Madrid, February 21, 2023 – If we go back to the beginnings of computing, back in the late 1940s, we can say that the computers of that time were quite different from the ones we know today. In those days, a relatively powerful computer that could perform moderately large calculations could occupy the size of one or two rooms in a large office building.
At first, these computers received micro-perforated cards as data input and also provided the results of the calculations performed in this way. Later, it was possible to output the information directly on paper.
Years later, in 1952 IBM launched the IBM 701, linked to the needs of the U.S. government, which needed machines capable of assisting in the development of nuclear weapons and the design of aerospace spacecraft. This system marked a before and after in computing, as it was the first to abandon the analog input and output of information and begin to process data in a fully digitized form. Therefore, it can be considered the system that started the computing we know today.
At this time they used vacuum valves, a key element for the machines of the time. Later, in the mid-1960s, this changed and new systems began to be developed, such as the IBM 7000, which replaced vacuum valves with transistors.
Years later, the System/360 appeared, which stood out to a great extent because of the multipurpose capacity they provided, they did not work only as “super calculators” and allowed to perform other operations required by the companies, hence the expansion of these systems in all types of corporations and companies.
Over time, new versions were released and, one of the most valuable things that these systems had, was the backward compatibility with the systems and programs developed in their predecessors. This allowed programs developed in the 1960s to continue running on machines assembled in the 2000s.
Since the change of century, these systems have been called zEnterprise, System Z or Mainframe. Something that became a fundamental pillar in this new generation of computers was the parallelization of processes, adding more processors to the computers, making them capable of performing a greater number of tasks simultaneously.
This is one of the great strengths of the Mainframe: Performing billions of simple/transactional processes while maintaining the necessary performance to meet the critical executions that are essential for large multinationals, mainly for financial services entities. They are able to maintain excellent performance during high volumes and production peaks, as they are specially designed and built for this purpose.
Production processes in large companies are really important. A simple error during the execution of these processes can result in large financial losses, delays and/or very serious penalties.
In terms of security, the Mainframe also offers a really high security standard compared to Windows or Linux systems.
Production processes in large companies are really important. A simple error during the execution of these processes can result in large financial losses, delays and/or very serious penalties.
In addition, these systems make it possible not to outsource key elements, such as databases or transactional servers. Everything is available within the system itself without having to be installed separately.
These strengths undoubtedly represent a defining fact for large corporations to continue using the Mainframe, and few technology providers are able to provide solutions that facilitate the migration to another system while maintaining the performance and the main strengths mentioned above.
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