Why More Enterprises Are Choosing Mainframe-as-a-Service
As organizations continue to evolve their IT strategies, many are reassessing how they manage the systems that support their most critical operations. Mainframes remain a cornerstone of enterprise infrastructure in industries that demand high levels of performance, reliability, and security.
In fact, 94% of IT professionals see their mainframe as a long-term platform or platform for new workloads — a clear signal that these systems continue to play a vital role in modern IT environments.
However, the cost and complexity of maintaining mainframes have prompted a shift in how they’re supported. Mainframe-as-a-service (MFaaS) has emerged as a modern solution that offers greater flexibility, control, and efficiency — without the disruption of full-scale transformation.
By partnering with experienced providers, enterprises can reduce operational burdens while continuing to get the most from their mainframe investments.
Why Mainframes Remain Essential
Despite the rise of cloud computing, mainframes continue to deliver value in ways other systems can’t. Their unmatched reliability, transaction throughput, and data security make them indispensable in industries with high regulatory and performance demands. Banks depend on them to process millions of transactions daily. Government agencies rely on them to manage benefits systems. Insurance companies use them to handle complex policy processing.
Still, their strengths come with challenges. Traditional mainframes are expensive to maintain, often requiring major investments in infrastructure, licensing, and specialized labor. The pool of experienced COBOL and assembler programmers continues to shrink, making it harder for organizations to find the talent needed to support and evolve these environments. And as more applications move to the cloud, integration between mainframe systems and modern platforms becomes increasingly difficult.
This creates a complex situation for many organizations. Replacing a mainframe outright is often too risky or cost-prohibitive — yet doing nothing means falling behind. That’s where MFaaS comes in.
What is Mainframe-as-a-Service?
Mainframe-as-a-service (MFaaS) is a modern operating model that allows organizations to run their mainframe workloads through a third-party managed services provider. Instead of owning and maintaining the mainframe environment internally, organizations partner with an expert to host, monitor, secure, and support their mainframe infrastructure — either on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup.
MFaaS typically includes:
- Hosting and infrastructure management
- Software updates and patching
- Ongoing monitoring, performance tuning, and security
- Access to expert talent for ongoing support and modernization planning
Importantly, MFaaS is not an all-or-nothing proposition. It allows for incremental mainframe modernization, enabling organizations to preserve core applications while gradually migrating or rearchitecting where needed. This phased approach supports business continuity while aligning with long-term IT transformation goals.
5 Benefits of MFaaS
Making the switch to a managed mainframe model can unlock both immediate and long-term value. Whether your goal is to reduce overhead, modernize incrementally, or free up internal resources, mainframe-as-a-service delivers a range of benefits that make modernization more achievable — without sacrificing the stability mainframe systems are known for.
1. Lower total cost of ownership
Running a mainframe independently often means unpredictable expenses — from costly hardware refreshes to the overhead of maintaining a highly specialized internal team. MFaaS offers a more sustainable model by shifting your organization to predictable, usage-based pricing while removing the burden of owning and maintaining infrastructure. You get access to enterprise-grade technology and expertise without the capital investment.
2. Greater operational flexibility
When business demand changes, your infrastructure needs to keep up. MFaaS gives you the agility to scale computing power up or down, without lengthy procurement cycles or additional hiring. Whether you’re preparing for a surge in transactions or launching a new digital initiative, your IT environment can adapt as quickly as your organization does.
3. Accelerated modernization
Modernization doesn’t have to mean taking on the risk of a full-scale migration all at once. MFaaS supports a phased approach that lets you modernize on your terms. Rehost or refactor applications gradually, integrate with cloud services, and take advantage of DevOps tooling — all while keeping your core systems stable and secure.
4. Stronger security and compliance posture
MFaaS providers offer built-in, around-the-clock monitoring, threat detection, and disaster recovery services. With expert support for regulatory compliance and data protection, you can reduce risk and stay ahead of evolving governance requirements.
5. Increased focus on innovation
When you’re no longer bogged down by infrastructure upkeep, your team is free to focus on high-impact work. MFaaS clears the path for innovation by giving you time, tools, and capacity to build new services, improve customer experiences, and move your digital transformation efforts forward, without compromising operational stability.
Rethinking Modernization with MFaaS
Mainframe-as-a-service signals a shift in how enterprises approach modernization — one that prioritizes flexibility, efficiency, and long-term value. Managing mainframes through a trusted partner creates opportunities to reduce risk, streamline operations, and extend the usefulness of existing systems without disrupting daily business.
For organizations exploring ways to modernize while keeping core systems stable and secure, Ensono provides a clear path forward. With deep expertise across mainframe and cloud environments, Ensono delivers scalable, secure MFaaS solutions tailored to enterprise complexity.
Contact us to learn how Ensono can support your journey toward a future-ready mainframe environment.