BMC Software Annual Mainframe Survey Reveals Strong Need for Cross-Enterprise Governance Across Mainframe and Distributed System
August 12 2008 - 7:45AM
Business Wire
Customer optimism about the future of the mainframe computing
environment jumped 13 percent during the past year, according to
the results of BMC Software�s (NYSE:BMC) Annual Worldwide Survey of
mainframe customers. Respondents clearly indicated that they
believe the platform will continue to grow and attract new
workloads. The survey revealed new insights about a platform often
operated in isolation from the rest of IT. Almost two-thirds (63
percent) of the surveyed customers currently operating separate
mainframe and distributed systems said that having shared tools and
applications spanning across both platforms is very important and
something they plan to implement, particularly in the case of
broad-based Business Service Management (BSM) disciplines such as
Service Desk, Change Management and IT Service Management. A
surprising 29 percent of companies reported having mainframe and
distributed operations organized together � with shared operational
management � to create common governance across platforms. Another
38 percent reported that while the mainframes are organized
separately from their distributed peers, they are subject to a
level of common standards and operational guidelines. �There is a
very active market eager to leverage the unique capabilities of the
mainframe for business success,� said Rich Ptak, co-founder and
managing partner at Ptak, Noel & Associates. �BMC's survey
confirms an increasing interest in cross-platform governance
management solutions indicating a growing comfort with platform
transparency. Additionally, as the proportion of spending is
weighted more towards software versus labor and hardware, this
shows that mainframe users can focus on getting maximum benefit
from platform applications rather than routine support and
maintenance tasks.� Strong support for service optimization and
efficiency improvements across the mainframe emerged as an
important take-away from the survey�s results. As customers
continue to invest in the mainframe, they reported that continued
cost reductions and productivity improvement will remain at the top
of their operational agenda as they work to automate IT across the
business to minimize human error, improve compliance and deliver
services faster. �The applications that run on the mainframe are
critical to our business,� said Charles Kirton, unit manager,
Mainframe Technical Services, Wilmington Trust, which provides
wealth advisory, corporate clients and regional banking services.
�Wilmington Trust has 2,500 employees that support our clients on a
global basis. We operate in all fifty states of the United States,
as well as 81 other countries around the world. The mainframe is
central � absolutely key � to what we do. While we have distributed
systems based applications, most of the applications interact with
the mainframe so it remains the cornerstone of our IT
infrastructure and critical in how we deliver business services.�
The survey also saw a sharp decrease in the number of respondents
predicting legacy or declining trends. Notably, respondents in
Europe, Middle East and Africa predicted the highest growth and
spending increases on the platform, and reported the largest
installations in terms of capacity. Respondents cited labor costs
as much lower for the mainframe than general IT averages, pointing
to a more operationally efficient environment. Participants touted
the value of the mainframe platform, specifically calling out
transaction performance, superior data serving, availability and
security attributes. This year the survey focused on operational
management and process improvements. While 43 percent of
respondents said that their overall mainframe environment is mature
and operationally stable, a surprising 49 percent indicated that
their operations are experiencing new challenges, in the face of
continued growth, increased availability requirements and ongoing
pressure from regulatory compliance and controls. Other key points
of the survey: Respondents continued to expect capacity and
spending growth for their platforms, driven by legacy and a
significant level of new workload growth. Participants reported
software as the dominant cost, consuming 40 percent of their
mainframe operations budget. This reflects a relatively high degree
of automation in the management of many mainframe environments and
contrasts sharply with general IT operations, where labor is the
dominant expense. Mainframe software and hardware continued to show
the highest rate of anticipated increases in spending, with growth
expected from 53 and 50 percent of respondents, respectively. While
staff skill concerns remain high, an overall decrease in concern
was noted, with less than one-third of all respondents indicating
concern in this area. Rising energy costs were highlighted as an
emerging issue by 87 percent of the large companies surveyed. This
concern was particularly strong in Asia Pacific. A significant
number of customers classified themselves as reactive when it comes
to environmental monitoring and tend to deal with problems as they
occur. �Direct feedback from customers gives us the knowledge to
provide the best possible tools so they can efficiently run their
business,� said Bill Miller, senior vice president and general
manager of BMC�s Mainframe Service Management business unit. �This
survey further confirms that the mainframe plays a critical role in
delivering key business services and that cross-enterprise
integration is the crux of a successful business service management
initiative. Customers continue to see us as a leader of technology
innovation and we�re honored to be a valuable partner in their
business.� More than 1,100 mainframe users participated in the BMC
survey. The survey pool was comprehensive and definitive, including
pre-qualified respondents from across the mainframe industry.
Participants provided insight into questions focused on the current
and future state of the mainframe. Responses were then analyzed
using standard statistical practices. This is the third consecutive
year that BMC has conducted the survey. For a summary of the
findings go to the BMC Software Mainframe Survey 2008 results.
About BMC Software BMC Software is a leading global provider of
enterprise management solutions that empower companies to automate
their IT and prove its business value. Delivering Business Service
Management and Service Automation, BMC solutions span enterprise
systems, applications, databases and service management. For the
four fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2008, BMC revenue was
approximately $1.78 billion. For more information, visit
www.bmc.com. BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC Software logo are the
exclusive properties of BMC Software Inc., are registered with the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or pending
registration in other countries. All other BMC trademarks, service
marks, and logos may be registered or pending registration in the
U.S. or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. � 2008 BMC
Software, Inc.
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