Demand for mainframe specialists is at an all-time high, according to IBM Corp., due to an increase in mainframe investments.

The market share for IBM's System z mainframe platform has grown 17 to 30 per cent over the last decade on a rolling four-quarter basis of the high-end segment priced over US $250,000, according to International Data Group's high-end server quarterly tracker.,""

The increase is also reflected in the growth of IBM's Academic Initiative for System z, which provides resources to colleges and universities for mainframe skills education. More than 600 schools around the world are now involved in the program, which launched with only 24 colleges in 2004.

A recent IDC survey of 300 mainframe-knowledgeable IT experts and decision-makers using IBM mainframes also reports that "nearly one-half of respondents indicated they plan to increase annual spending on mainframe hardware and software."

"The mainframe is still seen by respondents as a key element of centrally managed corporate data and high-value computing workloads by providing them with a layer of highly controllable enterprise management software," states IDC.