CICS Month
CICS and AI in Practice What Is Shipping and What Matters Now
Artificial intelligence (AI)is no longer something CICS teams discuss in the abstract. In a recent Planet Mainframe CICS Virtual User Group, the AI conversation focused on three points: What is already available? What is already running in production? How is AI being...
Turning Nightly Downtime into a Competitive Advantage with VSAM File-Sharing
If you run on IBM Z, you may still stop CICS overnight so batch jobs can update VSAM files. That pause might be necessary today, but it is no longer a requirement. We will show you how to remove the trade-off between fresh data and uninterrupted access with VSAM...
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Latest
Smarter Tech Decisions: Why “and” Wins Over “or”
In technology, we often present choices as binary decisions: replace or keep, mainframe or cloud. But what if this either/or mindset is limiting our potential? This realization struck me through an unexpected source: my home security system. A Lesson in Integration...
Mainframe Security in 2025: Countering New Threats, Using AI, and Getting the Basics Right
Introduction As we moved into 2025, two trends were front of mind for many of our clients: their continued efforts to achieve a Zero Trust security stance in the face of an evolving threat landscape, and the unstoppable rise of artificial intelligence – countering the...
The “Experience Required” Paradox: Companies Can’t Fill Roles, Workers Shut Out
This article originally appeared in Forbes on February 5, 2025. Reposted with permission. Breaking into a cybersecurity career has never been easy and today it’s more competitive than ever. At the same time, there is a well-documented cybersecurity talent shortage,...
The good, the bad and the ugly: generative AI and cybersecurity
Putting the AI into mAInframe security Artificial intelligence can be as much a help as a threat: a powerful tool in the hands of either the good, the bad or the ugly. Today’s threat landscape and cybersecurity requirements are more complex and challenging than ever....
Mainframes: Silent Giants of the Digital Era
In the whirlwind of technological advancements, it's easy to overlook the foundational pillars that support our digital world. Mainframes, often perceived as relics of a bygone era, continue to play a pivotal role in orchestrating the symphony of modern data. These...
Thoughts from a Mainframe on Halloween
It was a dark and stormy night in the data center. 🌩️ The fans hummed softly, and the LEDs blinked like little ghosts in the darkness. I had experienced many Halloween nights as a mainframe, but this one was different. There was an eerie presence in the air — and it...
Defense against the dark arts — mainframe security
Mainframers who thought the mainframe was too difficult a platform to hack are few and far between these days. However, mainframes can be hacked, and they are being hacked.In terms of security, what spells, incantations, and practices should organizations employ to...
Advancing Mainframe Security with Ethical Mainframe Hacking
Written by: David Bruce Put on your hoodie and head for a darkened room! Oh. Wait. Sorry, that’s just the movie version. Despite the stereotype, hackers are real, and they’re dangerous! It’s now their full-time job and they are doing it well. In July, ransomware...
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Upcoming Events
Events
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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 Webinar Series is built for practitioners navigating complex systems, limited resources, and constantly evolving requirements. You’ll gain practical insight into how teams are improving efficiency, […]
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From Chaos to Control: Modern Mainframe Certificate Management
Content by Broadcom Mainframe Software Mainframe certificates are often managed in isolation, which creates blind spots and unnecessary risk. In this webinar, we’ll explore how a guided certificate assistant on z/OS, paired with an integrated lifecycle management approach, can streamline provisioning, automate renewals, enforce consistent policies, and deliver central visibility across your mainframe certificate estate. […]
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Virtual IMS User Group: Modernizing IMS Backup and Recovery – The Strategic Shift to Cloud Storage
Zoom - Virtual Meeting📅 July 14, 2026 🕦 11:30 AM ET As enterprise data volumes continue to grow and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, organizations are rethinking how IMS backup and recovery environments are designed, secured, and maintained. In this session, Sujata Mane of BMC Software explores the architectural and operational shift from traditional tape-based backup strategies toward […]
❓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...
❓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...