Organizations are continuously evolving their IT platforms to improve performance while increasing agility, resilience and innovation capabilities. Today, the focus is no longer limited to optimizing infrastructure, but to enabling digital-first operating models built on hybrid cloud, automation and API-driven integration.
Many organizations are approaching this transformation starting from a still central element: the mainframe. Far from being a legacy system to be phased out, it remains a strategic asset thanks to its reliability, security, scalability and ability to handle high-volume, mission-critical workloads.
In our previous article on the future of mainframes, we explored the importance of the mainframe and the value of integrating it with emerging technologies to support a smooth transition toward more dynamic IT ecosystems. This involves adopting approaches such as API enablement, DevSecOps and CI/CD, as well as leveraging AI and advanced analytics to unlock the value of core data.
But how can organizations effectively approach a modernization journey of this kind?
Index
Strategies for mainframe optimization
To maximize the value of mainframes and ensure a positive return on investment, organizations need to adopt targeted strategies that improve performance, reduce operational costs and increase system flexibility.
Our approach is grounded in a pragmatic, value-driven perspective: mainframe modernization is not treated as a replacement project, but as a gradual, measurable evolution. The goal is to integrate the mainframe into hybrid, API-driven architectures, enabling DevSecOps models, automation and new data-driven capabilities—without compromising the stability of core systems.
Our approach is built on these principles, ensuring effective interventions supported by forty years of experience in the field.
AI and Generative AI, for example, have become almost essential components in any modernization initiative. However, even in this case, it is crucial to avoid superficial or purely cosmetic approaches. Solutions based solely on artificial intelligence risk being incomplete if they are not supported by a deep and practical understanding of the environment.
Below are the key areas of intervention that can make a real difference.
1. Infrastructure rationalization: the starting point for mainframe modernization
Before investing in new technologies, it is essential to carry out a detailed assessment of existing resources to identify inefficiencies and optimization opportunities.
Organizations can start by:
- identifying cost reduction areas by analyzing hardware, software, maintenance and operations
- allocating resources proactively, anticipating future needs such as mergers or increased demand
- mitigating risks and vulnerabilities by strengthening infrastructure security
- implementing dynamic energy management to adjust consumption based on workloads and reduce operating costs
2. Software modernization
Software modernization is a key lever for improving performance, operational efficiency and integration capabilities. It goes beyond simply updating existing code, enabling its evolution within distributed, cloud-ready application ecosystems.
Organizations can act through:
- adopting advanced code transformation and code analysis solutions (also supported by automation and AI), improving application performance, optimizing resource usage and significantly reducing maintenance effort while preserving existing business logic
- exposing mainframe services through APIs and progressively introducing microservices architectures, enabling effective integration between legacy systems, modern applications, cloud platforms and digital channels. This approach avoids disruptive rewrites and supports a gradual transition toward more modular, scalable and service-oriented models
3. Vendor and licensing management in mainframe modernization
Another key factor in cost optimization is the strategic management of vendor contracts and software licenses, increasingly guided by FinOps principles. In the mainframe context, this translates into precise control of consumption (MSU/MIPS) and the ability to manage workloads to avoid peaks that directly impact costs.
To make this control effective, organizations should:
- adopt more flexible, consumption-based contractual models (capacity-based, sub-capacity, pay-per-use), aligning costs with actual resource usage
- implement Software Asset Management practices and continuous monitoring to ensure compliance and identify inefficiencies
- optimize resource utilization through application-level interventions and workload management, reducing consumption without affecting performance
- evaluate alternative solutions and new licensing models based on total cost of ownership (TCO), with a focus on long-term sustainability
- where contract renegotiation is not feasible due to vendor policies, rely on partners capable of supporting migration toward alternative solutions
4. Hardware modernization
Technology upgrades should be accompanied by smarter hardware resource management in order to reduce waste and maximize efficiency. The most effective strategies include:
- dynamic resource allocation to ensure usage is optimized according to actual needs
- storage virtualization to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs
- adoption of zIIP processors to offload part of the workload and reduce licensing costs
- workload consolidation by reducing the number of active mainframes and using virtualization to improve operational efficiency
- implementation of data compression to optimize network usage for data transfer
- evaluation of hybrid cloud integration by moving non-mission-critical workloads—such as development, testing and backup—to the cloud, freeing up mainframe resources for more critical operations
- adoption of energy-efficient solutions to reduce environmental impact and lower operating costs
5. Outsourcing to reduce operating costs in mainframe modernization
For some organizations, outsourcing specific mainframe functions can be a more cost-effective alternative to in-house management. Before making this decision, it is advisable to:
- assess the cost-benefit balance between outsourcing and internal management to ensure savings without compromising service quality
- compare different outsourcing providers to identify the best economic and operational conditions
6. Investing in IT skills and expertise
Another important element in the modernization journey is the management of skills and know-how. The gradual reduction in the availability of professionals specialized in mainframe technologies is becoming an increasingly relevant issue, with direct implications for system maintenance, evolution and governance.
For this reason, it is essential to adopt tools and approaches that preserve and make application knowledge accessible over time. The most effective strategies include:
- adopting tools for the automated documentation of software components, capable of reconstructing architectures, flows and application dependencies, reducing reliance on undocumented knowledge
- standardizing and centralizing technical documentation to facilitate the sharing of know-how across teams and across different generations of developers
- supporting training and knowledge transfer through structured and gradual approaches
- using solutions and methodologies that continuously map and update the application ecosystem, mitigating the risks linked to the loss of critical skills
The role of RES Suite in mainframe modernization
To support organizations throughout this modernization journey, RES Group offers RES Suite, a portfolio of products designed to improve the management of Information Systems, including the most complex environments.
RES Suite addresses a range of needs, including Process Engineering, System Governance, Quality Assurance, and Data Quality & Management within Information Technology. RES products support multiple platforms and offer a high degree of customization and modularity, enabling organizations to adapt them to their specific needs.
Tools such as Docet and Batch-Watch provide detailed and effective support for documentation, quality analysis, monitoring and application performance improvement, facilitating mapping, impact analysis and optimization.
Similarly, J-MAN and JADe automatically manage the entire lifecycle of jobs and batch schedules, ensuring high performance, a significant reduction in errors and greater reliability.
Adopting RES Suite allows organizations to maximize the value of their legacy infrastructures, integrating them effectively with modern technologies and improving overall operational efficiency.
The return on investment of mainframe modernization
Organizations that implement strategies to optimize their mainframes can achieve tangible ROI benefits. For example, reducing the time required to document code and applications improves management and maintenance, while lower development and maintenance costs can be achieved through the adoption of low-code platforms such as WebRatio.
Optimizing the batch processing window contributes to a more efficient use of IT resources, while reducing syntax errors in batch processes improves operational reliability. In addition, productivity gains achieved through process automation and the integration of AI and Machine Learning tools represent another significant benefit.
Conclusion
Mainframes continue to be a strategic asset for organizations, but their management must evolve to maintain efficiency and keep costs under control. Implementing modernization strategies, leveraging cloud integration and adopting automation solutions make it possible to optimize mainframe usage, improve performance and generate significant ROI.
Tools such as RES Suite support organizations throughout this transformation journey, enabling a modern and effective approach to managing legacy infrastructures.
Investing in modernization is not just a technology decision. It is a strategic choice to optimize costs, maximize ROI and remain competitive in the market.
Want to know more about RES Suite? Get in touch with our team