Re: TechTarget Mainframe Survey
It appears to be a survey from CA since at the end it asks if you want CA to send you the survey results. I said 'yes', and supplied my email address. After which it promptly told me I wasn't the demographic they were looking for and thank you for playing... hmmm Ian pcs...@gmail.com To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject TechTarget Mainframe Survey 07/23/2009 11:36 AM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Techtarget is running a survey on Mainframe usage etc. The first 2 or 3 pages is boring stuff but it is worth it to get to the real mainframe questions. Link = http://go.techtarget.com/r/8764676/1317583 I'm posting it here to make sure they get the right audience for the survey. quote The Mainframe Computer - a high-performance computer used for large-scale computing purposes that require greater availability and security than a smaller-scale machines - is a paradigm in today's data center. Whether you love or hate it, your mainframe controls your server world. In this survey, TechTarget wants to know how you split distribution of your network between mainframe, windows and cloud, as well the impact the mainframe has on your distributed applications. Click here to take this 10 minute survey, supply your direct feedback and enter to win one of two iPod giveaways: http://go.techtarget.com/r/8764676/1317583 Please note that this survey follows the TechTarget Survey Terms and Conditions found here. In other words, here's some fun lawyer speak if you're interested: http://go.techtarget.com/r/8764677/1317583 /quote -- Ian http://www.cicsworld.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: Complexity (was Re: Convert DB2 on z/OS to Oracle on z/Linux?)
I second everything Frank said. My company- one of the largest plumbing/hvac wholesalers in the country, has very successfully developed almost all back office processing systems (Payroll, GL, AP, Cash Mgmt, Securities Mgmt, etc) in house over the past 3 decades (2 of which I've been a part of). While everyone and their third cousin may indeed be using packaged software, I believe the ones who can figure out how to cost effectively *not* be part of the pack, are the ones who will rise above the pack. If you have strong IT, Finance, and Executive Management all working hand in hand, you can develop custom systems which will give your company a competitive advantage. Nearly every time we've done a make vs buy analysis it has not even been close. There are a few exceptions- Fixed Assets, for example, where the frequent and sometimes complex tax law changes made it a better option to buy a package that is maintained by experts. And a few other add-on enhancement products, such as an OCR scanning solution as a front end to our AP system, to replace hand-keying 800,000 paper invoices a year. No way could we develop and maintain that kind of special software. But for our core business processing, outsourcing or packages just ain't gonna cut it. Bill Frank Swarbrick frank.swarbrick@ EFIRSTBANK.COMTo Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: Complexity (was Re: Convert DB2 07/14/2009 08:32 on z/OS to Oracle on z/Linux?) PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu On 7/14/2009 at 5:11 PM, in message a3a2b85f0907141611v32ced8ebl7b44ce513b35a...@mail.gmail.com, Tony Harminc tz...@attglobal.net wrote: 2009/7/12 Chris Craddock crashlu...@gmail.com: Pick just about any piece of non-core business processing (i.e. stuff other than what your company does to make a living) and you will find the same thing. A whole slew of outsiders willing to solve the problem for a buck and a half less than you can do it yourself. Building your own is pretty much guaranteed to take longer, cost more and be less reliable than buying it from somebody else who does it for a living. The outside providers get to leverage their work across multiple customers so their costs are lower, their quality and profits higher. That's why everyone and their third cousin uses packaged software now. That trend is only ever going to accelerate. I'm sure you are right. But the piece that puzzles me is that there seem to be so many companies whose core business is really just moving bytes from place to place, who nonetheless think outsourcing is a Good Idea. I'm speaking most obviously of banks, but pretty much all financial services businesses, insurance, and so on are in the same place. Sure, it doesn't make sense for each bank to write their own operating system, web browser, etc. etc., but the actual applications *are* the core of their business. What they can and typically do [try to] outsource is precisely the things that benefit least from leveraging work across multiple customers, i.e. operations and helpdesk. I can testify that we are one bank that has written all of our core banking applications. Not to mention our Internet banking site. We actually have our own homegrown Human Resources and General Ledger systems, but are in the process of migrating those to packaged applications since they are in need of updating and not part of our core business. In my opinion both of these are good things. I can't imagine how our business would function if we had packaged core applications. Our
Staff size survey results
