Contrary to their predictive decline in value, a 2024 Forrester report noted that among global infrastructure hardware decision-makers, 61% said that their firm uses a mainframe. Of those that use mainframes, 54% indicated that their organisation would increase its use of a mainframe over the next two years”.

With 71% of Fortune 500 companies still using mainframes, advancing technologies and evolving business drivers in 2024 highlight the challenges posed by neglecting mainframe modernisation that can lead to operational inefficiencies and risks, making it imperative for decision-makers to act decisively in embracing transformation.

In this PodChats for FutureCIO, we are joined by Praveen Kumar, Vice President for Asia Pacific, Rocket Software, who will pontificate on the importance of mainframe modernisation as a business-critical priority in 2025.

1. How can CIOs align their mainframe modernisation efforts with the organisations’ broader digital transformation strategy, especially as they integrate AI technologies?

2. What specific benefits can be drawn from modernising mainframe systems regarding operational efficiency and cost reduction?

3. How should CIOs and HR leaders address the skills gap associated with legacy programming languages as they transition to more modern platforms?

4. What strategies can they implement to smooth migration from legacy mainframe environments to cloud-based solutions?

5. How can CIOs and CISOs leverage AI to enhance the performance and security of modernised mainframe systems?

6. What role do external partners play in facilitating mainframe modernisation, and name one approach to help select the right ones?

7. What metrics should CIOs use to measure the success of their mainframe modernisation efforts?