Security Month
Presented by Vertali
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...
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...
Security Month
Presented by Vertali
How Important is your Db2 Data—(Mainframe Modernization from a Data Security viewpoint)
When talking about Mainframe Modernization, we usually discuss DevOps, Zowe, APIs, Java, Python, etc. But how often does anyone discuss how your security posture needs to be modernized? Do terms like ‘least privilege’ and ‘zero trust’ mean anything to your...
Cyber Security Awareness Trivia
October is Cyber Security Awareness month at Planet Mainframe, so over here at Trivia Challenge we’ll be focusing our trivia topics on the ever-evolving topic of mainframes and cybersecurity. Mainframes have long been the backbone of critical industries, particularly...
Fortify Your Legacy Systems
A Digitalised State We live in a hyperconnected cyberworld driven by AI and machine learning. The age of digitalisation influences how we behave. In this world, it is all too easy for states, corporations, or criminals to overreach and access information they should...
Ransomware isn’t really a problem, is it?
Even the news channels don’t make a big deal about cyberattacks these days. It’s happening all the time. It’s incredible how many people don’t recognize that there is a war going on right now between hackers and organizations with any kind of IT hardware. And when I...
The Mainframe is Not Secure
October is cybersecurity awareness month, and Planet Mainframe is kicking it off with interview insights from Mark Wilson, Technical Director at mainframe services company Vertali and Conference Manager for GSE UK. "Is the mainframe secure? No. But it is...
Get ready for DORA
In my last article about ransomware, I mentioned how important it was for chief financial officers (CFOs) to ensure that the IT in their organizations was as secure as possible—particularly now that attacks can come from artificial intelligence (AI) bots that could be...
Understanding Downtime – Quantifying the Impact of Mainframe Outages and the Value of Observability
No matter what your business is, chances are good that at least part of it is completed online. Whether that is records management, payroll, or customer purchases, the online portion of your business is most likely a very critical component of overall success. That is...
What You Said – (ClownStrike) CloudStrike
According to The Guardian, the Crowdstrike outage crashed an estimated 1% of all Windows PCs worldwide—or about 8.5 million—and is estimated to have cost the US Fortune 500 USD $5 billion. We asked you, Planet Mainframe readers, to share your thoughts on the...
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Upcoming Events
Events
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The Enterprise AI Reality Check: Trust, Security, and Operational Intelligence
FeaturedAI has captured the attention of virtually every enterprise. Yet many organizations continue to struggle with a critical question: Can AI be trusted to make recommendations in complex, mission-critical mainframe […]
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Workload Automation (CA 7 & ESP) User Group Workshops & Event
Register now for the Workload Automation (CA 7 & ESP) User Group Workshops & Event Night October 19, 2026 | Plano, Texas We are excited to announce WLA (CA 7 […]
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North American Mainframe Technical Exchange – Plano, Texas – October 20 – 22, 2026
Virtual MeetingSave the Date! Learn more about the North American and Virtual Mainframe Technical Exchanges here.
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Virtual Db2 User Group | Safeguarding Your Data: A Comprehensive Guide to DB2 for z/OS Security Exit Routines
Zoom - Virtual MeetingThis session explores DB2 for z/OS Security Exit Routines and their role in strengthening enterprise data protection and access control strategies. Attendees will gain insight into how security exit routines […]
Mainframe Jargon Challenge
Every technical field develops its own language, and the mainframe world is no exception. Whether we’re talking about the alphabet soup of multi-letter acronyms or terms that have been part of the platform for decades, mainframe jargon serves as a kind of shorthand...
AI Ranked as Top Priority, Lightwell at No Cost to Universities, and more
Rocket Software Study Reveals 94% of Financial Services Leaders Rank AI as a Top IT Priority IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average IBM and Red Hat Offer Lightwell at No Cost to Universities, NGOs and Think...
❓Mainframes at the Movies
With summer blockbuster season upon us, it’s time to turn our attention away from the workaday world of the datacenter to its fictional representation. Mainframes have made memorable appearances on both the big and small screen for decades—sometimes portrayed as...
Izzi Software Launches Z/XDC on Visual Studio Code to Speed Adoption and Boost Mainframe Debugging for the Future
New expansion to top debugging now available, integrating seamlessly into existing workflows and supporting young programmers by improving accessibility MINNEAPOLIS, August 3, 2026 — Izzi Software, owner of ColeSoft, the leading provider of debugging solutions for IBM...
What to Expect at SHARE Pittsburgh
With SHARE Pittsburgh approaching, SHARE President Art Gutowski joined Planet Mainframe to talk about what attendees can expect—and why the conference remains valuable for both newcomers and longtime mainframe professionals. Gutowski is nearing the end of his...
Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility, SHARE Pittsburgh 2026, and more
BMC Brings Governed AI Agents to Enterprise Workflows and Mainframe Operations Precisely Delivers Real-Time Mainframe Software Visibility to the ServiceNow AI Platform IBM Reports Infrastructure Revenue Down 7 Percent SHARE Pittsburgh 2026BMC Brings Governed AI Agents...