Recently Published
Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility, SHARE Pittsburgh 2026, and more
BMC Brings Governed AI Agents to Enterprise Workflows and Mainframe Operations Precisely Delivers Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility to the ServiceNow AI Platform IBM Reports Infrastructure Revenue Down 7 Percent SHARE Pittsburgh 2026BMC Brings Governed AI Agents...
What the New IBM z17 Rack-Mount Systems Bring to the Table
The z17 goes small, and I think that’s rather clever. On July 7, 2026, IBM announced new configurations of the z17, and for the first time ever, you can now get a rack-mount option right across the Z and LinuxONE portfolio. Not a new processor, not a new architecture,...
Webinar: Accelerating Mainframe Efficiency for SysProgs and DBAs
Mainframe modernization is often discussed in broad strategic terms, but for the teams responsible for keeping core systems running, the challenge is much more practical: How do you make change faster, safer, and more repeatable without disrupting critical...
Overestimating AI in Mainframe Migrations, Strategic Collaboration Agreement, and more
Gartner Warns Against Overestimating AI in Mainframe Migrations IBM, Red Hat, and Deloitte Announce Lightwell Collaboration to Help Strengthen Open Source Software Supply Chain Trust BMC to Separate Helix AI ServiceOps Business Kyndryl and AWS sign expanded strategic...
Tuning for Business Value, Not Cost: Building a Better Business Case for Mainframe Modernization
Modernization can deliver tremendous business value. But cost savings only materialize when organizations understand how mainframe economics really work. Organizations often launch mainframe modernization initiatives with a clear objective: reduce costs by moving...
❓Mainframe History Trivia: Mauchly and Eckert
This week at Planet Mainframe Trivia we’re dipping back into the deep history of computing with a quiz on the work of John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert—two of the most influential pioneers in the history of computing. Their work helped move electronic computers from...
Practical AI Use Cases for CICS Teams
This month, the Planet Mainframe Virtual Mainframe User Group welcomed Claire Connor, Principal Pre-Sales Consultant at Geniez AI, for a practical look at how generative AI can support CICS professionals. The conversation focused on a familiar operational challenge:...
Understanding CICS Performance: How SMF 110 Turns Symptoms Into Evidence
How monitoring and statistics data turn performance symptoms into evidence When something slows down in a CICS environment, the conversation often starts with a phrase every systems programmer (sysprog) has heard before: "CICS feels stuck." The problem with that...
Performance & Tuning Month
Actual Intelligence in z/OS Performance and Capacity Planning
It is exciting to be part of the world of computer performance at the dawn of AI. Many companies are heavily investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with only a few crude implementations having materialized thus far. As a performance guy, I can say it is important...
IBM z17 Time Synchronization Resiliency Enhancements
Most likely, you have heard the generic acronym RAS, which typically stands for Resiliency, Availability, and Serviceability. However, in the world of time synchronization at IBM, we changed RAS to mean Resiliency, Accuracy, and Security. From RAS to IBMz17 Timing,...
Don’t Buy More MIPS – Do This Instead
The Cost of the Wrong Choice The adage says, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” But in the world of mainframes, that’s not always true. You can often spend the same amount and still save money. For example, a 1% increase in your mainframe IT budget can yield...
A Breakthrough in Mainframe Storage Efficiency
Broadcom has delivered a first in mainframe storage with the Virtual Storage Adapter (VSA) enhancement to CA 1™ Flexible Storage™. This new feature lets you have your cake and eat it too – achieve high-performance virtual tape storage without the traditionally higher...
Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter Delivers z/OS Tuning, Hardware Picks, and Performance Tips
We are delighted to announce that Cheryl Watson's Tuning Letter 2025 No.2 is now available. If you haven't already subscribed, now is your chance to discover the most comprehensive body of practical and impartial z/OS, and MVS tuning and measurement advice ever...
