Mainframe remains critical in challenging climate

BMC survey highlights an expectation for growing MIPS on the platform

Cost reduction is the main priority for IT departments

Companies worldwide increasingly rely on mainframes during a challenging economic climate, according to research.

Business service management vendor BMC this week published the results of its fifth Annual Worldwide Survey of Mainframe Users which highlighted the power, scalability and security of mainframes.

The research found that 84 per cent of the 1,700 respondents predict that the processing measure – millions of instructions per second (MIPS) – is set to either remain steady or grow on the platform over the next year.

Almost 60 per cent of respondents also believe the mainframe will attract new workloads over the next 12 months.

One of the most telling aspects of the research is reflected in the perception of mainframes, where 94 per cent believe the platform will remain viable.

Availability advantages of the mainframe were cited as benefits by 74 per cent of respondents and security strengths followed close behind at 70 per cent.

The survey also assessed what are currently the main IT priorities for users. Green IT and cloud computing ranked lowest in responses. Reducing the cost of IT came out on top at 64 per cent – 30 per cent more than disaster recovery, the next major concern.