For mainframes, performance is the name of the game.
Built to handle supermassive loads of calculations and transactions in real-time, mainframe computers have long been trusted to ensure commercial databases and applications are agile, reliable, and secure.
The era of cloud-centric data modernization has been unfair to these mainframe systems, misrepresenting them as powerful but aging giants confined to on-premise data centers.
In reality, these robust computing platforms have quietly changed over the last couple of decades to meet the demands of the cloud era and bring their unique strengths to the modern data stack.
These modern mainframes now integrate seamlessly with cloud architectures, AI, and advanced analytics, extending their unmatched strengths in security, reliability, and transaction processing to hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Today’s mainframes also remain critical to industries that must juggle the ability to process massive volumes of data with a demand for high data availability and integrity.
By adapting to support modern workloads and cloud-native development, mainframes continue to be a useful ally in the quest for innovation, not a relic consigned to the legacy graveyard.
Mainframes in Modern Industries
Mainframes serve as critical infrastructure for complex industries, from healthcare and the life sciences, to financial services, to retailers, to the public sector:
- Financial Services: The reliability and performance of mainframes enable seamless processing of millions of transactions daily. In fact, 45 of the top 50 banks rely on mainframes as their core platform. Their ability to maintain accuracy and security is vital in managing sensitive financial data.
- Healthcare & Life Sciences: Mainframes handle extensive patient records and ensure data integrity while adhering to strict security regulations. They enable healthcare providers to access, process, and analyze critical information quickly.
- Retail & CPG: E-commerce and retail companies rely on the mainframe’s massive processing capabilities to manage high transaction volumes across mobile, web, and in-store POS systems. Their dependability, meanwhile, ensures seamless customer experiences at scale.
- Public Sector: Mainframes play a vital role in supporting essential government functions, including public safety and national defense. Mainframes’ unmatched combination of performance, reliability, and security make them a natural choice for agencies that need their systems to weather outages and evolving cyber threats.
- Automotive: Mainframes frequently serve as the backbone of operations. Their unmatched processing power and reliability enable manufacturers to coordinate production, logistics, and customer data in real time. As the industry shifts toward software-defined vehicles and autonomous driving, mainframes have also continued to evolve—supporting advanced analytics, AI workloads, and secure over-the-air updates at scale.
- Supply Chain: Mainframes play a pivotal role in powering complex, global supply chain networks. Their ability to handle massive volumes of transactions with speed and precision makes them ideal for coordinating everything from inventory management and procurement to logistics and real-time tracking. With built-in reliability and security, mainframes ensure continuous operations—even amid disruptions—while supporting modern integrations like AI-driven forecasting and blockchain-based transparency across supplier ecosystems.
The cross-industry value proposition of mainframes is hard to refute, and business leaders are aware of that fact. According to research by IBM, 70% of executives believe mainframe-based applications are crucial to their business strategy.
Mainframe Modernization and Hybrid Cloud
Now that we’ve established the baseline value mainframes bring to complex, high-volume industries, let’s talk a little about how these compute powerhouses fit into the modern data stack.
Future-ready architectures demand robust solutions capable of handling increased workloads while maintaining strict security standards.
Fortunately, modern mainframes, such as the IBM z17, are in close alignment with enterprises’ evolving needs. These systems can process up to 1 trillion secure web transactions daily, highlighting their capacity to support massive data flows and secure transactions.
Mainframes are also adapting to the cloud-native era by improving their ability to integrate with cloud platforms like Snowflake and AWS. This capability, known as hybrid cloud integration, enhances mainframe capabilities by connecting on-premises systems with cloud-based resources, offering increased scalability and flexibility.
This approach allows organizations to optimize workloads while improving data accessibility across various platforms. By combining the resilience of mainframes with the versatility of hybrid cloud, businesses can adapt to shifting operational requirements and leverage advanced technologies to drive performance.
Building Future-Ready Architectures
As enterprises in highly regulated, high-volume industries modernize their data strategies, one thing is clear: the mainframe is not going away, it’s evolving.
Far from being a relic of a bygone age, today’s mainframe is a powerful, cloud-integrated platform built to meet the demands of the modern enterprise.
But realizing its full potential requires more than just infrastructure. It demands a thoughtful, business-aligned architecture that bridges the strengths of mainframes with the agility of the cloud.
At Hakkoda, an IBM Company, we are sensitive to the deep complexity of building hybrid data stacks—especially when a host of regulatory and operational requirements are layered on top. By combining IBM’s leadership in mainframe innovation with Hakkoda’s cloud-native, industry-first expertise, we help clients unlock secure, scalable, and future-ready solutions that align with their most complex business goals.
The hybrid future is already here. Talk to one of our experts today to learn how Hakkoda and IBM can help you lead it.
