Benefits of IBM Mainframe Data for BI and Analytics
As heavily data-driven e-commerce takes root, businesses grapple with three issues – capacity, capability, and security. Digital technologies generate and depend on massive volumes of data to operate efficiently. Handling this data requires sufficient capacity (bandwidth), performance capability, and security against cyber-attacks. Mainframes increasingly prove the best in managing large data volumes, variety, and transaction velocity in unpredictable and volatile workloads.
Mainframes’ availability, scalability, and security features provide a strong base for hosting mission-critical apps. These platforms have a better transaction throughput with a centralized data service, able to consolidate distributed workloads. However, mainframes face the challenge of acceptance in the current digital environment despite their agility and clear advantages. IBM mainframes remain vital to business today, as shown by the following benefits.
Processing power
The might of IBM’s processing power remains undisputed even with the advent of cloud computing. The high-intensity transactional trading of e-commerce operates on massive data that require immense processing power and speed. Customized IBM power systems with mainframe modernization can process nearly 146 million transactions per second with enough capacity to spare for app development at peak configuration.
High-volume backend query hits from multiple platforms that include mobile technology on the go can exert a heavy workload on any system. Banking, retail, health care, government sectors rely on high-intensity transactional data to serve their clientele in real-time. Mainframes provide the requisite capacity, capability, stability, and efficient processing speeds.
Better security
The architecture of IMB’s mainframes has inherent security advantages that place them above the alternative cloud and on-prem commodity servers. Mainframe hardware is unique and operates on equally specialized software, programming language, and formats different from standard commodity servers. These unique qualities are a deterrent to cyber-attacks by most hackers who shun the complicated systems for the more common x86 based servers. With perfect encryption, enforced access control, and constantly updated software, chances of a data breach in mainframes are near zero.
Data security is a priority when starting a new business and setting up operating systems. The IBM mainframes’ cryptographic features and unique architecture have earned acclaimed top security ratings that guarantee the safety of mission-critical data. Mainframes also have superior data encryption to ensure security when offloading data in transit to alternative systems. The IBM RACF enhances security further through controlled access granted to each user and helps in auditing any misconfigured access control.
Flexibility and scalability
IBM mainframes’ design allows continuous upscaling with minimum OpEx, and zero disruption to business processes. When upgrading the processors, memory, and expanding storage, mainframes sustain their performance levels with zero downtime. The uninterrupted high power performance ensures smooth transitions between the old and new systems eliminating downtime losses. These attributes help the IT department plan for expansion without the fear of disrupting normal business processes or high-cost elements.
The mainframes are flexible and adaptable to work with distributed systems incorporating AI, IoT, and cloud computing. IBM power systems can consolidate smaller processors into one system for enhanced efficiency and lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Continuous scalability allows an organization to start with the required infrastructure at inception and build this up gradually as the business grows. IBM systems’ ability to work with modern platforms sets them apart for stability.
Enhanced business intelligence infrastructure
The hugely untapped mainframe data is, in essence, a core ERP component for business intelligence. The mainframe is the backbone of business intelligence and analytics, and yet organizations only exploit its basic systems of record. This limited scope was partly due to the restricted data sharing features of the mainframe that hindered modern analytics tools operating on multiple sources. New platforms took off on “new” slates leaving a treasure trove of data buried in mainframes.
However, IBM mainframes’ agility and scalability coupled with systems integration have bridged the divide bringing onboard cloud computing analytics tools. Combining these tools with the mainframe’s data collection and storage ability takes business intelligence and analytics to new highs. Organizations can leverage existing historical data in legacy systems through modern cloud analytics tools to generate better insights. Historical data is core to predictive insights for growth and development.
Secure multisystem data sharing
Managing specific access to data sets without unintended usage elsewhere in the system is vital to avoid overlap clutter. Sharing a DASD configuration in a clustered multiprocessor system is one way of limiting data access to intended users only. Enhanced configuration can also help share locking controls and en queueing between systems. Having multiple systems work collectively and in tandem enhances process efficiency and resource utilization.
The IBM mainframe design allows for multiple processor assembly that deploys the Parallel Sysplex technology for linking servers. An organization can create a powerful processing system of up to 32 servers with possible linear scalability based on Sysplex clusters. Servers in Parallel Sysplex can run shared applications to achieve high performance and access the same data seamlessly. Mainframes allow drastic system changes, configurations, additions, and upgrades in a sysplex site while running routine processes uninterrupted. For institutions like health care facilities that offer critical service, uninterrupted processes are vital.
Resilience and compliance
The resilience of the IBM mainframe is a factor of its security, scalability, processing power, and reliability in handling voluminous transactional data even in modern times. Mainframes’ processing power is the driving force behind the data-intensive digital transactions in e-commerce. The mainframes are sturdy, secure, fast, efficient, and adaptable to modern AI and cloud computing. IBMs have proved their resilience as dependable support bases for modern platforms in the growing digital marketplace.
Whereas cloud systems are “built to fail,” mainframes never fail. The inbuilt resilience of the IBM Z platform, for instance, can replace select components without shutting down the mainframe. Mainframes provide clustered disaster recovery solutions that are superior to any in the field using the Parallel Sysplex system. For those looking at leveraging cloud computing, IBM Z’s internal resilience, OpenShift container, and multiple virtualization options form the basis for hybrid IT and cloud computing. Mainframe’s resilience is its compatibility with emerging technologies.
