August 18, 2006

MGH discontinues use of mainframe

It was the end of an era Aug. 15 when Partners and MGH Information Systems (IS) disconnected the IBM mainframe computers that had been operating at the hospital since the early 1970s. The MGH mainframe, a large central processing unit, had supported thousands of administrative computers since its installation, and its use had been leveraged throughout the years. But as technology has advanced, the IS teams have increasingly made use of newer server-based technology.

"During the past 15 years, we have increasingly replaced the IBM mainframe applications with new client server-based applications," says Ken Glahn, of Partners IS. "For example, Payroll has moved off the mainframe to the PeopleSoft system. Without the maintenance costs of continuing the mainframe's overhead and software support, the hospital ultimately will benefit from cost-savings with the switch."

Jim Noga, MGH chief information officer, added that with the recent implementation of the new Pharmacy computer system, the MGH now has fully migrated away from the IBM mainframe. "While the mainframe environment has served the hospital well, many of the next generation of administrative systems only are available in a client-server environment, are less expensive to support and easier to upgrade as needed," he says.