The mainframe is alive and thriving
New development on the mainframe started tapering off in the mid 1990&#x27;s. So here&#x27;s my take on IBM&#x27;s list:<p>- 45 of the top 50 banks<p>- 8 of the top 10 insurers<p>- 8 of the top 10 telcos<p>- 7 of the top 10 retailers<p>- 4 of the top 5 airlines<p>All had significant operations prior to the mid 1990&#x27;s and so have extensive mainframe investments that are very difficult and costly to migrate from. I know. I work for one of the top electrical utilities in the United States and at the heart of our customer operations lies an IBM mainframe. We&#x27;re in the midst of launching a multi-year, billion dollar program to replace that mainframe. We&#x27;ve been talking about doing this for <i>years</i> and are just now pulling the trigger on it. There&#x27;s still time to tell whether we actually go through with it or not, or get $100 million into the project and realize we&#x27;re looking at a $1.5 billion - $2 billion effort and abandon the project.<p>I would not call this state of affairs <i>thriving.</i> Is the mainframe alive? Yes. Is it thriving? No. Most CIOs are looking for a means for retiring those assets.