IBM z15 Mainframe First take: Mission Critical Hybrid Cloud

I was a Junior IBM Mainframe COBOL Programmer in the beginning of the 1970's.

IBM 360 computers was the leading platform with SVS Operating System and afterward MVS Operating System.

IBM Mainframe platform was a leading platform in the decade before I started my computers career.

My roles were changed to a System Programmer, a Manager, a Consultant etc.
I worked on many other platforms and on multiple platforms environments.

The IT industry was also changed and the IBM Mainframe was no longer the leading platform. However, unlike other proprietary platforms it survived.

Nine years ago I wrote a post about a new Mainframe released. The post was titled:

IBM z-Enterprise First Take: Data Center in a Box or Cloud Computing.
IBM Mainframe was still a viable platform for large Enterprises.

It should be noted that Public Cloud implementation replacing Core Mainframe systems by Linux and/or Windows based systems is not yet a viable option, so Hybrid Cloud integrating the Private Cloud systems with other systems deployed on Public Cloud is the only realistic solution for many Large Enterprises.

IBM succeeded in adapting the Mainframe to decades of Rapid Changes in the IT Technology.
The Mainframe is still alive and kicking.

On September, IBM announced a new Mainframe Generation: z15 trying to adapt to current IT trends.

z15

The z15 targeted the Hybrid Cloud market.

A Forrester Consulting survey from 2013 identified the need for Heterogeneous Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud.

It also identified a need for Mainframe participation in the Heterogeneous Cloud. 67 percent of survey responders said that access to Mainframe Data is critically important or very important in cloud environments.

What was identified by Forrester Consulting is being implemented gradually and continue to be implemented in 2019.

The main new features of z15

Enhanced Security

The Security is enhanced by encryption in the Mainframe as well as on other platforms participating in the Cloud.
The Mainframe controls the encryption in other platforms.
My take
Mainframe Security was more robust than other platforms Security even prior to z15.

Cloud Native Development on Mainframe

My Take
I doubt if developers will use these features on IBM Mainframe with z/os Operating System.
It should be checked if there are advantages for development on Mainframe with Linux Operating System justifying development on Mainframe instead of more flexible platforms.
Size Matters so it may applicable to Large Enterprises.

Enhanced Availability
Limiting the impact of downtime by a new approach named Instant Recovery.

Conclusions

Taking into account the requirements for z/os Mainframe systems and z/Linux Mainframe systems by Large Enterprises whose Core Systems are deployed on z/os the z15 could be successful.
It provides new features supporting Modern Enterprise Systems participating in an Hybrid Cloud.
Another significant trend that should be addressed is the Digital Transformation, which will be discussed in the next post.

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