Offload Your Mainframe Without Replacing It

Mainframe replacement projects fail. Offloading works. Ververica captures mainframe data changes via CDC, replicates to stream processing, and shifts workloads.

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Mainframe Costs Are Growing.
Mainframe Skills Are Shrinking.

Banks spend $8 billion annually on mainframe operations. MIPS costs increase 4% year over year. The workforce that maintains these systems is retiring. New engineers do not learn COBOL.
Rip-and-replace migration carries a 70% failure rate for large-scale banking systems. The choice is not mainframe or cloud. It is controlled offloading or uncontrolled obsolescence. Every month of delay increases both cost and risk.

Core Capabilities

CDC Capture

Capture every change from mainframe databases (DB2, IMS, VSAM, IDMS) in real time using Change Data Capture. Zero impact on mainframe performance. Every insert, update, and delete streams into Ververica as an event.

Stream Replication

Replicate mainframe data to modern infrastructure in real time. Cloud databases, data lakes, and streaming platforms receive consistent, ordered change streams. No batch ETL. No stale data.

Gradual Migration

Move workloads one capability at a time. Reporting first. Then analytics. Then operational workloads. Each migration reduces MIPS consumption. The mainframe handles a shrinking set of responsibilities.

Dual-Run Validation

Run legacy and modern workloads in parallel. Automated comparison operators validate that modern outputs match mainframe outputs exactly. Discrepancies trigger alerts before any cutover. Trust is built through continuous verification.

Key Reasons To choose Ververica

Why Ververica

40% MIPS Reduction

Measured MIPS consumption decrease as workloads offload to stream processing. Reporting, analytics, and read-heavy workloads migrate first, delivering immediate cost reduction.

Zero Downtime

Offloading runs alongside the live mainframe. No service interruptions. No maintenance windows. The mainframe continues operating while workloads shift.

Real-Time Data Access

Mainframe data available in modern systems in under 10 milliseconds. No overnight ETL. No data staleness. Downstream systems access current data at all times.

6-Month Payback

Platform cost recovered within 6 months through MIPS reduction alone. Subsequent workload migrations compound savings each quarter.

Under the Hood

Ververica's mainframe offloading architecture uses purpose-built CDC connectors that read transaction logs from DB2, IMS, VSAM, and IDMS data stores. These connectors operate at the log level, capturing changes without adding query load to the mainframe. Change events include full before-and-after images, enabling downstream systems to reconstruct state without accessing the mainframe directly.

The VERA engine processes change events through transformation operators that convert mainframe-native formats (EBCDIC, packed decimal, COMP-3) to modern representations. Schema evolution is handled automatically as mainframe schemas change. The transformation layer maintains a registry of mainframe copybook definitions and maps them to target schemas. This eliminates manual data mapping for each migrated workload.

Dual-run validation operates as a streaming join between legacy mainframe output and modern system output. The comparison operator evaluates field-level equality, numeric tolerance, and temporal alignment. Results feed a validation dashboard that tracks match rates per workload, per field, and per time window. Migration cutover decisions are data-driven: when a workload achieves 100% match rate over a configurable validation period, it is cleared for production cutover. The legacy path remains available for instant rollback.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does mainframe offloading differ from mainframe replacement?

Replacement removes the mainframe entirely in a single migration. Offloading moves workloads incrementally while the mainframe remains operational. Each offloaded workload reduces MIPS costs immediately. The mainframe handles a shrinking set of responsibilities. Risk is distributed across many small migrations, not concentrated in one large event.

What mainframe databases are supported?

Ververica supports CDC from DB2, IMS, VSAM, and IDMS. Connectors read transaction logs directly with zero query impact on the mainframe. CICS transaction feeds and MQ Series queues are also supported as input sources. Custom mainframe integrations are available through professional services.

How is data consistency validated during migration?

Dual-run validation runs legacy and modern workloads in parallel and compares outputs field by field. The comparison operator checks value equality, numeric tolerance, and temporal alignment. Match rates are tracked per workload on a validation dashboard. Cutover occurs only after sustained 100% match rates over a configurable period.

What is the typical MIPS reduction timeline?

Banks achieve 15% to 20% MIPS reduction within the first 6 months by offloading reporting and analytics workloads. Cumulative reduction reaches 40% to 50% within 18 months as operational workloads migrate. Each offloaded workload compounds savings immediately.

Does offloading require mainframe application changes?

No. CDC connectors read database transaction logs without modifying mainframe applications. Existing COBOL programs, CICS transactions, and batch jobs continue running unchanged. The mainframe is unaware that offloading is occurring. This eliminates the need for mainframe development skills during the migration.

Mainframe Costs
Compound Every Quarter

MIPS prices increase annually. Mainframe skills decrease annually. Offloading reverses both trends. The first workload migrates in 8 weeks. Cost reduction begins immediately.