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From a technical perspective, there is currently no platform more modern than the mainframe. What many mainframe-based companies need to focus on is modernizing their application landscapes.
About the Expert: Mainframe Thought Leader, Author, and Consultant
Wolfram Greis is the Co-Founder of the European Mainframe Academy (EMA), which has become the leading provider of mainframe training in the DACH region thanks to its innovative training concepts and high-quality standards. Since 2024, EMA GmbH in Germany has been part of the Beta Systems Group, expanding its product and service portfolio for data centers.
Wolfram Greis is also a top voice in the mainframe community across DACH and beyond. He co-founded and presides over the Academic Mainframe Consortium, is a published author, and advises companies on modernization projects. In 2024, he was appointed to IBM’s global Mainframe Skill Council to actively address the industry's skill gap.
Interview with Mainframe Expert Wolfram Greis
In light of the cloud hype about ten years ago, many predicted the end of the mainframe era. That hasn’t happened. Why do you think the mainframe still has a future?
Predictions about the demise of the mainframe go back even further. One of the most cited examples comes from Stewart Alsop, then Editor-in-Chief of Infoworld, who claimed in 1991 that the last mainframe would be unplugged on March 15, 1996.
Ironically, today one of the largest mainframe users is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which at the time of Alsop’s prediction had no mainframes at all. Although the Chinese government encourages its banks to avoid Western hardware, the core banking systems of major Chinese institutions still run on IBM mainframes – simply because there is no viable alternative.
Today, we often hear the term “mainframe modernization,” which is sometimes misunderstood as implying that the mainframe is outdated. That’s simply not true. The mainframe has evolved from a monolithic system into a key component of modern hybrid IT infrastructures. In fact, no other platform is more technically advanced today. What needs attention in many organizations is the modernization of legacy application environments.
What is the mainframe's role today?
The mainframe is unmatched when it comes to large-scale transactional processing—processing many transactions securely and in a structured way within a short time. These transactions are processed according to the ACID principle (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability). In contrast to, say, a Google search, where results may vary depending on timing, this consistency is non-negotiable in banking—any failure would quickly alert financial regulators like BaFin.
Many companies have made long-term investments in legacy software, which is often seen as incompatible with modern architecture. How should businesses handle this technical legacy?
This is indeed a challenge. The architectural compatibility IBM promised in 1964 is both a strength and a limitation. Many programs written in the 1970s or 1980s have never been touched because they continued to work.
But technology has moved on. A COBOL program recompiled today—without any changes to the source code—runs on average 40% faster and uses significantly less CPU. It's a good idea to adapt COBOL applications for modern microservice environments or to convert them to Java. No other platform runs business-critical Java applications as reliably as the mainframe. Migrating the application architecture while staying on the mainframe carries significantly lower risk than switching platforms entirely.
At the peak of cloud enthusiasm, many believed IT workloads would fully move to the cloud. But now we see cloud repatriation. Where do you see the right balance between on-prem and cloud capacity?
Cloud architectures are not inherently problematic. But for security and compliance reasons, moving core banking systems to a public cloud makes little sense. A hybrid cloud configuration is more practical—leveraging the flexibility of the cloud with the reliability and performance of the mainframe.
As mentioned, transactional processing is best handled on the mainframe. A cloud solution without mainframe integration simply isn't suited for this. Critical workloads remain on-premises, while public cloud services can be used for less sensitive tasks.
What trends do you observe in the strategic direction of data centers?
The interplay of Linux on the mainframe and z/OS for transaction processing is pivotal. Both systems can run on the same physical machine, offering security and availability at a level no other platform matches.
Integration into DevOps toolchains is essential to enable agile development and automated deployment. It's also worth noting that mainframes are among the most energy- and space-efficient systems in data centers, delivering unmatched compute performance per watt.
What role will the mainframe play in the AI era?
Modernization, integration, and adoption of emerging technologies like AI and cloud integration are key to the mainframe’s future.
AI supports production workloads – for instance, helping to detect and prevent payment fraud in real time. This allows businesses to extract insights from data and make better decisions. IBM’s z16 architecture with the Telum processor introduced embedded AI capabilities, and its successor, the Telum-2 chip, is already in development.
AI can also assist with code migration from legacy languages like COBOL and PL/I to Java—although automated conversion tools often produce code that’s hard to maintain. Using AI to support manual migration is a much better approach.
What advice would you give companies pursuing a “mainframe exit” strategy?
“Leaving the mainframe” is not a strategy – it’s a reaction. The real strategy should be to modernize application landscapes, something many organizations have long neglected.
A common reason for wanting to leave the mainframe is vendor lock-in. A more sensible first step is to make applications platform-independent – e.g., by migrating from COBOL or PL/I to Java – without switching the platform just yet.
A platform migration without preparation is extremely risky, and many costly projects have failed. In many cases, the economic argument for leaving the mainframe falls apart. Still, companies would gain negotiating power with vendors: "Give us a fair deal, or we’ll move."
End of the interview
LinkedIn profile of Wolfram Greis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolframgreis/
Beta Systems is a strategic partner for enterprises operating data centers, providing solutions for hybrid cloud environments as well as offerings to optimize mainframe usage. The mainframe continues to play a vital strategic role in many data centers, particularly in supporting time-sensitive and security-critical IT operations. Ensuring the long-term availability and continuous development of mainframe operation expertise therefore remains a key priority on every CIO’s agenda. In 2024, Beta Systems reinforced its position as a strategic partner in data center operations through the acquisition of the European Mainframe Academy (EMA).
Want to learn more about future-proof mainframe strategies or training programs? Visit the website of the European Mainframe Academy or contact our experts at the Beta Systems Group.
Beta Systems is also one of the leading providers of automation solutions for complex and heterogeneous IT landscapes within the data center. Our ANOW! Suite, positioned in the segment of Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAP) and Workload Automation (WLA), serves as the operating system for modern data centers. It functions as a meta-orchestrator across both mainframe and hybrid cloud technologies. Our workload automation solutions deliver maximum scalability, flexibility, and control over automated processes.
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