Mainframe users integration problems with IT.

NEON the mainframe integration experts, have announced findings from research undertaken by independent market research company Clarity who commissioned a series of comprehensive one-on-one interviews with 21 large companies to better understand the current state of play relating to mainframe projects inside UK PLCs. The research found that the mainframe platform is still at the heart of many of the world's largest organisations and is recognised as a huge asset. For most of the organisations surveyed, the existing structure of IT operations and development is often still conceived of in isolation and managed in silos.

The research showed that 81% of companies surveyed said they are dealing with current IT priorities that will increase the demand for mainframe integration. In fact many of the business-critical applications listed by respondents demand real-time data access and were core to the business (e.g. policies, APR, availability, billing claims, customer information, dispatch, enquiries, financial data, loans, reservations and web applications). The research showed that 75 percent of the respondents said they are currently utilising real-time information feeds from their mainframes and 25 percent said all their applications require real-time data. Additional findings from the recent research study indicated that: 4 5% percent of IT projects involving the mainframe hit an integration problem.

4.4% percent of respondents claimed to set up new applications requiring mainframe access 'very frequently' (monthly or daily) or' quite frequently' (2-6 times a year). When this happened, most reported they did not seek expert advice, even though they understood the complexity of the problem and the potential costs to the business.

4.7% percent of respondents said their organisation's mainframe access and connections are 'very 'or' quite' complex. Of the few who did turn to external help for support, the tendency was to default to IBM and reported they did not seek an independent view from a mainframe integration expert.

www.neon.com