Open Mainframe Summit Call for Papers Now Open
The Open Mainframe Project has announced the launch of the Call for Proposals (CFPs) for the 4th annual Open Mainframe Summit.
The Open Mainframe Project was founded in 2015 as a focal point for the deployment and use of Linux and Open Source in a mainframe computing environment. It is an open source initiative that enables collaboration across the mainframe community to develop shared tools and resources.
According to Steven Dickens, Vice President and Practice Leader at the Futurum Group, “The Open Mainframe Project has established itself as the go-to community for mainframe developers, enterprises, and vendors alike. The events announced today are a key part of how the community will gather to advance code on the mainframe.”
This year, the premier mainframe event will be co-located with two industry conferences – IBM TechXchange Conference 2023, hosted in Las Vegas on September 11-14; and Open Source in Finance Forum, hosted in New York City on November 1.
“As mainframe technology and events evolve and mature, it becomes a more natural evolution to align Open Mainframe Projects and activities with other industry events,” said John Mertic, Director of Program Management at the Linux Foundation and Executive Director of the Open Mainframe Project. “This year, by partnering with IBM and FINOS, we are offering attendees the opportunity to enhance their experience with unique presentations and targeted conversations with industry experts.”
Source: Open Mainframe Project
Obsidi Academy disrupts the Black talent “Network gap” in the tech industry
In partnership with founding sponsor and employer, Toronto Dominion, Black Professionals in Tech Networking (BPTN) is providing corporations with a direct pathway to hire impactful Black tech talent.
In the fall of 2022, BPTN launched their Obsidi Academy Full-stack Developer bootcamp with the annual goal to graduate and employ 200 Black professionals at TD.
As of April 2023, Cohorts 1 and 2 graduated 136 Black professionals as Associate Software Engineers. BPTN is on track to achieve its 200 annual graduation goal by November 2023, and, in partnership with TD, is geared up to employ a total of 600 Obsidi Academy graduates by 2025.
Graduates are making invaluable contributions in various technical departments — Software Engineering (SWE), Data as a Service (DaaS), Developer Experience (DevX), Quality Engineering (QE), Securities, Cloud, Streaming, Business Banking, Enablement, and Mainframe.
According to Heather Katz, PhD., Head of Obsidi Academy and Learning and Development at BPTN:
“We systematically horizon-scan the tech industry and collaborate with both TD’s leadership and tech experts to identify their near and long-term business, tech, and talent needs. This ensures that the Obsidi Academy keeps pace with tech industry standards and advancements. We pivot as needed to meet the business demands and facilitate the employment of highly skilled Black tech talent that helps TD meet their critical business goals.”
Source: PR Newswire
Kyndryl Lands at No. 225 on the 2023 Fortune 500 List
IBM spinoff Kyndryll landed at No. 225 this week on the 2023 Fortune 500 List, after its first full year as an independent company.
The revenue threshold for making the Fortune 500 list was $7.2 billion this year, up 13% from 2021. Kyndryl is now one of the largest corporations in the U.S. by revenue, with $18.3 billion reported in 2022. The company claims to be the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider.
In a recent interview with Fortune magazine, Kyndryl CFO David Wyshner reported on their strategy:
“We laid out a series of strategies called the ‘Three A’s’: going after alliances, advanced deliveries, and accounts,” he says. “We put numbers associated with them in terms of what they can contribute over time. And we said we’re going to report on these metrics each quarter and each year so that people could see our progress.”
Over the course of the year, Kyndryl has made progress in addressing elements of its business with substandard margins, and helping modernize its clients’ IT systems, with applications like Kyndryl Consult. There was $210 million in annual savings from the accounts initiative versus a $200 million target, Wyshner says.
“It’s really satisfying to see our organization rally around a set of initiatives,” he says. “We communicated them clearly internally, and had people delivering on them in ways very consistent with the faster, more focused culture that we’re striving for.”
Source: Fortune
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.