Here are the results of my survey on staff sizes. I posted the question to both the IBM-MAIN and the VSE-L groups. 10 replies from IBM-MAIN and 21 replies from VSE-L. If I'd have thought of it, I'd have asked total IT dept size as well, for another frame of reference. Ours is close to 50, not counting support, so our MF staff is a fairly small % of our total IT dept. (view this in a fixed font and the columns should line up) OSDevSysprogsOps BA/MgrContr Tot Co Size Z/os 12 5 6 1 0 34 6000 Z/os 20 3 3 1 0 24 35000 Z/os 21 3 6 5 0 27 3000 Z/os 450 405050 100 35 6000 Z/os 80 1515 5 4 690 1300 Z/os 200 4936 unk 0 119 75000 Z/os4 1 0 1 0 285 5000 Z/os 225 421 680 6 300 Z/os unk 2 5 4 0 336 25000 VSE21 6 6 1 0 11 2000 VSE 5 110 2 0 18 8500 VSE 3 1 3 1 0 8 650 VSE 2 0.25 0.5 0 0 2.75110 VSE 4 1 2 0 0 7 35000 VSE 2 1 2.5 1 0 6.5 350 VSE 3 110 0 4 18 1 VSE 1 1 1 1 0 4 4000 VSE 4 1 3 1 0 9 5000 VSE 2 0 2.5 0.5 1 6 150 VSE 4 0 2 3 0 9 800 VSE 4 1 3 1 0 9 450 VSE 1.5 1 2 1 0 5.5 25 VSE 4 1 6 1 0 1270 VSE16 3 3 4 0 26 180 VSE 1.5 0.5 3 1 4 10 1100 VSE 7 1 2 3 0 13 200 VSE15 4 9 3 0 3115 VSE 2.5 2 2.5 0 0 7 4500 VSE11.5 2 5.5 0 0 19 8500 VSE 4.251 4 0 0.259.5 345 VSE75 2 6 4.5 0 87.51700 VSE 4 1 0 2 0.5 7.54100 Thanks to everyone who responded. Bill -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: VSAM Query Product
We use one called TcAccess by GT Software. I believe it is called Ivory Data Access now. Sounds very similar. McKown, John jmck...@healthma RKETS.COM To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: VSAM Query Product 06/25/2009 11:53 AM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of John P Kalinich Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:40 AM To: IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Subject: VSAM Query Product Is there a software product available that can query VSAM files using a generalized query language? Regards, John K We have PowerExchange by Informatica. It runs as an STC. It allows our Business Intelligence people to do SQL-like queries against various VSAM and sequential files from their PCs, using a client software. I don't know much about it. I do know that you need to create data maps from your COPYBOOKS so that the product knows where the fields are. http://www.informatica.com/products_services/powerexchange/Pages/index.aspx -- John McKown Systems Engineer IV IT Administrative Services Group HealthMarkets(r) 9151 Boulevard 26 * N. Richland Hills * TX 76010 (817) 255-3225 phone * (817)-961-6183 cell john.mck...@healthmarkets.com * www.HealthMarkets.com Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message may contain confidential or proprietary information. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. HealthMarkets(r) is the brand name for products underwritten and issued by the insurance subsidiaries of HealthMarkets, Inc. -The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company(r), Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of TennesseeSM and The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company.SM -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe?
This might seem like an odd request- But, as part of the platform analysis we're undertaking, I'd like to gauge how our staff size compares with other companies' resource allocation to their mainframe. What I'd like to know is how many employees/contractors do various companies have supporting and working within their mainframe environment, broken down in a few broad categories. 1) application developers 2) system programmers 3) operators 4) any other staff specifically dedicated to the MF (B/A's, managers, etc) 5) contractors/consultants dedicated to your MF 6) total company employees Also, what operating system are you on? (VSE, z\OS, etc) For the record, our answers are 1) 4 2) 1 3) 0 4) 2 5) 1 6) 4100 and we're VSE, with about 40% of our total data processing taking place on our mainframe, and the remainder on other platforms. Thanks Bill Washburn -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe?
That may be true in some environments. However, I *am* management. Sometimes answers are more solid coming from the experts (such as the lists I queried) than they are coming from a consulting company who oftentimes tries to give you the answer they think you want to hear, or position an answer as to lead you in a certain direction. Bottom line- I trust you guys more than a consulting co. Thanks for the replies so far, both on and offlist- they are far from meaningless. Hal Merritt hmerr...@jackhen RY.COMTo Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: How big of a staff do you have 06/23/2009 12:34 on your mainframe? PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Because management will consider meaningless advice to be credible if they have to pay for it. -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Chase, John Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 11:23 AM To: IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Subject: Re: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe? -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List On Behalf Of Mark Zelden On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:59:24 -0400, Bill Washburn bwashb...@winwholesale.com wrote: This might seem like an odd request- But, as part of the platform analysis we're undertaking, I'd like to gauge how our staff size compares with other companies' resource allocation to their mainframe. There are more than a few vendors you can pay to do this analysis for you and come up with the same meaningless results you can get on IBM-MAIN. But if the paid advice is worth the same as the free advice, why pay? -jc- -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message, together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe?
