Observability Month
The Backbone of Resilience: Mainframe DBAs and the Modern Db2 Experience
Enterprise systems don’t stay online by accident. Behind every seamless ATM transaction, insurance policy update, or healthcare claim processed in milliseconds, there’s a mainframe running—and behind that mainframe, a database administrator (mainframe DBA) ensuring...
Protect Your IT Investments with an Observability Strategy
With an observability strategy, businesses can quickly cut through the noise to see key actionable insights. In this episode of The Main Scoop, Greg Lotko and Daniel Newman are joined by Brett Dawson, Principal Mainframe OS Systems Programmer at Fidelity Investments,...
Cost Allocation: Maximize Your Mainframe Value
In many organizations, the mainframe is often perceived as an expensive ‘black box’. Questions about usage, costs, and impact loom large: Who is using how much capacity, when, at what cost, and for what purpose? These questions extend beyond technical concerns; they...
The Importance of Observability in Modern IT: A Comprehensive Guide
With the quick-paced advances in tech today, managing IT well is crucial. One key factor in top-notch IT plans is observability. But what does observability mean exactly in today's IT terms? How can it help people like tech bosses, DevOps techs, and other...
Mainframe Resiliency Trivia
This month at Planet Mainframe we’ve been focusing on the topic of observability and resiliency - a topic that is evergreen in a world rife with cyber-hazards. Our last trivia quiz was on observability, so we’re dedicating this week’s quiz to resiliency. In business,...
Career Resiliency
For observability and resiliency month, Amanda Hendley sat down for the Planet Mainframe podcast with Lifetime IBM Z Champion Darren Surch. Darren is the CEO of Interskill Learning, the world’s most delivered and credentialed mainframe training. Darren and Amanda took...
WatchTower Platform Overview
Watch now to learn how the WatchTower Platform™ enables you to deliver breakthrough advances in mainframe problem identification and resolution. See how WatchTower streamlines mainframe observability by ingeniously integrating operational tools, workflows, data, and...
Observations on Observability
Observability is the vehicle for delivering the next generation of tools to help us regain control. About 15 years ago, I participated in a meeting with customer IT executives to discuss their biggest challenges. I remember one of them describing difficulties in...
Latest
Join Planet Mainframe at SHARE Cleveland for Trivia, Prizes, and More
Next week, SHARE is taking over Cleveland, Ohio, and we’re bringing the party to Booth #612! If you’re going to be there, here’s what we’ve got planned: Look for these friendly faces: Amanda Hendley, Mark Wilson, and Penney Berryman Celebrating the 2025 Influential...
Mainframes and Their Rivals
For decades, mainframes have stood quietly at the heart of global enterprise computing, but they haven’t been without competition. From the rise of minicomputers to the spread of UNIX systems and the open-source movement, each wave of innovation has challenged the...
Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter Delivers z/OS Tuning, Hardware Picks, and Performance Tips
We are delighted to announce that Cheryl Watson's Tuning Letter 2025 No.2 is now available. If you haven't already subscribed, now is your chance to discover the most comprehensive body of practical and impartial z/OS, and MVS tuning and measurement advice ever...
Industry-Wide Security Event, Accelerate Mainframe Migrations, and more
IBM Announces z/OS 3.2 to Power AI-Driven, Secure Hybrid Cloud Workloads Vertali APAC brings MainTegrity® CSF to Australia Industry-Wide Security Event: Vanguard Security & Compliance 2025 Kyndryl Launches New AI-Powered Services to Accelerate Mainframe Migration...
July 2025 CICS Highlights: AI, APIs, and the Rise of Modern Mainframe
Planet Mainframe brought together thought leaders and experts to celebrate CICS's 55th birthday. From AI-infused monitoring to API turbocharging, CICS proudly proved it was anything but obsolete. Here’s what stood out and why CICS users should be excited about what’s...
