A hot topic among organizations is mainframe modernization. What does it really mean? The term “modernization” is used to mean different things causing confusion in the market. Some define “modernization” as moving away from mainframes and COBOL and others define “modernization” as updating existing systems in place.
Modernization, especially application and process modernization, is absolutely essential to the future of the mainframe ecosystem. Today, Open Mainframe Project announces a new working group that will provide leadership in ensuring that defining modernization in mainframe for enterprises is done in a way with a broad view of the options.
Announced at Open Mainframe Summit today, the new Working Group will create a common definition and framework around modernization in the mainframe space; produce educational material and promote all messages and definitions wider landscape for better alignment.
The current members interested in leading the effort include: Broadcom Mainframe Software, IBM, Micro Focus, Model9, Rocket Software, SUSE and Vicom Infinity, a Converge Company.
The goals of the Working Group include:
- Collaborating on a common definition of “mainframe modernization”
- Creating a framework through which all vendors can highlight their modernization options.
- Producing educational materials about modernization options and actual examples.
- Creating one “go to” place for information about mainframe modernization.
- Educating the market (mainframe and non-mainframe) via social media, blogs, articles and conferences.
- Identifying opportunities for future Open Mainframe projects to enable modernization.
“As a fan of the mainframe community, I’m hoping that we can use this new working group to bring a broad spectrum of IT experts together, from mainframes to cloud, to build a broader understanding of modernization under which we can all work together” said Misty Decker, Director of Product Marketing at Micro Focus and Chair of this new working group. “An effort this broad could only come out of an open source project, where everyone gets an equal vote and all voices are heard.”
Much like the COBOL Working Group that launched in 2020, Open Mainframe’s newest working group invites anyone from the community to join in this effort. To learn more or to stay updated, subscribe to the email list here: https://lists.openmainframeproject.org/g/wg-mainframe-modernization or connect via the Open Mainframe Project Slack via the #wg-modernization channel.
