Connected Magazine

Maintain the mainframe: Why old-school hardware is still of key importance

Far from being outdated behemoths, mainframe computers are the cornerstone of mission-critical IT

Far from being creaking old dinosaurs that are simply too big to fail, mainframes are still essential. Picture Steve Chenn/Getty Images

From stories about US missile command using ancient eight-inch floppy disks to the scandal that engulfed the Horizon IT system at the British Post Office, the casual reader of news may have the impression that mainframe computers are an antediluvian technology that deserves to be left in the past. But if that were the case, why would new mainframes still be manufactured today?

A mainframe essentially acts as a server for storing and processing data ...