Kyndryl Named a Leader in 2026 ISG Provider Lens Mainframes

Kyndryl said it received Leader recognition in three categories in the 2026 ISG Provider Lens™ Mainframes — Services and Solutions Report. The company cited the results as a benchmark for its work across mainframe technology consulting, Mainframe as a Service (MFaaS), and application modernization services.

ISG recognition covered Kyndryl’s support for mission-critical mainframe environments and modernization, described as built on security and governance, with automation, AIOps and AI-enabled discovery. Kyndryl also tied the recognition to workforce development, ecosystem partnerships, and “resilient modernization pathways for regulated industries,” according to the release.

Kyndryl’s reported approach included an assessment-led strategy and targeted optimization, along with hybrid cloud integration for mainframe technology consulting. For MFaaS, ISG cited Kyndryl operating a large global MFaaS and mainframe outsourcing footprint and described flexible consumption models spanning customer-owned environments and shared platforms such as zCloud and C4i. For application modernization services, the release described an end-to-end method from structured assessments to iterative implementation and hybrid cloud integration, supported by Kyndryl Bridge, agentic AI, governance capabilities, and hyperscaler alliances.

“Kyndryl's comprehensive mainframe consulting service enables it to support discrete projects and multi-year transformations, addressing both infrastructure and applications across various hosting models,” said Pedro L. Bicudo Maschio, ISG distinguished analyst and author. He added that Kyndryl's MFaaS and agentic-AI capabilities offer customers predictable economics, operational agility and modernization readiness. “ISG's recognition reinforces what we're hearing from customers: they want to modernize mainframe environments without compromising resilience,” said Shawn D'Souza, SVP, Global Digital Consult Leader, Kyndryl. “At Kyndryl, we combine deep mainframe expertise with AI-enabled insights, strong governance, and ecosystem partnerships to help clients integrate and modernize responsibly across hybrid cloud environments.”

The release also said the report offered guidance for enterprises navigating generative AI-driven discovery, deterministic modernization approaches, AIOps adoption and hybrid integration, while evaluating providers’ ability to support resilient and scalable mainframe operations.