Market Review Market Review Paper by Bloor Author David Norfolk Publish date June 2021 The Future of Business …using Enterprise Server 3.0 Services A company has to stay“ in business while modernising its systems and any modernisation must have a clearly documented business case and properly managed risk. What this means is that migrating a working system to a new platform may not be a good use of resources, especially as alternative modernisation options (such as the provision of cloud APIs or Application Programming Interfaces) are available. ” Executive summary he Future of Business will Well, the nub of the business issue we be largely built on the past, spotlight here is that migration to Cloud T for existing companies. is often recommended simplistically as Modernisation of what you have already, a platform for future business, almost as presumably “fit for current purpose” (or you a fashion option, with implied promises wouldn’t be in business) avoids waste and of ultimate agility, elastic capabilities mitigates certain classes of risk (although, without limits and low cost; but the if not done properly, it can add new risks). actuality is often different – and never Modernisation, of course, implies fit for quite being able to complete a migration evolution and change – once modernised, off Enterprise Server 3.0, because the you will be making further changes to business realities won’t let you, is accommodate new business. probably the most expensive scenario Modernisation of what For big enterprises, the world still runs of all. Cloud provides a wide choice of you have already,“ on very large, very resilient, servers – often platforms, some with innovative and presumably “fit for current referred to as “mainframes”, although attractive characteristics, but three truths Bloor prefers the term Enterprise Server remain important: purpose” (or you wouldn’t be in business) avoids 3.0. In 2021/2, the University of Surrey is • Workloads must run on the most offering a Mainframe Computing Module appropriate platform for satisfying the waste and mitigates (COM3015). Promoting this module, it says business need, with a business case certain classes of risk. that “80% of the world’s corporate data justification. resides or originates on IBM mainframes. IBM mainframes (“System z”) are used by • The choice of appropriate platform 95% of US Fortune 500 companies, 71% must be a fact-based, not a fashion- of global Fortune 500 companies, all of based, decision. the top 25 worldwide banks, 23 of the • If you change platform for existing ” top 25 US retailers and 9 out of 10 of the workloads, regardless of the world's largest insurance companies. The economics of the destination platform, mainframe operating system z/OS supports the economics of the journey matter. large-scale databases through DB2, IBM's flagship mainframe database software, A properly managed enterprise server and IBM's mainframe transaction serving has capabilities in the areas of security, software CICS handles more than 30 billion resilience, performance and reliability that transactions per day”. are hard to match with clusters of 8086 And not just IBM mainframes – servers, running commodity operating vendors such as Unisys still sell very large systems. Moreover, even if an apparently resilient Intel 8086 servers (that is, servers more modern platform might be your using the chip designs used in ordinary preferred choice if starting from scratch PCs) that fit the definition ofEnterprise today (although remember that a modern Server 3.0: a server that can “add or hot Enterprise Server 3.0 actually implements swap system capacity without disruption… state of the art technology), migrating an handle very high volume input and output existing system with proven regulatory (I/O) and emphasize throughput computing... compliance and value delivery to a new replace dozens or even hundreds of smaller platform will be both expensive and risky; servers”. See more about Enterprise Server in large part because of the logistics 3.0 on Bloor’s website, here. and cost of proving that its business Bloor believes that the Future of behaviours haven’t changed over the Business (FoB) is mutable. That is, future migration. More to the point, there may businesses will be in a constant state well be no obvious and holistic business of evolutionary change, in response to benefit from the migration. rapidly evolving business environments The bottom line is that a company (often, in the shorter term, responding has to stay in business while modernising to the consequences of the COVID 19 its systems and any modernisation must pandemic). So, what is the place of have a clearly documented business case Enterprise Server 3.0 in the FoB? and properly managed risk. What this 3 A Bloor Market Review Paper means is that migrating a working system Similarly, we regard ES-3 security to a new platform may not be a good (with tools such as RACF, Top Secret and use of resources, especially as alternative ACF2) as out of scope here. Fran Howarth modernisation options (such as the covers ES-3 security for Bloor. provision of cloud APIs or Application This report is intended for C-level Programming Interfaces) are available. management, Enterprise Architects This paper examines the options for and business managers who wish to modernising existing business systems understand the modernisation options running on Enterprise Server 3.0 in more available to them. detail, and examines the sources of assistance that are available. We don’t see This paper examines a world of discrete technology platforms “the options for with more or less cumbersome interfaces modernising existing any more than we see the Atlantic Ocean as physically separate from the Pacific business systems and the other 4 oceans – there is one running on Enterprise global ocean. We see all the traditional Server 3.0 in more technology platforms, in a well managed detail, and examines organisation, as an integrated whole, with the sources of currents of data flowing between the different areas, each with different local assistance that are characteristics, of the technology ocean. available. The Enterprise Server 3 platform has extremely powerful database services, capable of processing huge volumes of data and servicing tens of thousands (even, in special cases, over a million) ” transactions per second, according to Precisely. And were are not just talking about DB2 relational database but the IMS hierarchical database; Adabas inverted list database and the Natural 4GL; IDMS network database; and others. This is a huge subject, however, deserving a paper in its own right, and we will not look at these further here (Philip and Daniel Howard are looking at ES-3 database tools for Bloor). We will just point out that it is important to compare like with like when assessing ES-3 databases – they may not look very cost effective for small datasets but at the very largest scale, competitors may simply not bother to compete. © 2021 Bloor 4 Modernising Enterprise Server 3.0 Future of Business – modernising ES-3 is still in use, in fact, usage is Enterprise Server 3.0 applications increasing if anything. In its brochure for its Bloor believes that the Future of 2021/2 Mainframe Computing module, the Business lies with “mutable businesses” University of Surrey is offering a Mainframe in a constant state of evolutionary Computing Module claims that. “80% of the change, in responding to rapidly evolving world’s corporate data resides or originates business environments (in the short term, on IBM mainframes. IBM mainframes this has been speeded up due to the (“System z”) are used by 95% of US Fortune consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic, 500 companies, 71% of global Fortune 500 but it has been a trend since before that). companies, all of the top 25 worldwide banks, Nevertheless, some things don’t change 23 of the top 25 US retailers and 9 out of 10 so much, or so quickly (especially in highly of the world’s largest insurance companies. Definition of Enterprise regulated industries such as banking) The mainframe operating system z/OS Server 3.0: a server“ that and it is important that you don’t go supports large-scale databases through DB2, can “add or hot swap out of business while navigating your IBM’s flagship mainframe database software, journey through the changes involved and IBM’s mainframe transaction serving system capacity without in becoming a “mutable business”. What software CICS handles more than 30 billion disruption… handle this means is that the business-critical transactions per day”. very high volume input systems of record in a large enterprise, And it is not just IBM mainframes – and output (I/O) and usually running on a big powerful vendors such as Unisys still sell very large emphasize throughput mainframe and often written in languages resilient Intel 8086 servers (that is, servers like COBOL, have to be modernised using the chip designs used in ordinary computing... replace or replaced, in order to support a 21st PCs) that fit thedefinition of Enterprise dozens or even hundreds century Mutable Business, and the Server 3.0: a server that can “add or hot swap of smaller servers”. strategy chosen for this modernisation/ system capacity without disruption… handle replacement process will have profound very high volume input and output (I/O) and implications for the business. emphasize throughput computing... replace To start with, let us just review this dozens or even hundreds of smaller servers”. “mainframe” concept. Forget about the We also need to define the term ” 1980s room-sized monolith with its Modernisation. Following Rocket Software green-screen command-line interfaces. and others, we see it as “investing to Today’s mainframe (IBM Z for example), innovate”, so that ES-3 systems not only although based on the same well- support the status quo efficiently and designed architecture, is smaller, more cost-effectively but also support new powerful, faster, capable of running use cases as just another automation Linux on built-in UNIX “blades” and service.