CICS observability just got a major boost. At the September Virtual User Group, experts from IBM and Broadcom explored how CICS 6.3 is bringing OpenTelemetry, traces, metrics, and logs into the spotlight—making the mainframe as observable as any modern platform. Read the recap below to see how these innovations impact system programmers, developers, and SREs alike.
Full Session Recap
The September 2025 Virtual CICS User Group brought together experts from IBM and Broadcom to explore the evolving world of observability on the mainframe. Hosted by Amanda Hendley, Managing Editor at Planet Mainframe, the session focused on the new capabilities introduced in CICS Transaction Server 6.3, especially around OpenTelemetry, security, automation, and developer productivity.
IBM’s Mark Cocker detailed the journey through recent version 6 releases, highlighting innovations in cost reduction, automation, and security. He emphasized how OpenTelemetry enables vendor-agnostic observability, making it easier to trace workloads end-to-end across subsystems like Db2, MQ, and IMS. He also touched on support for VS Code, Java frameworks, and AI integration—making the platform more accessible to modern developers.
Broadcom’s Todd Gagle extended the discussion with a look at the power of CICS traces, metrics, and logs, explaining how these insights help eliminate the dreaded ‘mainframe black hole’ in transaction tracing. His colleague, Machhindra Nale, demonstrated how site reliability engineers can leverage OpenTelemetry data in enterprise dashboards to track application health, latency, and errors across hybrid environments.
Together, the session underscored the role of CICS as a cornerstone of mainframe modernization—helping organizations reduce complexity, improve security, and deliver seamless observability across platforms. With OpenTelemetry built into CICS 6.3, the mainframe is no longer an isolated box, but an integral part of enterprise observability strategies.
The Virtual CICS User Group will meet again on November 13. Stay tuned for the announcement of the next speaker, and in the meantime, explore more articles, recaps, and videos on Planet Mainframe.
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