{"id":553,"date":"2025-06-02T22:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.softwareag.com\/?p=553"},"modified":"2026-02-12T12:17:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:17:42","slug":"modern-mainframe-resilient-relevant-ready-for-what-is-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.softwareag.com\/en\/blog\/mainframe-optimization\/modern-mainframe-resilient-relevant-ready-for-what-is-next\/","title":{"rendered":"The Modern Mainframe: Resilient, Relevant, and Ready for What\u2019s Next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While much of the conversation in the technology space focuses on cloud-first strategies and emerging solutions, it is easy to forget that mainframes, a technology that has existed since the dawn of the computing age, still power the core infrastructure behind banking, government services, and many other critical sectors. Becky Albin, Senior Director of Systems Engineering at Software AG, recently appeared on the Gov Tech Today podcast to highlight the enduring relevance of this staple of computing infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The mainframe] brings stability. It brings security. It brings really unparalleled performance,\u201d Albin said. \u201cThe mainframe is here, but it\u2019s got to coexist with the cloud and distributed platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her interview with host Jen Saha, Albin discussed how Software AG is helping government and enterprise customers take a strategic approach to modernization. That doesn\u2019t always mean ripping and replacing. Instead, it\u2019s often about extending the value of what already works through integration<\/a>, APIs, virtualization<\/a>, and user experience<\/a> upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to keep it green screen,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe, along with other vendors, supply tools that allow you to modernize those green screen applications where they don\u2019t look anything like a green screen. You wouldn\u2019t know that it\u2019s not some new software package, but it\u2019s still got all that mission critical functionality that your customers demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albin also touched on the true cost of cloud migration\u2014a reality many organizations only discover after the fact. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some customers who are moving pieces to the cloud, and they\u2019re shocked at how much it\u2019s going to cost them to go to the cloud,\u201d she said. \u201cNow we\u2019re actually seeing more of a hybrid model, and even some of our customers are pulling things back in shop because it was just not feasible to run it in the cloud for a reasonable price. They found out the mainframe can provide good value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One ongoing challenge is talent. With many experienced mainframe professionals approaching retirement, concerns are growing about who will maintain these systems. But according to Albin, the pipeline isn\u2019t empty. \u201cWe are training up the next generation,\u201d she said. \u201c[Universities are teaching] COBOL. They teach JCL. They teach Assembler. It\u2019s not the only thing they teach. It\u2019s just part of a bigger curriculum. I\u2019ve seen a resurgence in younger people wanting to learn the mainframe because it pays pretty darn good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, successful modernization starts with understanding\u2014not replacement. \u201cUnderstand that it\u2019s an evolution, not a revolution,\u201d Albin observed. \u201cTalk to your mainframe vendors because instead of ripping and replacing, there are tools that make your life so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To hear the full conversation, listen to Becky Albin on the Gov Tech Today podcast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Listen now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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