Observability Month
OpenTelemetry for End-to-End Hybrid Observability
How CA 7™ Observability with OpenTelemetry Bridges the Mainframe Data Gap for Unified Insights In today’s interconnected world, customer experience hinges on the reliability of the services. When technology fails, customers don’t hesitate to voice their frustrations...
The Hottest Articles of Summer 2024
As summer 2024 heated up, so did the conversations on Planet Mainframe. The most-read blog articles of the season weren’t puff pieces—they resonated deeply with the community. So, what made these pieces stand out? Let’s explore the common themes and why they captured...
Mainframes remain crucial to infrastructure, Big Data announcements and more
The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Mainframes — Services and Solutions report for the U.S. Public Sector The U.S. public sector continues to rely heavily on its mainframes, and a new report looks specifically at what this crucial sector is doing to keep the technology...
Mainframe News – Acquisitions and Federal Appeals
Rocket Software Closes Acquisition of OpenText’s Application Modernization and Connectivity Business Rocket Software has successfully finalized the acquisition of OpenText's Application Modernization and Connectivity (AMC) business, formerly part of Micro Focus. The...
Surveys, security and spaghetti
Mark Wilson reflects on the findings of a recent mainframe survey, explaining why security should be the number one priority, and why we need to start talking about complexity and observability. I read with interest the highlights of the Arcati Mainframe survey 2024,...
Empowering SREs: A Closer Look at Mainframe Observability
I am confident that Broadcom's WatchTower Platform™ for mainframe AIOps is poised to revolutionize the landscape for IT ops teams overseeing mainframe applications. If you're not yet acquainted with our recent announcement, WatchTower introduces a mainframe...
Podcast: The Evolution of Observability
For our latest episode of the planet mainframe podcast Amanda Hendley sat down with Paul DiMarzio at SHARE Orlando. Amanda and Paul talked about the evolution of observability, what observability means in the mainframe space, and how Broadcom’s new WatchTower platform...
Overwhelmed with Data? Empower Your IT Teams with a Smarter Observability Solution
Broadcom just introduced the WatchTower Platform™ — a mainframe observability solution that empowers enterprise customers to transition mainframe operations from reactive recovery to proactive avoidance while enhancing the visibility of mainframes in enterprise...
Latest
How Izzi Software is Flipping Technology Takeovers
In the world of enterprise software, acquisitions often follow a familiar pattern: buy, cut, flip. It’s a process driven by short-term gains that often loses the heart of a company – its people, culture, and long-term value. Izzi Software is flipping the script and...
Understanding and overcoming common CICS challenges
IT environments are increasingly complex to manage, and overburdened administrators are tasked with refining them, keeping them secure, and preventing downtime.Mainframes are critical to that infrastructure, as they process and store billions of transactions worth of...
Mainframe Skills in the Heartland: 4 Universities, 4 Days, Hundreds of Students
Mainframe Talent Is Growing: Access It Next Month Hopefully, you caught my 2024 Planet Mainframe piece on the growing mainframe curriculum at Northern Illinois University (NIU), Illinois State University (ISU), and Eastern Illinois University (EIU). Great news: it’s...
IBM Power11, SHARE Cleveland Technical Agenda, and more
IBM Introduces Power11: Purpose-Built Infrastructure for the AI Era A cornerstone of IBM’s AI strategy is building the infrastructure to support it. This month, IBM introduced IBM Power11, the latest generation of IBM Power® servers, built for the era of AI,...
How AI and Mainframes Work Together: Breaking the Legacy Myth
Artificial Intelligence Day on July 16 invites a fresh look at an evolving reality: AI and mainframes are no longer at odds. Instead, they’re allies in modern enterprise innovation. AI and Mainframes: Misconception or Modern Reality? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and...
Mainframe Security Isn’t What It Used to Be – How CICS and LE Are Fighting Back
This article updates a 2022 piece in Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter, “LE Non-Executable HEAPS and CICS User Experiences” by Mario Bezzi. Current Tuning Letter subscribers can read the original article online. Think your mainframe is immune to modern cyber threats?...
CICS Month Trivia
It’s CICS month at Planet Mainframe! That means we’ll spend some time this month exploring the system that’s been the bedrock of enterprise transaction processing since the 1960s. CICS grew out of the idea of Ben Riggens, an IBM systems engineer working at Virginia...
Modernizing CICS APIs with z/OS Connect: Fast, Simple, and Code-Light
Mainframe teams need faster, easier ways to modernize COBOL applications. With IBM z/OS Connect 3.0.88, exposing CICS services as REST APIs is now simpler, faster, and less complex than traditional CICS web services.Whether you're building mobile apps, partner...
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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 […]
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...
IBM Power11, SHARE Cleveland Technical Agenda, and more
IBM Introduces Power11: Purpose-Built Infrastructure for the AI Era A cornerstone of IBM’s AI strategy is building the infrastructure to support it. This month, IBM introduced IBM Power11, the latest generation of IBM Power® servers, built for the era of AI,...