The mainframe market has declined, but they are still heavily used.
As network servers have proliferated in recent years, the public perception is that mainframe usage has declined. Although some companies have dumped mainframes and their high cost of ownership, many companies still use them. Since the 1990s, many businesses have implemented virtual servers on their mainframes, combining the flexibility of server operating systems with the reliability of mainframe hardware.
History
Mainframes got their initial start in the 1950s, as companies such as IBM, Honeywell and other companies developed computers for companies that needed plenty of processing power. Although the 1970s and 1980s saw the mainframe market begin to shrink, a change in the trend came in the 1990s, when companies found they could run hundreds of virtual servers on a single reliable mainframe. This development stabilized the decline in mainframe sales to some degree.
Users
The companies that use mainframes typically require extensive processing power and reliability. The list of mainframe users includes financial companies, insurance companies and other companies that need the batch and online power that mainframes provide.
Makers
Over the past several decades, some U.S. mainframe manufacturers have either closed or merged with other companies. Unisys, Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard still build and market mainframes, but IBM has historically been the undisputed king of the mainframe market. Recent trends point to growth by HP and other midrange server manufacturers, which have taken a slight toll on IBM's market share.
Benefits
While mainframe computers carry a higher cost than their smaller competitors, they provide a level of reliability that cannot be matched by smaller computer systems. This is one of the main factors that attract large companies to the mainframe as a data processing tool of choice. The ability to handle a large volume of transactions with stability and security makes a mainframe computer an attractive solution from these companies' data-processing requirements.
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