Data integrity vendor, Precisely, has announced Precisely Data Replication for AWS Mainframe Modernisation. The announcement came at AWS re:Invent, held in Las Vegas. Using Precisely Connect, it will deliver real-time replication of mainframe data to AWS. According to Precisely, the replication will be carried out with zero downtime.
Replicating data to AWS allows companies to take advantage of the services AWS offers. It includes services like Aurora, RDS, FSx, S3, EMR, AWS MSK, Redshift, Snowflake on AWS, and more. Interestingly, both companies are clear that this is not about mainframe replacement but access to additional capabilities.
Eric Yau, chief operating officer at Precisely said, “Data is the lifeblood of the digital economy and the pipelines that carry it are essential to a business’s IT infrastructure. Together with AWS, we can help our customers to maximize their data and investments – unlocking the true potential of their critical data assets to power their business by making critical data assets available for AWS and for advanced analytics.”
Real-time replication key to faster insights
Real-time replication of data is often harder than it seems. Data often needs to go through several transformations as it is extracted, transformed and then loaded (ETL) into the target system. The size and complexity of mainframe data can also add to delays in getting data into the target system.
What is on offer here is a solution that is fast and seamless. This announcement comes just a day after AWS announced a future where ETL is no longer a problem. If this announcement is part of that ETL-less world that Amazon wants, then it is good news for customers.
Zero downtime and real-time replication of data means that data can be acted on much faster. There are several questions here. What will customers do with that time? Will it allow them to react to situations faster? What industries are likely to take advantage of this?
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
Mainframe software vendors will argue that they have done much to make data more accessible. The current generation of tools are easier to use and can be accessed by anyone. However, as critical as mainframe data is, it is just another data silo.
The real value is in mixing that data with other data sources to get new insights. That is where this announcement comes in. While the focus is on replicating that mainframe data, it is also about bringing it into the same place as other key data sets. Only then will companies begin to get the new insights that they want.