State technology offices continue pushing away from the mainframe

Information presented by the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD) shows a trend suggesting that Mainframes are becoming less popular in government IT. Although some survey responses show an interest in continuing, or even expanding, mainframe applications, the overall numbers reveal a preference for scaling back the use of mainframes.

At present, 53% of state enterprises manage their mainframes in-house, while 18% have fully outsourced the service. The remainder either pay for managed service or have some sort of hybrid solution in place. For the future, however, 61% of respondents indicated that they are looking to fully outsource or use a hybrid approach, while 18% plan to continue with in-house management of their mainframes.

Based on this survey, findings show fewer state agencies are using the mainframe within each state. For those still using the mainframe, the primary reasons are uptime reliability requirements for mission-critical systems and the advantage of platform security. The main reason, however, is to support legacy applications, as cited by 95% of respondents.

63% of respondents said that within their respective states, 10 or fewer agencies are left using the mainframe managed by a central IT organization. For those still using the mainframe, the primary reasons are uptime reliability requirements for mission-critical systems and the advantage of platform security. The main reason, however, is to support legacy applications, as cited by 95% of respondents.  

Ultimately, more and more states and their agencies are transitioning away from the mainframe, but according to Pat Snow, NASTD President and North Dakota CIO, it is unlikely that they will ever be completely removed from state government. There are certain applications that make sense for that platform, and while appearances may change, functions will stay the same. That being said, it is still evident that states are by and large looking to move off the mainframe, and will continue to look for new solutions and ways to manage this change in the coming years.

Source: StateScoop