Mainframe systems, originally developed in the 1930s and still used by industries such as banking, healthcare, and government for their large-scale transactional needs, are now seen as outdated due to high operational costs and a diminishing skilled workforce. Despite their reliability and security, these systems are not designed to leverage the scalability and efficiency of the public cloud, prompting many organizations to adopt distributed SQL solutions. Companies like Cockroach Labs are aiding this transition by offering modern, cloud-based infrastructures that enable businesses to innovate and meet customer demands more effectively. These distributed systems facilitate seamless scalability, reduce management costs, and automate processes, thereby allowing development teams to focus on strategic tasks rather than maintaining legacy systems. The shift to cloud-native databases also addresses the increasing skills gap in mainframe operations by incorporating automation, ultimately helping organizations achieve their modernization goals and improve infrastructure resilience.