An old conundrum of the IT industry is that the pace of change can be slow for an area that is so often described as fast-moving and dynamic. Nowhere is this clearer than in the field of IBM mainframe computing where a model dating back to the middle of the 20th century has persisted despite sky-high costs, mounting administration concerns and a crippling lack of flexibility. But now the mainframe’s tenacious grip on corporate IT may, finally, be weakening.
by Ben Twomey