Friendly interfaces can revitalise mainframe projects
and ensure deadlines are met, says David Chalmers
Skills shortages in IT are a major headache for
directors. Shortages increase labour costs and cause delays that
threaten project completion.
Until recently these headaches were largely confined to projects
which used newer technologies. However, skill shortages now pose a
threat to legacy technologies that are more embedded in
business.
A recent survey by research group Omniboss revealed that 64% of
businesses still run systems on a mainframe.
Yet the continued use of legacy technologies is under threat from
an increasingly acute shortage of mainframe personnel. This is due
to two main factors:
- Established, qualified mainframe professionals are nearing
retirement age and many projects already suffer from a lack of
senior expert direction
- It is difficult to attract newcomers to train in mainframe
skills.
The interfaces for mainframes are showing their age. They lack
depth and usability. They are often seen as archaic and so are
overlooked by many entrants to the IT talent pool.
This shortage means there are fewer mainframe experts, causing
labour costs to increase and projects to be hampered by interfaces
which are hard to use.
Many offshore outsourcing firms have recognised this developing
skills shortage and their local educational institutions are
producing thousands of newly trained mainframe personnel.
However, there is considerable sensitivity about outsourcing
mainframe systems as they often include mission-critical data and
applications. Many UK organisations seeking a domestic solution are
forced to pay premium contractor rates.
This premium will be a bitter pill to swallow. The Omniboss study
shows that 44% of IT directors believe mainframe licensing costs
are too expensive. Greater staff costs will threaten the viability
of mainframe-related projects and increase the cost of the IT
function at a time when companies are tentatively talking of an
improved climate.
One alternative is to develop the mainframe interfaces. By making
the interface more attractive, legacy technologies can become more
approachable.
An updated interface design will enable IT staff without mainframe
expertise to manage the system effectively. Web browsers and
graphical user interfaces provide an intuitive format familiar to
most end-users. Features, such as drop-down lists and navigation
trees, offer ease of use without sacrificing functionality, and
training new mainframe personnel will take less time.
In the long term, an improved interface could mean responsibility
for mainframe systems is spread across more members of the IT team.
This can effectively remove the threat of a skills shortage,
safeguard mission-critical data and core business applications and
ease the increased cost burden of specialist mainframe
personnel.
David Chalmers is product strategy director at systems software
supplier Macro 4