Mainframe Optimization

Uncover opportunities. Reduce costs.

Optimize Your Mainframe

Mainframe Optimization is essential for enterprise IT — especially for organizations running critical workloads on z/OS across finance, logistics, insurance, and beyond. Yet, mainframes remain among the most expensive and least transparent parts of the IT landscape.

SMT Data’s IT Business Intelligence (ITBI) provides the insight you need to take control.
We help you understand, analyze, and optimize mainframe usage — both from a technical and a financial perspective.

Why Mainframe Optimization Matters

Optimizing mainframe environments isn’t just about cutting costs — it’s about doing so strategically and safely.
Every environment has optimization levers: reducing MIPS, improving throughput, shifting to specialty processors, or retiring outdated workloads.

But without the right data, even well-intentioned changes can backfire — increasing risk, reducing performance, or pushing costs elsewhere.

ITBI for z/OS ensures every decision is based on fact, not guesswork.

What You Can Do with ITBI

Spot inefficiencies: Identify workloads, batch jobs, or applications with poor performance profiles, high CPU usage, or long response times. ITBI helps you isolate problems with clarity — and take action backed by data.

Prioritize what matters: Not all workloads are created equal. ITBI links mainframe consumption directly to business units, applications, or cost centers, so you can focus your optimization efforts where they have the most impact.

Eliminate zombie workloads: Surface jobs that consume resources but provide little or no value. ITBI builds the business case for retiring them safely — and helps prevent new inefficiencies from creeping in.

Strengthen negotiations: Transparency is leverage. Use detailed ITBI metrics in contract discussions with outsourcers, platform providers, and software vendors to unlock better pricing and service levels.

Support modernization: Evaluate mainframe workloads for offloading, re-platforming, containerization, or hybrid cloud migration — while maintaining visibility into costs, performance, and risks throughout the process.

Why SMT Data for Mainframe Optimization

We’ve supported mainframe optimization for organizations across
finance, insurance, logistics, retail, and the public sector.
Whether your environment is in-house or outsourced, we help you move from reactive firefighting to proactive, data-driven improvement.

Our clients typically:

Reduce MIPS consumption
Improve batch performance and batch windows
Strengthen internal cost accountability
Make better-informed modernization decisions

Whether you’re preparing for Tailored Fit Pricing or driving long-term transformation, ITBI gives you the visibility and control to move forward with confidence.

Let’s Talk

Curious about your optimization potential? Get in touch — we’ll walk you through what’s possible.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does mainframe optimization mean in ITBI™?

Mainframe optimization is the process of improving efficiency, performance, and cost-effectiveness of mainframe workloads. It includes reducing MIPS, optimizing batch jobs, shifting workloads to specialty processors, and eliminating unused (“zombie”) workloads. The goal is to align IT resource usage with business value.
What are “zombie workloads” in the context of ITBI™?

“Zombie workloads” refers to jobs or processes that still consume mainframe resources—but deliver little or no business value. While not a formal term in mainframe technical documentation, ITBI uses the phrase to describe these “dead weight” tasks that should be identified and safely retired to reclaim resources and reduce costs.
Why is optimization with ITBI™ important for mainframe customers?
Mainframe costs are significant, and poor optimization can lead to:
- Unnecessary MIPS consumption
- Higher software license fees
- Performance bottlenecks
- Missed opportunities in modernization projects
By basing optimization on SMF data analysis, organizations avoid these pitfalls and make decisions grounded in facts.
How does ITBI™ support mainframe optimization?
ITBI provides visibility into workload consumption and costs, enabling:
- Identification of inefficiencies
- Prioritization of tuning opportunities
- Detection of underused or outdated workloads
- Support for vendor contract negotiations and Tailored Fit Pricing evaluations
What results can organizations expect from optimization projects with ITBI™?
Typical outcomes include:
- Reduced mainframe consumption and costs
- Improved batch throughput and performance
- Clearer accountability for IT costs across business units
- Better data for modernization and cloud migration decisions
Don’t miss out on reading our DNB Customer Case to read how they reduced their total MIPS consumption with 25% over 1 year.
Does SMT Data offer mainframe optimization services based on ITBI™?
Yes. SMT Data’s Mainframe Cost Optimization Service delivers:
- A 3–6 month engagement
- In-depth workload analysis
- Documentation of optimization opportunities, including risk/benefit analysis
- Ongoing measurement and weekly reporting
Additionally, SMT Data provides a Journey to Tailored Fit Pricing service, helping clients analyze billing models, simulate migration scenarios, and optimize workloads before and after TFP adoption.