Mainframe environments have historically been the natural choice to run mission-critical business applications for the enterprise. Developments in processor technology mean that Linux®, UNIX® and Windows Servers® have long been able to deliver mainframe performance and Reliability, Availability and Serviceability (RAS) at a fraction of the cost, while providing a more flexible environment to respond to business change.
The options available to the CIO in terms of IT strategy and platform choice are also shaped by the existing technology footprint of the mainframe environment. The PL/I language, for example, remains a valued and critically important component of many organizations’ mainframe environments, yet organizations using it often feel trapped. They feel they have no choice but to develop, test and deploy every PL/I application on the mainframe and simply swallow the costs as there is no viable alternative.
This paper looks at the options available to mainframe PL/I application decision-makers looking to map IT strategy to their next generation of business needs.