Having spoken to Software AG and other end users in Canberra, IP Australia is "banking" on the availability of Adabas skills if the mainframe is used until at least 2012. Adabas does run on open systems, but Ayers said it is still "costly" to switch platforms.

Even with an extended mainframe contract, IP Australia is unlikely to add any new workloads onto the big iron as it heads squarely down the SOA path. "When there is a business requirement to change we are doing it in SOA," Ayers said, adding there is no business case for change on the mainframe at this stage.