Welcome to PlanetMainframe

My name is Allan Zander, CEO of DataKinetics, a leader in mainframe data access optimization solutions, and Chairman of the Planet Mainframe Alliance, a consortium of small innovative mainframe ISVs that provide targeted solutions to companies running mainframe systems.  I’m starting this blog as a vehicle for people to voice opinions on what is happening now, what will be happening and what should be happening in the busy enterprise mainframe (and distributed!) data center world. So many exciting things are happening- from legacy asset improvement to new mainframe developments to big data, cloud and analytics- that we need be able to tell which are just fads, and which are actual trends, and to keep sight on what can make a real difference in our data centers. We’ll also be offering insights on the latest data center technology and how it can benefit (or how it may not) large IT organizations.

Who’s going to post here?

For starters, I have some ideas where I want my company to go, and where I see things going in the data center world, so I’ll be chiming in from time to time. I’ll also be asking Larry Strickland, the Chief Products Officer at DataKinetics, some thought leaders from other companies, Craig Mullins, an independent IBM Gold Consultant and Information Champion, and others, perhaps you, as well, to speak their minds about their opinions and adventures in the corporate data center.

We intend to offer up posts that are varied and informative, and we plan to update the blog regularly.

Who is this blog for?

Well, anyone, really. If you’re interested in maximizing the performance of your mainframe systems, how to handle increased workflows, and how to do that economically, this will be a good place to check up on now and again. Data center customer satisfaction? We’ll be talking about that. Incremental revenue generation through IT innovations? Look us up. How to ensure that your IT organization can meet all of its audit and compliance requirements? We’ll be talking about that, too.

If you’re a CFO looking to rationalize IT spending, we’ll have something to say about that (or maybe you will!). If you’re an IT capacity planner dogged with R4H challenges, there’ll definitely be discussions on that subject. If you’re a DBA looking for answers or tips, well, you could find some ideas here, too.

Even if your IT organization is not very active in new mainframe initiatives, you will find out here that Big Data challenges can be addressed by your mainframe, and that optimization of existing systems can make room for new workloads, save money, and plenty more.

What kind of blog will this be?

What this is, is a place for serious discussion. What it’s not, is a place to peddle products or sell services to readers. And that goes for my company and any other company. Period. The only way to make a blog productive is to make it valuable to as many readers as possible. Not just potential customers.

The sharing of ideas

We do our best work when we collaborate with others. Nobody wants to give away trade secrets, but on the other hand, great ideas can be improved upon by the comments from those with similar experiences, and those with parallel interests.

While a company may fear losing some small amount of market share as other companies build on original ideas, the process of wide-spread innovation makes the entire market larger, therefore benefiting all far more than if they had worked in isolation.

Another way to look at it is- sharing a bag of cookies means that you don’t eat them all yourself. Your friends will be happy to have some, and in the future, they’ll probably have some for you.

It seems to me that this blog can act as a place where we can all come to ask and answer questions, suggest generalized solutions to typical business problems, help to solve industry-wide challenges, even develop new partnerships.

Let’s do this!