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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.
“[The mainframe] brings stability. It brings security. It brings really unparalleled performance,” Albin said. “The mainframe is here, but it’s got to coexist with the cloud and distributed platforms.”
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’t always mean ripping and replacing. Instead, it’s often about extending the value of what already works through integration, APIs, virtualization, and user experience upgrades.
“You don’t have to keep it green screen,” she explained. “We, along with other vendors, supply tools that allow you to modernize those green screen applications where they don’t look anything like a green screen. You wouldn’t know that it’s not some new software package, but it’s still got all that mission critical functionality that your customers demand.”
Albin also touched on the true cost of cloud migration—a reality many organizations only discover after the fact. “We’ve had some customers who are moving pieces to the cloud, and they’re shocked at how much it’s going to cost them to go to the cloud,” she said. “Now we’re 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.”
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’t empty. “We are training up the next generation,” she said. “[Universities are teaching] COBOL. They teach JCL. They teach Assembler. It’s not the only thing they teach. It’s just part of a bigger curriculum. I’ve seen a resurgence in younger people wanting to learn the mainframe because it pays pretty darn good.”
Ultimately, successful modernization starts with understanding—not replacement. “Understand that it’s an evolution, not a revolution,” Albin observed. “Talk to your mainframe vendors because instead of ripping and replacing, there are tools that make your life so much easier.”
To hear the full conversation, listen to Becky Albin on the Gov Tech Today podcast.