Re operations, we have about 10 minutes of 'traditional' operator tasks each day- loading and unloading the nightly DR/backup tapes, plus a couple hours of work on sundays to babysit a few tape reorgs which are too big to go disk-disk, and then kick off the weekly IPL. These tasks are performed by someone in our network dept. There are no production jobs or processes which require tapes or an operator- we have automated everything within a job submission system that puts everything into the hands of the users. When a user runs a batch 'job' off the menu, it asks questions to build the parameters, then runs, and then the user looks at the results in the list queue or some other CICS interface. We don't print anything for internal use- although if a user wants a printed copy of a report they are free to fire it off to their laser printer. So technically we don't have *zero* operator hours... but it is literally less than a tenth of an employee. Bill Frank Swarbrick frank.swarbrick@ EFIRSTBANK.COMTo Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: How big of a staff do you have 06/23/2009 01:24 on your mainframe? PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Interesting. We are VSE currently, moving to z/OS next year. 1) 21 (including 3 managers who are also developers) 2) 6 (3 VSE only, 2 z/OS only, 1 VSE and z/OS) 3) 6 (I think; 2 per shift, 3 shifts) 4) 1 (I didn't include the manager of systems/operations above) 5) 0 6) Hmm, about 2000 I think How does your business work without operators? Everything is automated? Frank -- Frank Swarbrick Applications Architect - Mainframe Applications Development FirstBank Data Corporation Lakewood, CO USA P: 303-235-1403 F: 303-235-2075 On 6/23/2009 at 9:59 AM, in message of9e583346.97bb5d10-on852575de.005432de-852575de.0057d...@winwholesale.com, Bill Washburn bwashb...@winwholesale.com wrote: This might seem like an odd request- But, as part of the platform analysis we're undertaking, I'd like to gauge how our staff size compares with other companies' resource allocation to their mainframe. What I'd like to know is how many employees/contractors do various companies have supporting and working within their mainframe environment, broken down in a few broad categories. 1) application developers 2) system programmers 3) operators 4) any other staff specifically dedicated to the MF (B/A's, managers, etc) 5) contractors/consultants dedicated to your MF 6) total company employees Also, what operating system are you on? (VSE, z\OS, etc) For the record, our answers are 1) 4 2) 1 3) 0 4) 2 5) 1 6) 4100 and we're VSE, with about 40% of our total data processing taking place on our mainframe, and the remainder on other platforms. Thanks Bill Washburn -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html The information contained in this electronic communication and any document attached hereto or transmitted herewith is confidential and intended for the exclusive use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any examination, use, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication or any part
Re: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe?
I do have about 20 replies so far (not counting the 'survey spam chatter' variety). I posted the query to the VSE list as well as this list, and a slight majority of the responses have come from there. I will post a summary (without revealing names, as some have requested) in a day or so. Thanks for the replies. Pommier, Rex R. rex.pomm...@cnas URETY.COM To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: How big of a staff do you have 06/23/2009 01:15 on your mainframe? PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Tony, I don't know about you, but the only responses I've seen on-list have been the chatter revolving around it. I haven't seen any actual numbers coming across the listserv. Maybe my filters are already hiding them. :-) Rex -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Tony B. Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 12:07 PM To: IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Subject: Re: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe? Oh yuk, you've just unleashed a storm of Survey Spam. You should have asked for private replies. We might be interested in the summary but not the ongoing tabulation. updating my subject line filter. :-((( -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Washburn Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:59 AM To: IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Subject: How big of a staff do you have on your mainframe? This might seem like an odd request- But, as part of the platform analysis we're undertaking, I'd like to gauge how our staff size compares with other companies' resource allocation to their mainframe. What I'd like to know is how many employees/contractors do various companies have supporting and working within their mainframe environment, broken down in a few broad categories. 1) application developers 2) system programmers 3) operators 4) any other staff specifically dedicated to the MF (B/A's, managers, etc) 5) contractors/consultants dedicated to your MF 6) total company employees Also, what operating system are you on? (VSE, z\OS, etc) For the record, our answers are 1) 4 2) 1 3) 0 4) 2 5) 1 6) 4100 and we're VSE, with about 40% of our total data processing taking place on our mainframe, and the remainder on other platforms. Thanks Bill Washburn -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: Mainframe Express Software
Yes, Please send your full name, IP address, and bank account information. We will FTP the software to you and also send you one million dollars. Arun shan arunsha...@gmail .COM To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Mainframe Express Software 06/19/2009 03:42 PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Hi Guys Any one know about Mainframe Express Software I want pirate Copy of the mainframe express... or give say equivalent software .. -- Arun.s -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: VSE RPG question
