Ke Ala Hou, A New Path Forward – April 2026 ETS Mainframe Modernization Madness: Powering the Transition Forward

For more than 50 years, the state of Hawaiʻi's central mainframe has quietly powered some of our most critical government functions. While it may be considered "legacy" technology, it remains essential to the daily delivery of public services such as processing unemployment benefits, calculating and issuing child support payments and administering payroll and vendor payments statewide. It is built for reliability, capable of handling millions of transactions and sudden demand spikes, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Modernizing this system is a vital component of our broader legacy system strategy. The mainframe is aging, increasingly expensive to maintain and more difficult to support over time. We are actively planning for a full transition to modern, cloud-based systems, with a projected completion by June 2030. However, we cannot retire the mainframe overnight without risking service disruptions that would directly impact residents and state employees.

Our path forward requires partnership with departments, policymakers and stakeholders to align on funding, schedules and communication. ETS will continue providing 24/7 support to ensure continuity of service while guiding this transition thoughtfully and responsibly.

This modernization is about strengthening resilience, improving efficiency and building a more sustainable digital foundation for Hawaiʻi's future.