The Evolution of IBM OMEGAMON for CICS: AI Insights, DB2 Correlation, and zIIP Optimization
Sign up today! CICS Virtual User Group – Tomorrow, July 29, 2025 Join us on Tuesday, July 29, for the next installment of the CICS User Group series. Colin Pearce, z/OS and CICS Systems Programmer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, will present. Register for the...
Understanding and overcoming common CICS challenges
IT environments are increasingly complex to manage, and overburdened administrators are tasked with refining them, keeping them secure, and preventing downtime.Mainframes are critical to that infrastructure, as they process and store billions of transactions worth of...
Mainframe Security Isn’t What It Used to Be – How CICS and LE Are Fighting Back
This article updates a 2022 piece in Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter, “LE Non-Executable HEAPS and CICS User Experiences” by Mario Bezzi. Current Tuning Letter subscribers can read the original article online. Think your mainframe is immune to modern cyber threats?...
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Upcoming Events
Events
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SHARE Pittsburgh 2026
FeaturedSHARE Pittsburgh brings together mainframe IT professionals for five days of education, networking, and knowledge sharing. The conference program features expert-led sessions, hands-on learning, and forward-looking insights designed to help […]
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Virtual IMS User Group | All about SMP-E (System Modification Program-Extended)— It’s SiMPlified!!!
Zoom - Virtual MeetingAll about SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended) — It's SiMPlified!!! SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended) is the foundation of software maintenance and update management within the z/OS ecosystem. This session provides a […]
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Accelerating Mainframe Efficiency: Development and Testing Webinar
Zoom - Virtual MeetingUnlock the power of instantly available mainframe resources to revolutionize mainframe delivery. The third session in the PopUp Persona Webinar series reveals how application developers, software engineers, and QA teams […]
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Virtual IMS User Group | Data Gravity and IBM Z: Bringing Processing to the Data
Zoom - Virtual MeetingAs data volumes grow, they naturally attract applications, services, and processing toward them—a concept commonly referred to as data gravity. In hybrid cloud environments, understanding data gravity has become increasingly […]
Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility, SHARE Pittsburgh 2026, and more
BMC Brings Governed AI Agents to Enterprise Workflows and Mainframe Operations Precisely Delivers Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility to the ServiceNow AI Platform IBM Reports Infrastructure Revenue Down 7 Percent SHARE Pittsburgh 2026BMC Brings Governed AI Agents...
What the New IBM z17 Rack-Mount Systems Bring to the Table
The z17 goes small, and I think that’s rather clever. On July 7, 2026, IBM announced new configurations of the z17, and for the first time ever, you can now get a rack-mount option right across the Z and LinuxONE portfolio. Not a new processor, not a new architecture,...
ROI, Business Case, and Tuning for Value: Round Two
This month at Planet Mainframe Trivia, we've been exploring how organizations maximize the value of their mainframe investments. Creating value doesn't end once a project is approved. Organizations continually look for ways to improve performance, optimize resources,...
Compact z17 and LinuxONE Systems, Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility, and more
IBM Launches Compact z17 and LinuxONE Systems to Address Space and Cost Constraints Kyndryl Report: AI adoption accelerates as workforce readiness becomes the ROI difference maker Precisely Delivers Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility to the ServiceNow AI Platform...
ROI, Business Case and Tuning for Value Trivia: Round One
For July’s Planet Mainframe Trivia Quizzes, we're exploring the fundamentals of measuring value and making informed technology decisions. Whether the investment involves modernizing a mainframe environment, optimizing workloads, or deploying new enterprise...
Overestimating AI in Mainframe Migrations, Strategic Collaboration Agreement, and more
Gartner Warns Against Overestimating AI in Mainframe Migrations IBM, Red Hat, and Deloitte Announce Lightwell Collaboration to Help Strengthen Open Source Software Supply Chain Trust BMC to Separate Helix AI ServiceOps Business Kyndryl and AWS sign expanded strategic...