Thanks, I did cross post it to that list as well. I have received a few comments both publicly and privately. Timothy Sipples e99...@jp.ibm.co M To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Re: VSE RPG question 06/01/2009 01:44 AM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu VSE-L might be a very good place to ask. Also, if you're not familiar with the organization already, WAVV's homepage is here: http://www.wavv.org - - - - - Timothy Sipples IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan / Asia-Pacific E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: VSE RPG question
Thanks for the statistics- I'd say we're one of the shops that would fall into the category of using RPG a lot! I've come across your 'RPG-ZOS' page in the past. (one of the few relevant hits you get when you google 'rpg vse') We've never had an issue with using a 3270 emulator running BimEdit to code in RPG. You can map the keyboard to do all kinds of things. I am interested in hearing about rpg-cobol conversion tools. Thanks Bill Gilbert Saint-Flour usenet5...@yahoo To .COM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Sent by: IBM cc Mainframe Discussion ListFax to ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu Subject Re: VSE RPG question 05/30/2009 10:26 AM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu On Friday 29 May 2009 16:12, Bill Washburn wrote: Does anyone have a reasonably good idea of I'm not sure my opinion is reasonable a) how many active VSE shops there are worldwide? thousands, but probably fewer now than there were last year b) how many VSE shops have any RPGII code in production? based on my experience, something like 10%, but I don't really know. I was involved in over 100 VSE-to-MVS conversions and my recollection is that only a few customers (perhaps 10%) used RPG. Some of them used RPG a lot ! I learned RPG in 1969 and wrote RPG programs until 1974. RPG was designed for punch-cards, and like DYL260, requires programmers to write code in specific columns. Not really convenient when programmers use 3270-type terminals instead of card-punch machines. I think there is half-a-dozen RPG-to-COBOL conversion tools Iin case you're interested). http://gsf-soft.com/Documents/RPG-ZOS.shtml -- Gilbert Saint-Flour GSF Software http://gsf-soft.com/ -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
VSE RPG question
Does anyone have a reasonably good idea of a) how many active VSE shops there are worldwide? b) how many VSE shops have any RPGII code in production? Thanks Bill -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
Re: Item on Cost savings on the MF
Interesting. I joined this list recently specifically because our company is considering a migration off our mainframe platform (VSE), and I've spent the past several months researching the pros and cons to determine which direction we should proceed in. Thank you for posting the link to that article. While it presents some interesting considerations, I didn't find it had much relevance for us. It seemed to be focused primarily on capacity comparisons, and in mainly on migrating *to* the mainframe. I thought the capacity discussion was somewhat simplistic and unrealistic. It discussed things in terms of # of migratable apps that will run on each platform. I've been here 20 years and we've never defined things in those terms. What's an app (as used in the article)? A program? A group of related programs? We have either dozens of apps, or thousands of apps, depending on how you count. There is so much more involved in capacity planning on the mf than merely a 'number of apps'. And what's 'migratable'? Does that mean that it could run, as is, in the same language, on a different platform? We're evaluating going to the iSeries and there's not much we have on the mf would run 'as is'- it will all need to be converted to a different language, as well as all the process infrastructure having to be converted (JCL to CL, eliminate 'cardin' concept, etc etc). So, does that count as migratable in the terms of the article? Or if we can convert a program or group of programs automatically using tools or consulting companies (which we're looking at), does that count as migratable? Our focus isn't so much on capacity, it's on platform consolidation. We already have a team working on the iSeries for one of our major applications, so the thinking is that if we were all on the same box, we'd save the hardware software costs of the other box. We also have a concern of obsolescence- there is a fear among some that our mf environment is too out of date. So our primary consideration is conversion cost- what is it going to take to get us there? The more that has to be rebuilt redesigned, as opposed to merely 'converted', the more it will cost. We also have to consider the hidden costs of how long it takes a programmer to do xyz on the mf vs the I. I realize the iSeries will offer some features that we don't have on the mainframe. But, I'm also learning that we will give up quite a bit as well, in the areas of automation and efficiency. Over the decades, we've built a lot of custom processes and developed techniques that would all need to be rebuilt and redesigned. In meetings with the iSeries guys I keep hearing well we don't/can't do *that*, but we do this instead. However the 'this instead' alternatives on the iSeries never seem quite as easy or efficient as what we've got on the MF. We have 3 times the staff on the iseries that we have on the mainframe, supporting roughly the same volume of data, programs, and processes. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing of anyone else who has gone thru this sort of assessment or migration project (from mainframe to iseries), and what you've learned. Bill Ed Gould ps2...@yahoo.com To Sent by: IBM IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu Mainframe cc Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua Fax to .edu Subject Item on Cost savings on the MF 05/27/2009 08:31 PM Please respond to IBM Mainframe Discussion List ibm-m...@bama.ua .edu SHOULD YOU MOVE APPS ON OR OFF THE MAINFRAME TO CUT COSTS? http://go.techtarget.com/r/7192091/6570353 Wayne Kernochan, Contributor As IT seeks to cut costs in the face of declining
