Mainframe Has a Bright Future, But Does Your Organization Deserve It?

The conversation about mainframes is often dominated by hyperbole. On one hand, some mistakenly argue that mainframes are “legacy tech” destined for retirement. On the other hand, there are warnings about a looming “skills crisis” that threatens operational continuity. But strip away these sound bites and a more fundamental reality emerges: the mainframe isn’t the problem — organizational culture, planning and leadership are.

Recent industry discussions and succession planning interviews suggest that the true obstacles to building and retaining mainframe talent stem from a lack of investment, imagination and inclusion, rather than any intrinsic limitations in the technology itself. When assessed on its own merits, the mainframe is evolving to meet the demands of hybrid architectures, AI integration and quantum-safe security.

This article marks the start of a series providing grounded perspectives from those working at enterprises where the mainframe platform isn’t only surviving but thriving. We’ll explore how companies are approaching succession planning not as a technical formality but as a strategic growth enabler — one that validates the technology, yes, but more importantly cultivates the people and structures needed to support innovation, resilience and future-ready operations.

Crucially, the barriers to mainframe progression lie not in technical viability but in how organizations choose to frame and foster the platform’s future.

These insights will contribute to an evidence-based playbook on mainframe succession planning, which will be available on CCS Insight Connect in May 2025. The playbook will outline the essential principles, strategies and cultural shifts required to ensure sustainable, transferable growth.

The mainframe may be incorrectly labelled as yesterday’s technology, but the cloud, containers and every hyped technology of today will become tomorrow’s legacy. The real question is whether organizations are laying the groundwork now for sustainable, adaptable growth, no matter the platform.

Succession, after all, isn’t a mainframe problem. It must be an enterprise imperative.

The Myth of Obsolescence

Mainframes continue to underpin mission-critical systems across the most data-intensive and risk-sensitive sectors: banking, insurance, healthcare and government. The technical road map for the platform is robust and growing.

CCS Insight has long believed that the mainframe has evolved to maintain its role as a core infrastructure platform and mission-critical workload domain in the modern hybrid IT estate. IBM’s z16 system, for example, delivers on-chip AI inferencing for real-time analytics and fraud detection, supports confidential computing and embeds quantum-safe encryption. Further evolution comes with IBM’s z17, which advances AI acceleration and processing power, underscoring the platform’s expanding role in secure, high-performance enterprise computing.

Despite this, many C-level decision-makers — particularly those without first-hand experience in mainframe environments — remain anchored to outdated assumptions: that the platform is sometimes mistakenly seen as costly, rigid and incompatible with modern development models. In truth, these perceptions reflect how the platform is managed and presented rather than the technology itself.

This has led to strategic misalignment, driven by perception rather than performance, with some enterprises impulsively “modernizing” by migrating away from the mainframe, not because of platform failure but because it signals alignment with the current digital zeitgeist. This collective impulse often leads to more-expensive and less-stable infrastructure outcomes.

A Skills Crisis or a Strategy Gap?

The commonly repeated claim of a “mainframe skills shortage” doesn’t hold up. What we’re witnessing is a shortfall in strategic workforce development. Most large enterprises already employ a diverse IT workforce of cloud architects, site reliability engineers, platform engineers and cybersecurity analysts, many of whom can learn and contribute to mainframe environments. What’s missing is the will and structure to make that happen.

The mainframe ecosystem has space to evolve its narrative by moving away from technical language that feels inaccessible to those outside the tradition. The acronyms, tooling and culture, for instance, could do more to help communicate and promote inclusivity for younger professionals or cross-trained engineers.

If the industry wants new talent, it must reframe mainframe work as a strategic, hybrid and forward-facing domain. That starts with making the language — and the learning — more accessible, inclusive and approachable.

Technology isn’t the problem; workforce strategy is.

Training Isn’t Missing; Commitment Is

One of the most overlooked facts in the mainframe debate is that the training infrastructure is already in place. Providers like IBM, Broadcom, Interskill and the Open Mainframe Project offer comprehensive learning paths, labs and certification schemes that lower the barrier to entry. But too many organizations either don’t use them or fail to integrate them into broader talent strategies.

