IBM Simplifies Application Development for Hybrid Clouds

IBM has extended its usage of the Kubernetes-based Red Hat OpenShift platform to make it simpler to build and deploy cloud-native applications across a hybrid cloud computing environment that includes mainframes running the IBM z/OS operating system.

The IBM Z and Cloud Modernization Stack now includes a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment based on the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform that provides a higher level of abstraction to make it simpler to build and deploy applications.

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In addition, IBM is making it simpler to extend the IBM Z and Cloud Modernization Stack using an open source Operator Collection software development kit (SDK) and specification that makes it simpler to build Kubernetes Operators to programmatically automate application deployments.

Finally, IBM has added an open source IBM Wazi Deploy tool that uses scripts written in Python or Ansible to automatically deploy applications on z/OS within the context of a DevOps workflow based on a Git repository.

Kara Todd, vice president of the IBM Z Application Platform, said IBM is working to make it simpler to modernize applications by enabling IT teams to run code where data resides without requiring organizations first aggregating data on a single platform, which can incur additional expenses.

In general, more IT organizations are realizing that it’s more efficient to bring code to where data resides than it is to move data to a centralized platform. That is critical for organizations that process and analyze massive amounts of data that is often cost-prohibitive to migrate from mainframes, she noted.

At the same time, the performance of hybrid applications continues to improve as organizations take advantage of caching technologies to make that data available in real-time, added Todd.

In effect, IBM is now making it easier for applications running on Red Hat OpenShift deployed in a cloud computing environment to access data running on an IBM mainframe.

There has, of course, been a lot of debate in recent years over the merits of building cloud-native applications based on microservices built using containers and monolithic applications that, in some respects, are less complicated to build and maintain. Rather than forcing IT teams to favor one approach versus another, IBM is making a case to use the platform that is best fit-for-purpose to run any type of application, said Todd.

Most organizations will wind up running a mix of cloud-native and monolithic applications alongside each other for years to come. The challenge is determining how best to make data available to those applications regardless of what platform it was created on and where it is ultimately stored.

Theoretically, at least, that approach should put an end to the platform wars that have raged for decades and, arguably, have created tensions within IT organizations. That ultimately distracts IT teams from accomplishing the mission at hand. Most organizations are not as concerned about consolidating infrastructure platforms as they are finding the easiest way to make as much data as possible available to applications anytime and anywhere.