Research and Markets: the Battle for Banks' Mainframe Business: HP Vs. IBM

September 14, 2010

Tools

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b1fc20/the_battle_for_ban) has announced the addition of the "The Battle for Banks' Mainframe Business: HP vs. IBM" report to their offering.

HP has bolstered its Mainframe Advantage program to promote migration away from mainframe systems, with banks a major focus for its efforts. Mainframe vendors IBM and Unisys, meanwhile, are enhancing their offerings to retain their respective customer bases. Ovum looks at how enterprise customers and tech vendors can take advantage of this situation.

Scope

Mainframe and open systems hardware
Core banking systems

Highlights of this title

The cost of maintaining legacy applications on expensive hardware and software infrastructure is coming under increasing scrutiny. CIOs are looking to reduce monthly hardware costs, software maintenance charges, and total cost of ownership (TCO) and bring them in line with open systems.

Key reasons to purchase this title

Gain an understanding of how the mainframe and open system vendors are pitching the banks to influence their core hardware systems decisions.
See what opportunities exist for tech vendors allied to HP to aid migration.

Key Topics Covered:

SUMMARY

Catalyst
Ovum View
Key Messages
Mainframes prevail in retail banking
The global financial crisis has forced banks to think about costs
One area that's inevitably receiving increased attention is mainframe costs
Open systems stake their claim as viable alternatives for core systems
IBM responds with open source, consolidation and improved TCO
There are, however, obstacles to doing more on the mainframe

INTRODUCTION: MAINFRAMES PREVAIL IN RETAIL BANKING

THE MAINFRAME IS ALIVE AND WELL IN RETAIL BANKING

IBM is the 800lb mainframe gorilla, with Unisys more like a chimp
The global financial crisis has forced banks to think about costs
Open systems stake their claim as viable alternatives for core systems

HP'S MFA OFFERS RE-HOSTING, A RE-WRITE OR MIGRATION TO A PACKAGED CBS

Re-hosting is the least disruptive alternative
Intellectual property rights can be an obstacle to re-hosting
The other alternatives are a move to a packaged CBS or a re-write
Moving to a packaged CBS has a longer ROI, but the costs can be spread out too
Re-writes are strategic; re-hosting is tactical

IBM RESPONDS WITH OPEN SOURCE, CONSOLIDATION AND IMPROVED TCO

zIIPs, zAAPs, and IFLs help to lower TCO
Solutions Editions reduce costs
IBM urges customers to consolidate systems on the mainframe
There are, however, obstacles to doing more on the mainframe
IBM now touts the mainframe as an "intelligent switch" for data center workloads
Has IBM got all bases covered for the mainframe?
Unisys works to keep ClearPath relevant
Is ClearPath more than just a side show in the market?

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENTERPRISES

Assess which solution is right for your IT platform strategy
Extract discounts from IBM with Solutions Editions
Explore Linux on IFLs
CBS re-hosting holds the promise of reducing TCO
The mainframe is still unbeaten on security and robustness
Windows support remains a shortcoming for mainframes
Consider modularizing a monolithic CBS, regardless of your hardware
Small and midsized banks should seek to benefit from both sides' efforts
Assess CBS platforms in the context of the overall IT strategy and operations
Expect applications, staff and systems admin to account for a larger proportion of TCO in open systems

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VENDORS

Application vendors should offer their software in open systems Linux and z/Linux
There are opportunities for systems software vendors who can aid migration
Ovum also sees opportunities for IT Services vendors and SIs
Alternative views

APPENDIX

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b1fc20/the_battle_for_ban

Source: Datamonitor