The Migration Myth: Why Moving Away from Mainframes is a Costly Mistake?
Capt Uday Prasad
In the fast-paced tech world, buzzwords like "cloud migration" have become the golden standard for modernization. Organizations are being told that to stay competitive, they must ditch their reliable mainframe systems for cloud platforms that promise agility and cost savings. But what is often ignored in this rush is the critical truth: moving away from mainframes is not only unnecessary but dangerous. It is a wasteful exercise that exposes companies to greater risks, higher costs, and the potential for catastrophic failures.
Here’s why migrating from mainframes is a massive money-making racket driven by misinformation, profit-seeking vendors, and poor understanding by top executives.
1. Mainframe Education is Nearly Non-Existent in Colleges
One of the major arguments for moving away from mainframes is the so-called "talent shortage." Critics claim that because universities aren't teaching COBOL, JCL, DB2, and other mainframe technologies, the talent pool is drying up. But let’s be clear: this is not the fault of the technology but of the outdated education system. It's because academia is out of touch with the real-world demands of critical industries. Mainframes still power essential sectors like banking, healthcare, and government services. The failure of educational institutions to train students on mainframe systems is a shortsighted move that misleads the next generation of IT professionals.
Why aren't universities teaching mainframes? Because they’re too focused on trendy, short-lived technologies like app development or web frameworks. The reality is, mainframes power the backbone of our global financial institutions, healthcare systems, and large-scale government operations. Failing to train new generations on these critical systems is an oversight of epic proportions.
IBM's Training Programs are Inaccessible
Another contributing factor to the migration push is the inaccessibility of IBM’s training programs. While IBM offers certification and courses, these are prohibitively expensive, limiting access to those who wish to learn. As a result, the lack of skilled mainframe professionals feeds the misconception that mainframes are outdated. Instead of addressing the talent gap, IBM has failed to make its training more affordable, inadvertently fueling the migration narrative
Professors and Lecturers are Out of Touch
Professors at many educational institutions are ill-equipped to teach mainframe technologies because they themselves lack hands-on experience with COBOL, JCL, VSAM, IMS, and Assembler. The disconnect between academia and industry creates a misleading picture that new technologies are superior when, in reality, mainframes still dominate mission-critical operations. The absence of mainframe education perpetuates the idea that cloud technologies are the future – while completely ignoring the risks involved.
Students are Being Misled
Students, unknowingly, are led to believe that the "cloud revolution" is the only path forward. Without being exposed to the rock-solid, time-tested world of mainframes, they assume that cloud solutions are the be-all and end-all. The truth is that the cloud's shiny appeal masks serious concerns about stability, scalability, and security. Students are entering the workforce unprepared to understand the monumental role mainframes play in the infrastructure of global businesses.
Cloud Vendors are Selling a False Dream
Let’s address the elephant in the room: cloud vendors. These companies are profiting handsomely from the push to migrate, advertising it as a miracle cure for cost-cutting and modernization. But let’s be real – migrating to the cloud isn’t free. It comes with immense costs, including potential system downtime, integration failures, retraining staff, and security vulnerabilities. The initial promises of "cost savings" are often overshadowed by the hidden fees and vendor lock-in that makes it extremely difficult to leave once you’re committed to a particular cloud platform.
Playing on the Ignorance of CXOs
Cloud providers have taken full advantage of the lack of technical knowledge among many CEOs and CTOs. These executives, often unfamiliar with the nuances of mainframe technology, are easily swayed by flashy marketing pitches from cloud vendors. They're convinced that cloud migration will make their organizations more agile, without fully understanding the risks they’re assuming.
But where is the training for these decision-makers? Which courses are teaching CTOs to understand the value that mainframes add or the dangers involved in a poorly planned migration? The truth is, few top executives are given the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about mainframes versus cloud solutions.
Mainframes Were the Original Cloud Systems
One of the most overlooked facts in this debate is that mainframes were the pioneers of the cloud model long before Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud existed. Yes, the complex charging method of IBM based on the CPU usage could be one of the grey areas, why the other systems are gaining traction.
But look at the other similarities, you don’t need to buy a physical mainframe to run COBOL applications. The mainframe model has always been built on the idea of shared computing power, where businesses pay only for the resources they use. IBM’s more recent offering of Mainframe as a Service (MaaS) is simply the natural evolution of this model, allowing organizations to access mainframe capabilities on a scalable, pay-as-you-go basis.
IBM’s MaaS platform combines the advantages of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), providing a comprehensive solution that rivals any cloud platform.
Here’s a breakdown of how MaaS compares to cloud
services:
The Real Cost of Migration: Downtime, Vulnerabilities, and Wasted Resources
What cloud vendors fail to mention in their pitches are the risks of migration: system downtime, integration failures, security vulnerabilities, and the massive expense of retraining staff. Many companies have experienced catastrophic failures during migrations that have led to business interruptions and financial loss.
Moreover, migration is not a one-time cost. Once organizations are locked into a cloud provider, they are subject to rising costs for storage, processing power, and additional services. Far from the cost-saving promises of cloud vendors, organizations often find themselves trapped in a never-ending cycle of escalating fees.
IBM's Missed Opportunity
Finally, IBM itself must share some of the blame for allowing this migration myth to flourish. By failing to offer affordable, accessible training programs and by not vigorously promoting the value of mainframes, IBM has ceded ground to cloud vendors who have capitalized on the confusion.
The Bottom Line: Mainframes are Still the Future
The rush to migrate from mainframes to the cloud is not just misguided—it’s a dangerous racket. Organizations are being sold on a dream that, in reality, could lead to higher costs, downtime, and lost revenue.
Mainframes remain the most reliable and secure platform for mission-critical operations. The introduction of MaaS further enhances the scalability and flexibility of mainframes, making them as modern as any cloud solution – but without the same risks.
It’s time for businesses to open their eyes and see the truth behind the migration myth. Don't fall for the false promises of cloud vendors. Stick with the proven power of mainframes and avoid the unnecessary costs and risks that come with migration.
Mainframes are the backbone of the world’s most critical industries. Don't let clever marketing tear it down.
The views expressed above are based on my independent industry experience and are not influenced by any third-party vendors, either directly or indirectly. My aim is to educate and inform the younger generation, without any bias or intent to disparage any particular entity. These insights are shared solely for the purpose of fostering knowledge and understanding