Essential Checklist for Evaluating Mainframe-as-a-Service Providers

Evaluating mainframe-as-a-service (MFaaS) is more than an upgrade decision—it’s a chance to simplify operations, stabilize costs, and modernize without risking your core business systems. As an industry leader, FNTS delivers a proven, fully managed IBM Z operating model that unifies hosting, operations, security, and modernization so your teams can focus on innovation, not infrastructure.

Hardware:
Capacity, Connectivity & Reliability

Great MFaaS makes hardware lifecycle concerns disappear. Verify that your provider can right-size and tune the platform to your workloads while maintaining resilience and performance.

• Right-sized capacity: Clear LPAR sizing, headroom for peak cycles, and flexible resource pools.
• Resilience by design: Redundant power, network paths, and storage tiers with documented SLAs.
• Performance transparency: Baselines (e.g., MIPS/MSU targets), response goals, and regular tuning.
• Enterprise connectivity: FICON to enterprise storage, segmented networks, and secure external access.

How FNTS delivers: FNTS right-sizes LPARs to your workload profile, provides resilient IBM Z hosting, and continuously tunes performance—so capacity, connectivity, and availability stay aligned to business demand.

Software & Tooling:
Currency, Control & Observability

MFaaS succeeds when software hygiene and governance are routine. Ensure your provider keeps systems current, controlled, and visible across your enterprise.

• OS & subsystem currency: Supported releases with a rolling upgrade plan.
• Operational tooling: Scheduling, monitoring, and automation with documented runbooks.
• Vendor governance: Clear license ownership and renewal coordination—no coverage gaps.
• Observability: End-to-end telemetry and logs that feed your enterprise SIEM for audit-ready evidence.

How FNTS delivers: FNTS operates a disciplined change program, coordinates software governance with your procurement strategy, and provides observability that equips operations and audit teams alike.

Security & Resiliency:
Built In, Not Bolted On

Mainframe controls should extend your enterprise security—not live in a silo. Look for layered controls, tested recovery, and reporting you can hand to auditors without rework.

• Identity & access: RACF/ACF2/TSS with least-privilege policies and separation of duties.
• Continuous monitoring: Real-time event capture, anomaly detection, and SIEM correlation.
• Resiliency stack: Policy-driven backups, hardened recovery workflows, and tested runbooks.
• Evidence on demand: Compliance and audit reporting aligned to your industry requirements.

How FNTS delivers: FNTS can pair MFaaS with layered cyber resiliency, SIEM integration, and recovery options aligned to your RPO/RTO targets—so security and continuity are operationalized, not aspirational.

Operations & Governance:
Who Does What—By Design

Clear roles prevent surprises and preserve velocity. Define responsibilities up front and maintain cadence with structured reviews.

• Runbook clarity: Ownership for backups, job scheduling, change management, and incident response.
• Service reviews: Health checks, capacity reviews, and dated action plans.
• Change cadence: Planned windows, emergency protocols, and rollback expectations.
• Operating model: Ability to start co-managed and move to fully managed as needs evolve.

How FNTS delivers: Choose the model that fits today—Partially Managed (FNTS runs infrastructure and OS while your team owns apps) or Fully Managed (MFaaS) where FNTS operates hosting through day-to-day run and modernization. Compare models on our Mainframe & IBM Power Service Levels.

Cost Model:
From CapEx Spikes to Predictable OpEx

MFaaS converts high-variance refresh cycles into a transparent subscription aligned to actual use. Finance and IT see the same picture—and improve it quarter over quarter.

• Usage transparency: Clear metrics (e.g., MSU/MIPS), trend reporting, and chargeback-ready summaries.
• Capacity flex: Add headroom for projects and seasonality without long procurement cycles.
• Optimization motions: Right-size compute and storage tiers with documented savings.
• All-in view: Include operations, security, resiliency, and software where applicable—not just hardware.

How FNTS delivers: FNTS provides usage dashboards, optimization guidance, and modernization roadmaps so cost and capacity stay predictable and aligned to outcomes.

Modernization:
Stabilize First, Improve Continuously

Modernization should be incremental and evidence-based, not a risky big-bang. Start with discovery, baseline today, then sequence quick wins and larger moves.

• Discovery & baselining: Performance, dependency mapping, and current cost.
• Quick wins: API enablement, DevOps on Z, and automation to accelerate delivery.
• Refactor where it pays: Targeted changes tied to business outcomes and risk reduction.
• Hybrid integration: Secure connections to Public Cloud Solutions and adjacent platforms like IBM Power.

How FNTS delivers: FNTS aligns modernization with value, risk, and time-to-impact—via a practical roadmap you can execute in quarters, not years. Explore Modernization & Optimization.

MFaaS Readiness Checklist

Use this during discovery to streamline scoping and shorten time-to-value:

1. Workload profiles, target LPAR sizing, and headroom defined
2. OS/subsystems on supported releases (upgrade plan identified)
3. Roles documented for backups, scheduling, changes, and incidents
4. SIEM integration and audit reporting requirements captured
5. RPO/RTO targets mapped to business impact
6. Usage reporting tied to cost optimization actions
7. Modernization backlog with 90-day quick wins
   
   

Why FNTS

FNTS is a trusted leader in mainframe-as-a-service, unifying IBM Z hosting, operations, cyber resiliency, and modernization under one accountable program. We support regulated industries, offer co-managed or fully managed models, and integrate seamlessly with adjacent pillars, including IBM Power, Public Cloud, and Business Continuity—so your mainframe stays secure, compliant, and ready for what’s next.

Get a tailored MFaaS plan. In a short discovery, we’ll map requirements, outline SLAs, and propose a mainframe-as-a-service roadmap with cost, capacity, and migration guidance.