Demystifying CICS COBOL Transaction Debugging with Colin Pearce
In a recent virtual user group session I had the pleasure of hosting, we explored the intricate world of CICS COBOL transaction debugging with the help of Colin Pearce—an exceptionally experienced mainframe systems programmer whose career spans over three decades,...
Mainframes in Pop Culture
We’re in the long, hot days of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and while many of us may not be on summer holidays, our Planet Mainframe Trivia Quiz is going to venture into new territory - mainframes in pop culture! Mainframes may be known for their...
The Evolution of IBM OMEGAMON for CICS: AI Insights, DB2 Correlation, and zIIP Optimization
Sign up today! CICS Virtual User Group – Tomorrow, July 29, 2025 Join us on Tuesday, July 29, for the next installment of the CICS User Group series. Colin Pearce, z/OS and CICS Systems Programmer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, will present. Register for the...
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Upcoming Events
Vanguard Security & Compliance 2025
Marriott St. Louis Airport 10700 Pear Tree Ln, St. Louis, MO, United StatesRecognizing the global need for cybersecurity education, Vanguard Security & Compliance is a premier gathering of cybersecurity professionals from around the world. VSC offers a comprehensive program that balances educational […]
Virtual Db2 User Group | September 16, 2025| Mainframes in Big Data
Zoom - Virtual MeetingMainframes in Big Data In this session, Colin Knight explores the role of mainframes—particularly Db2 for z/OS—in the evolving world of big data. Drawing on his extensive experience at NatWest, […]
Understanding SMF 98 Address Space Consumption Measurements –
Zoom - Virtual MeetingUnderstanding SMF 98 Address Space Consumption Measurements ..... September 17th ..... Sign up using this link As we have previously discussed, the SMF 98 records are still a fairly new record, […]
Essential z/OS Performance Tuning Workshop
Virtual MeetingJoin Scott Chapman in this 4-day z/OS Performance Tuning Essentials Workshop that focuses on the foundational terminology, metrics, and practices necessary to measure, understand, and improve z/OS system performance. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving performance and […]
Announcements at SHARE, Job-Ready Talent training, and more
IBM and Arivonix Announce Deep watsonx.ai Integration at SHARE Cleveland YUPRO Placement and Franklin Skills Launch SKILLSFIT™ to Deliver Job-Ready IT Talent, Filling Urgent Gaps Hitachi Vantara Recognized by GigaOm for Innovation in Object Storage Royal Cyber Unveils...
A Decade in Purple Chucks: Celebrating Planet Mainframe
When a group of mainframers started a part-time mainframe blog 10 years ago, they never imagined it would become a leading website for mainframe industry news. For over a decade, we’ve shared ideas, explored new innovations, and highlighted the people shaping the...
Join Planet Mainframe at SHARE Cleveland for Trivia, Prizes, and More
Next week, SHARE is taking over Cleveland, Ohio, and we’re bringing the party to Booth #612! If you’re going to be there, here’s what we’ve got planned: Look for these friendly faces: Amanda Hendley, Mark Wilson, and Penney Berryman Celebrating the 2025 Influential...
Mainframes and Their Rivals
For decades, mainframes have stood quietly at the heart of global enterprise computing, but they haven’t been without competition. From the rise of minicomputers to the spread of UNIX systems and the open-source movement, each wave of innovation has challenged the...
Industry-Wide Security Event, Accelerate Mainframe Migrations, and more
IBM Announces z/OS 3.2 to Power AI-Driven, Secure Hybrid Cloud Workloads Vertali APAC brings MainTegrity® CSF to Australia Industry-Wide Security Event: Vanguard Security & Compliance 2025 Kyndryl Launches New AI-Powered Services to Accelerate Mainframe Migration...
Mainframes in Pop Culture
We’re in the long, hot days of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and while many of us may not be on summer holidays, our Planet Mainframe Trivia Quiz is going to venture into new territory - mainframes in pop culture! Mainframes may be known for their...