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❓The Unix Legacy Trivia
Like so many transformative innovations, the creation of UNIX was the unintentional outcome of a failed experiment—specifically with a time-sharing operating system called Multics for the GE-645 mainframe. While it was originally developed as a side project with...
News – AI, Modernization, and Mainframe Momentum: This Week’s Industry News
BMC Expands AI-Powered Mainframe Solutions IBM Introduces IBM Bob Premium Package for Z Kyndryl to modernize systems for North Carolina DMV AI Helped a Company Transition Off the Mainframe - and the Project Won an Award Kyndryl named a Leader in 2026 ISG Provider...
Beyond the Horizon: Running Db2 Tools from a Unix Shell
(aka “Linuxification” of Db2 Tools)Broadcom Database Management Solutions for Db2 (Db2 Tools) are traditionally used from the z/OS ISPF interface or from batch. While this interface is familiar and efficient for some, for others, especially new audiences coming from...
Expertise in a Hoodie: Uwe Graf is The Modern Mainframe Nerd
Uwe Graf Head of ConsultingEasiRun Europa GmbH Hesse, GermanyThis profile features Uwe Graf, one of the top four 2026 Influential Mainframers in the class of 2026.If you ask Uwe Graf to describe himself, he won’t start with a list of certifications or corporate...
Guiding Open Innovation: Rose Sakach and the Evolution of the Modern Mainframe
Rose Sakach Offering Manager, Open Mainframe, Broadcom Burlington, Massachusetts, USAThis piece is part of the 2026 Planet Mainframe Influential Mainframers series.For Rose Sakach, the mainframe’s future is being built in the open. With more than four decades in the...
From New to Z to SME in Under a Year: Meet Stephen Johnston
Stephen K. Johnson Systems EngineerTrident Services, Inc. Chehalis, Washington, USAThis piece is part of the 2026 Planet Mainframe Influential Mainframers series.For over 20 years, Stephen Johnston’s professional world was defined by the fast-moving landscape of...
Connecting the Mainframe to the Web: Sebastian Dewar’s Vision for Accessible Modernization
Sebastian Dewar CTO, Virtel FranceThis piece is part of the 2026 Planet Mainframe Influential Mainframers series.For Sebastian Dewar, modernization is about access. As CTO of Virtel, Dewar has focused his work on one of the most practical challenges facing the...
NEWS – AI to Mainframe Modernization, Shaping the Future of Enterprise Computing, and more
U.S. Public Sector Applies AI to Mainframe Modernization IBM Announces Strategic Collaboration with Arm to Shape the Future of Enterprise Computing 21CS Establishes Strategic Partnership with Interskill Learning IBM Expands FedRAMP Portfolio with Authorization of 11...
Latest
Why It’s Finally Time to Retire Your TN3270 Emulator
For decades, TN3270 terminal emulators have been a staple for accessing mission-critical mainframe applications. However, as cyber threats evolve and legacy systems strain under new compliance demands, it is becoming increasingly clear that traditional...
Why Human Error is the Mainframe’s Biggest Risk
Mainframes have always had a bit of a superhero reputation: rock-solid, ultra-secure, and always up. They’ve powered banks, airlines, and governments for decades without so much as blinking. But I want to share an uncomfortable truth: even the most secure systems in...
Collaborating for Modernizing Mainframe Data Protection: A Privacy-First Approach
Collaborating for Modernizing Mainframe Data Protection As enterprises accelerate their digital transformation initiatives, mainframe environments face unprecedented challenges in balancing mainframe data protection with modernisation. Traditional approaches to...
Modernizing Mainframe Security: RACF and MFA Misconceptions
Passwords Aren’t Enough to Modernize Mainframe Security Security is the backbone of any organization’s control environment. In today’s hyper-connected economy, protecting against IT threats is not just a technical requirement—it’s a business imperative. A single...
TRIVIA – Penetration Testing
Mainframes have long been known for their unmatched reliability and security—but even the most trusted systems can hide surprises beneath the surface. As technology evolves, so do the tactics of those trying to exploit it. Penetration testing (pen testing), or...
