engine with the latest advancements. Mainframe occupied a special place in modern applications and DevOps. If the barriers between DevOps and Mainframe are removed, then the benefits go beyond creating a more agile DevOps team. So hereby conclude that Extending mainframe investments with modern software development and DevOps solutions will surely make an impact in Mainframe.
My Name is Veera Ravala, Postgraduate in Marketing, Digital Marketing professional at HKR Trainings. I aspire to learn new things to grow professionally. My articles focus on the latest programming courses. You can follow me on LinkedIn.