Several platforms are available, including:

• IBM SkillsBuild and Z Xplore: These platforms provide hands-on labs, scenario-based learning and guided journeys for new entrants and professionals looking to gain new skills. IBM Z Xplore includes gamified environments and cloud-based sandbox systems, making learning more intuitive and less intimidating.
• Broadcom Vitality programme: Broadcom’s enterprise workforce resiliency initiative develops new mainframe talent through the cycle of recruitment, onboarding, foundational training, mentorship and live project immersion, followed by a six-month residency period with a Broadcom customer, funded by Broadcom at no additional cost. The curriculum supports system operations, site reliability engineering, DevOps integration and more.
• Interskill Learning: The global mainframe workforce training provider delivered over 1 million hours of mainframe training in 2024 and powers over 80% of all IBM digital badges awarded for mainframe training. Furthermore, Interskill courseware is an integral part of Broadcom’s Vitality programme, helping to deliver a broad range of mainframe training resources and mentoring support available on demand.
• Open Mainframe Project mentorship programme: An industry-backed effort that pairs early-career technologists with real-world projects, providing hands-on exposure to open mainframe tools and processes.
• Digital badge programmes: IBM and Broadcom offer structured badge programmes that support skills-based hiring principles. These digital credentials are increasingly being used in HR systems to validate capability without traditional degree requirements.

However, many organizations still treat training as an expense, rather than an investment. Upskilling budgets are among the first to be cut when cost pressure mounts. And enterprises that do invest often treat training as a one-off activity, not a continuous pipeline.

According to industry estimates, sourcing external mainframe talent can be up to six times more expensive than training existing employees, but the latter remains chronically underfunded.

Resilience Requires Real Succession Planning

Succession planning, when it exists, is often reactive and triggered by the departure or retirement of a key individual. But a mature succession strategy is about organizational resilience, not just replacement. It’s a proactive approach to workforce continuity and cross-skilling.

A functional succession strategy includes:

• Early identification of cross-domain talent from within distributed IT teams
• Structured mentoring between seasoned mainframe experts and junior staff
• Time-based development tracks that guide learners from foundational knowledge through applied project experience
• Cross-platform rotations, allowing professionals to contribute to both mainframe and non-mainframe systems and eliminating the “career cul-de-sac” perception
• Defined success metrics, such as time to proficiency, employee retention after completing training and cross-team contribution.

Unfortunately, in many organizations, no one truly owns succession planning. It falls between HR, IT leadership and functional managers, none of whom are singularly accountable for delivery. This diffusion of responsibility is why their impact is muted even when programmes exist.

Community Is the Missing Anchor

One of the underappreciated aspects of mainframe longevity is the sense of community that has historically supported it. Long-serving professionals didn’t just stay because the platform was stable; they stayed because they belonged to a community of practice. They went to the SHARE association. They mentored junior staff. They engaged in knowledge exchange with peers across industries.

Today, that ecosystem still exists, but has frayed. Younger professionals entering mainframe roles often report a lack of visibility, isolation and few internal advocates. This lack of connective tissue undermines retention, even when training is available.

To reverse this trend, companies must invest in:

• Internal communities of practice that connect mainframe professionals across silos
• Industry engagement with bodies like the Open Mainframe Project, SHARE and Linux Foundation initiatives
• Recognition systems that elevate contributors and showcase mainframe innovation within broader IT success stories.

Community, in this context, isn’t just “nice to have”; it’s a strategic pillar for workforce continuity.

Off the Mainframe and Off the Hook?

A concerning trend in some enterprises is the move to exit the mainframe, not because of technical failings, but as a shortcut to avoid addressing deeper organizational deficiencies. Leaving the platform becomes a symbolic act of modernization. But often, it masks unresolved issues in workforce planning, internal silos and investment discipline.

An emerging herd mentality sees replatforming as inherently progressive and mainframe retention as inherently regressive. This binary thinking is deeply flawed. The most successful digital enterprises align their workload strategy with architectural strengths, not with industry noise.

If Kubernetes or cloud-native data platforms were handled with the same lack of leadership, training and narrative investment as the mainframe, they too would suffer from “skills crises”.

The Real Question

The mainframe is constantly evolving to become more strategic. The rise of AI workloads, the need for secure high-throughput processing and the growing push for quantum-safe cryptography all point toward a sustained role for mainframes in the enterprise.

Today’s organizations must work to build the culture, leadership and strategic patience to support the platform’s bright future.

Those that do will build resilient, integrated, hybrid estates where the mainframe plays to its strengths. Those who don’t will continue to confuse visibility with value, headlines with strategy and platform migration with problem-solving.

The question isn’t whether the mainframe has a future; it’s whether your organization deserves to be part of it.