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Mainframe Investments Show Significant Momentum in DevOps, AIOps, with Focus on Security

BMC survey highlights mainframe innovation as competitive strength for the modern enterprise

HOUSTON – September 7, 2023 – BMC, a global leader in software solutions for the Autonomous Digital Enterprise, today released findings from its 18th annual mainframe survey1 that reinforces the value of the mainframe and its continued growth as a platform for innovation.

A newfound appreciation for the mainframe’s resilience and scalability emerged from the heavy reliance on technology through the shifting digital landscape resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s survey of more than 800 executive and technical professionals showed some interesting trends:

  • Ninety-four percent of respondents have a positive perception of the mainframe, and 63% reported increased mainframe investment over the past year.
  • DevOps and AIOps continue to grow for the mainframe while data volume and the number of databases continue to increase significantly.
  • Compliance and security continue to be the top priority for mainframe practitioners – a priority that first emerged in 2019.
  • Cloud emerged as a top-four priority for this coming year for 35% of the respondents with an increased interest in the implementation of cloud technologies like cloud-based storage and back-up.

The survey findings further support the need for organizations to strengthen enterprise mainframe processes with tools that deliver greater speed, certainty, and security.

Continued DevOps innovation and AIOps growth forecasted for the coming year

With the growth of the mainframe comes an emphasis on innovation and an increase in the use of DevOps and AIOps to drive real-world results.

Sixty-two percent of respondents reported using DevOps practices on the mainframe, recognizing the need to rapidly update core applications to keep up with business demand and improve application development quality.

Use of AIOps across both mainframe and non-mainframe environments has increased considerably, from 25% in 2021 to 32% in 2023. Challenges in implementing AIOps including cost, complexity, and the need for specialized skillsets, have decreased. Current users report improved uptime, the ability to detect problems quickly, and the capability to understand trends ahead of time as the greatest business values delivered by AIOps.

Compliance and security remain top priority for fourth consecutive year

Compliance and security lead the list of priorities for mainframe organizations, with 61% of respondents citing these as top issues, followed by cost optimization (49%), enhancing automation (41%), and data recovery (40%.)

These priorities correspond to the increased use of personally identifiable (PII) solutions, a 7% rise in respondents using a dedicated mainframe security information and event management (SIEM) solution since 2021, privileged-user monitoring and access management, and external pen-testing services.

“Our survey highlights that companies investing in modernizing their application development and operations practices on the mainframe drive significantly faster innovation and achieve higher levels of resiliency,” said John McKenny, senior vice president and general manager of Intelligent Z Optimization and Transformation. “As mainframe innovation continues, organizations that aren’t investing in the mainframe are putting their business and customers at significant risk.”

Find out more about the survey at BMC Connect. The BMC Connect event series – a highly anticipated customer and partner event series where tech experts worldwide share the game-changing AI and data solutions – kicks off in Melbourne today and takes BMC around the world to seven cities through 2023. The company will highlight portfolio innovations across AIOps, DevOps, DataOps, ServiceOps, and AutonomousOps to serve mainframe, distributed, and cloud customers in achieving Connected Digital Ops through keynotes and interactive sessions.

Additional Resources

12023 BMC Mainframe Survey Report, a study conducted by BMC among more than 800 mainframe and IT professionals globally, with responses gathered March 28 – April 21, 2023, via email invitations to an online survey.

About BMC

BMC works with 86% of the Forbes Global 50 and customers and partners around the world to create their future. With our history of innovation, industry-leading automation, operations, and service management solutions, combined with unmatched flexibility, we help organizations free up time and space to become an Autonomous Digital Enterprise that conquers the opportunities ahead.

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Editorial contact:
Asma Ali
BMC
ExtComms@bmc.com