Mainframe Security: The Quiet Frontline of Enterprise Defense
For decades, the mainframe has been viewed as one of the most secure computing platforms on Earth. With tightly controlled access, centralized data management, and unmatched reliability, it earned its reputation as the “fortress” of enterprise IT. But, as evidenced in...
From Mainframe to Cybersecurity: Experience Is the New Superpower, Ladies
From Mainframe to Cybersecurity: Experience Is the New Superpower If you’ve written COBOL, debugged Assembler, or know how to resolve an S0C7 abend, chances are you belong to an older—and increasingly rare—demographic in tech. If you’re a woman, that group is even...
The Heat is on. What 2025 Cyber Attacks in the UK Teach Us About Mainframe Security
Vertali’s Leanne Wilson reflects on a year of cyber attacks and what needs to happen now. 2025 was quite a year for cyber attacks. The UK in particular experienced a significant surge, with 43% of businesses reporting at least one incident and an astounding 91% of...
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Virtual CICS User Group: Unlocking Mainframe Knowledge: Using AI to Support CICS Professionals
Zoom - Virtual MeetingMany organizations rely on large CICS applications where critical knowledge is buried in legacy code and documentation. This session explores how AI can help MF CICS professionals quickly understand applications, […]
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Virtual IMS User Group: No Data Left Behind: The Complete Guide to IMS Database Recovery
Zoom - Virtual Meeting📅 June 16, 2026 🕦 11:30 AM ET When an IMS database fails, there is no time to learn recovery on the fly. In this practical and technically grounded session, […]
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Virtual Mainframe Technical Exchange – June 23 – 25, 2026
Virtual MeetingSave the Date! Learn more about the North American and Virtual Mainframe Technical Exchanges here.
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Accelerating Mainframe Efficiency: SysProg & DBA Webinar
FeaturedZoom - Virtual MeetingAre you a systems programmer, database administrator, or mainframe operations or security leader looking to get more out of your z/OS environment? This opening session of the PopUp Mainframe Persona […]
News – AI, Modernization, and Mainframe Momentum: This Week’s Industry News
BMC Expands AI-Powered Mainframe Solutions IBM Introduces IBM Bob Premium Package for Z Kyndryl to modernize systems for North Carolina DMV AI Helped a Company Transition Off the Mainframe - and the Project Won an Award Kyndryl named a Leader in 2026 ISG Provider...
❓Linux: Tux in the Data Center
Our quiz today focuses on Linux, which Linus Torvalds originally created in the early 90s for x86 desktop hardware—about as far from a mainframe as you can get. But its life on mainframes has proved remarkably powerful. Through the mid-to-late 90s, Linux gradually...
NEWS – AI to Mainframe Modernization, Shaping the Future of Enterprise Computing, and more
U.S. Public Sector Applies AI to Mainframe Modernization IBM Announces Strategic Collaboration with Arm to Shape the Future of Enterprise Computing 21CS Establishes Strategic Partnership with Interskill Learning IBM Expands FedRAMP Portfolio with Authorization of 11...
❓ Influential Mainframer Trivia: Eleanor Kolchin
For the month of April, Planet Mainframe puts the spotlight on influential mainframers, and this week our trivia quiz is all about mainframe trailblazer Eleanor Kolchin. Kolchin built her career at a pivotal moment in computing, when computing machines were...
NEWS – Introducing IBM’s New SQL Tool, Virtel 4.64 now Available, and more
Bringing AI to Mainframe Data: Introducing IBM SQL Data Insights Pro Virtel 4.64 Now Available: Stronger Session Security, Enhanced Japanese Codepage Support, and Key Usability Improvements BMC Advances Trusted AI Orchestration With New Control-M Kyndryl awarded a...
❓Influential Mainframer Trivia: Bob Evans
At Planet Mainframe, April is dedicated to honoring influential mainframers past and present. This week’s quiz dives into the life and times of Bob Evans (1927–2004), who played a central role in shaping modern enterprise computing during his career at IBM. ...