Considering a move from mainframe to hybrid cloud? Here’s what you need to know

[IanJagger]

The advantages of new platforms are beckoning CIOs. But does a migration off Mainframe make sense for your organization – and if so, how do you go about it?

If you’re a mainframe user, should you be thinking about migrating to other types of compute? The hyperscalers certainly think you should, and they’re positioning cloud as a route to accelerated innovation and the development of new customer experiences.

But does a migration make sense for your organization – and if so, how do you go about it? I tackle those questions in a recent CIO.com article: The why, what, how and where of offloading from mainframe.

Offloading is a tough call. As I point out in the article, “a lot of businesses still rely heavily on their mainframes to power mission-critical workloads. Moving them to alternate platforms without a proper investment of funds, skillsets, and time can be a costly, and risky, process if done incorrectly.”

That said, the potential advantages of offloading are significant, and the article lists several, including:

• Digital transformation. Alternate platforms can provide the flexibility that businesses need to preempt disruption from competitors and create new revenue streams.
• Availability of skills. Staffing needs are easier to meet when you run workloads on hybrid cloud platforms. (See: What is hybrid cloud?)
• Choice of applications. A wide range of Intel-based apps are available to meet your business needs.

I also cover some key considerations to keep in mind as you plan your migration:

What needs to move? Knowing what’s in your current application library is important here. I offer some tips on how to create your discovery strategy and prioritize workloads for migration.

How do you undertake the migration? Offloading calls for a deep and accurate understanding of application criticality, dependencies, and other measures. Look for a partner with the right migration expertise and experience. HPE, for example, has been helping companies offload from mainframes for 25 years, with an average TCO reduction of 70%.

Where should you place your workloads? Mainframes often run workloads with high data gravity, as well as latency and compliance requirements – which might make CIOs hesitant to move them to the public cloud. But new options enable you to move beyond the all-or-nothing cloud-or-mainframe approach. The HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform can bring the speed and agility of cloud to wherever your data and applications are located, whether that’s at the edge, in colocations or in your data center.

The public cloud providers are not wrong to be looking to attract mainframe users. But they’re not the only game out there, and CIOs should also investigate the on-premises cloud services approach.

Learn more about digital transformation services from HPE.

Read more about HPE Pointnext Services and how we can help you stay ahead of what’s next.