BMC Mainframe Survey points to continued reliance on IBM System z – “In October, BMC released their ninth annual mainframe survey, “2014 Annual Mainframe Research Results: Bringing IT to Life Through Digital Transformation”. The survey is widely regarded as a useful insight into today’s IBM mainframe world. Let’s explore some of the findings from the BMC study, by looking at the key talking points. Future strategy – The study was pretty clear: the mainframe remains part of the long-term business strategy and continues to shape the future of IT, according to 91% of respondents. A growing need for access on the go, 24/7 – for example internet banking – will increase reliance on the mainframe, and raise the demand for Millions of Instructions per Second (MIPS). Usage is expected to continue growing – with 61% of all shops expecting MIPS growth in the next two years, a clear indication of the faith in the mainframe longer-term. This is no surprise. Whether making a credit card payment, getting an insurance quote or booking a holiday,  the mainframe provides today, and will continue to provide, ‘mission critical’ processing. The ongoing evolution of the mainframe continues to play an increasingly important role in today’s enterprise IT environments. Most respondents said they take advantage of the mainframe to benefit from updated technology such as mobile and cloud. The Micro Focus view: As the continued reliance on mainframes is regarded as a given, it’s clear that organizations must maintain their investment in the centrepiece of their IT portfolio, in order to extract maximum value from it. Efficiency plays a key part in obtaining the value from a large mainframe investment – and gaining better understanding is the first step to improving efficiency. Cost-conscious IT managers and CIOs will appreciate gaining technical insight into a complex portfolio while benefitting from faster development and modernization projects.”