CMG Honors Broadcom with the IMPACT Innovation Award
The Computer Measurement Group (CMG), together with its partner the Mullen Foundation, has announced Broadcom as the winner of its 2023 IMPACT Innovation Award. According to CMG, the increasingly coveted award was designed “to recognize individuals and teams who have driven IT improvements to drive significant change and extraordinary outcomes within their organizations.”
Broadcom’s winning project, Precision MSE, established standards across the organization to improve the customer experience while saving time and money. The new design system features security as a top priority and consistent and standardized UX patterns throughout all adopted Broadcom Mainframe Software UIs.
“There was strong competition for the 2023 award,” said Amanda Hendley, President and Managing Director of CMG. “Our winner, Broadcom, was selected for their success in modernizing a platform that had a very tangible impact throughout their organization. With a small initial team, they were able to reduce their time to market by up to 60% and have a consistent UI through their products in a cost-effective manner.”
Source: CMG
European Mainframes Getting a Makeover
A new research report just published by Information Services Group (ISG) shows that enterprises in Europe are seeking innovative, cost-effective ways to combine mainframe dependability with the flexibility of the cloud.
The 2023 ISG Provider Lens™ Mainframes — Services and Solutions report for Europe finds that while many companies still depend on their mainframes for reliability, security, and availability, legacy applications can also struggle to respond rapidly to the deployment of new or updated products.
This confluence of factors has led to a surge in mainframe modernization across industries, with companies moving to update their legacy applications and connect them to cloud-based technologies.
Another factor the report highlights is the dearth of mainframe IT talent: “European enterprises are concerned about finding IT talent that is capable of maintaining and managing their legacy systems,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “This has led to an increased demand for third-party service providers who can help to close the skills gap.”
Other developments the report explores include the growing trend to automate both the migration and testing processes, using artificial intelligence, and machine-language-based technologies.
Source: Business Wire
New IBM Survey Reveals the Greatest Perceived Barrier to Professional or Technical Skill Development is that Programs are Too Expensive
While businesses that rely on mainframes worry about the lack of trained mainframe operators, a recently released IBM survey shows that the cost of training is perceived as a major obstacle to pursuing careers in STEM.
The study, administered by Morning Consult and commissioned by IBM, is based on more than 14,000 interviews of students, people seeking new jobs, and people seeking to change careers, located across 13 countries.
The study highlights areas that IBM hopes to address with its expanding SkillsBuild initiative, which brings free STEM education closer to historically underrepresented communities in the field (including z/OS Practitioner courses).
Other findings of IBM’s global survey include:
- 61% of respondents think they are not qualified to work in a STEM job because they don’t have the right academic degrees
- 40% of students say the greatest barrier to professional or technical skill development is that they don’t know where to start
- 60% of respondents worry that digital credentials may be costly to obtain
- Being able to continue to work while earning a credential is particularly important to career changers
“Technology training can have a transformational effect on a person’s life,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Chief Impact Officer. “There are many misconceptions about what’s needed to pursue a rewarding and lucrative career in today’s rapidly advancing workplace. This is why we must raise awareness of the breadth of science and technology roles that exist across industries.”
Source: IBM
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.