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z/OS Security Assessments: What We Missed in 2015 vs. Today
My career has, over the nearly four years of working in this field, predominantly been comprised of RACF Administration and Engineering, interspersed with other opportunities that I foolishly volunteered myself for. Such opportunities have included writing articles,...
SQL & SQL PL Enhancements in Db2 12 and 13 — Technical Insights from the Virtual Mainframe User Group with Chris Crone
In this session of the Mainframe Virtual User Groups, Broadcom Distinguished Engineer Chris Crone provided a practical walkthrough of SQL and SQL PL enhancements across Db2 12 and Db2 13. Drawing on 35 years of experience working in Db2 internals, including SQL...
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...
NEWS – Expanded AI-Powered Data Quality, Strategic Partnerships, & more
IBM and Groq Partner to Deliver Faster Agentic AI Capabilities Precisely Expands Access to AI-Powered Data Quality with Natural Language Interfaces in the Data Integrity Suite IBM Announces Advancements to Help Enterprises Operationalize AI Mainframe Technology...
Don’t Buy More MIPS – Do This Instead
The Cost of the Wrong Choice The adage says, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” But in the world of mainframes, that’s not always true. You can often spend the same amount and still save money. For example, a 1% increase in your mainframe IT budget can yield...
Kev Milne Brings Mainframe Pen Testing to Life with open-source Gibson
In the second episode of The Mainframe Book Club, host Andrew (Andy) McCandless talks with Kev Milne, Cyber Threat Intelligence Manager at NatWest Bank, and one of the few professionals focused on mainframe penetration (pen) testing.A Platform Born from Missing Skills...
Simplifying Mainframe Security in 2025, featuring Ravi Patil ▶️
Simplifying Mainframe Security with Broadcom As hybrid IT environments expand, so do the risks. In this video, Broadcom’s mainframe security expert, Ravi Patil, Director of Cybersecurity and Compliance, breaks down how compliance, continuous monitoring, and smarter...
Mainframe Data on the Move: A Security-Centric Perspective, featuring Colin Knight
At the September Virtual Db2 User Group, we hosted Colin Knight, longtime mainframer and Db2 Systems Programming Tech Lead at NatWest. With over 40 years in the field—36 of them working with Db2—Colin cut through the hype to focus on what matters most: security when...
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Surprising Revelations from the recent Rocket Software Security Study
While at GSE UK, Planet Mainframe’s own Amanda Hendley, the Managing Editor of Planet Mainframe, interviews Phil Buckellew, President of Infrastructure Modernization at Rocket Software, and discusses the importance of mainframe security, emphasizing that while the...
Securing software products—protecting the supply chain
Earlier this year, I presented sessions at SHARE New Orleans on mainframe security, hacking, and security assessments. These spiked quite a bit of interest among attendees. In particular, a conversation kicked off with several leading mainframe-focused software...
Hybrid Cloud: The Key to Marrying Security & Modernization
As of 2023, over 72% of businesses worldwide have been affected by ransomware attacks. With new attacks seemingly every day and the cost of these attacks on the rise, companies know they can’t afford to joke around about security. Because of this, many are opting to...
How to Prevent Scary Cyberattacks with Mainframe Cyber Resiliency
Preventing ransomware attacks has become one of the top cybersecurity priorities for organizations. Mainframes are not immune to ransomware or any other cyberattack. Yes, the most secure platform on the planet that runs mission-critical applications and holds...
History of Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
For a long time, mainframes seemed like a safe room where a company’s most precious data possessions would be secure. But while mainframes still present unique challenges to bad actors, the days of mainframe impenetrability are most definitely over. Ever since the...
Who’s in charge? Controlling network traffic to enhance cyber security and compliance
With cyber security and cyber resiliency top priorities for organizations, is enough focus given to the wider network, asks Tony Amies of Vertali How can you confirm that your network access control settings are correct and are working as intended? How can you...
A CISO Profile
For those who have grown up with the internet, it’s probably hard to imagine a time when cyberattacks did not loom as an existential threat to organizations. But the role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a fairly recent invention, coming into...
Mainframe Cybersecurity: What Every Leader Needs to Know
In this short video, Ravi Patil, Director, Product Management & Strategy, explains Mainframe cybersecurity in simple terms and recommends an effective approach for protecting your company. Learn More Here
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Upcoming Events
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Virtual CICS User Group | The IT Stairway to Heaven. CICS Testing Pyramid: From Unit to Integration to Production-Like Environment
Zoom - Virtual MeetingEffective testing is essential for building robust systems. Dive deep into a structured approach to the testing pyramid for CICS applications. Using Test4z, we will demonstrate how unit tests form […]
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Virtual Db2 User Group | January 20, 2026
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Virtual IMS User Group | February 10, 2026
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Virtual CICS User Group | March 17, 2026
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IBM’s decision to discontinue support for the zPDT standalone offering threatens the mid-tier ISV market
IBM’s zPDT Decision Risks Mid-Tier ISVs and Mainframe Innovation I’ve been a passionate mainframe (System z) advocate for over 45 years and a staunch supporter of IBM and most of their decisions. However, when I received an email from IBM on 30 September 2025...
Data Integrity Award Winners, Workload Automation in Industry Report, and more
IBM Announces New Platform for Financial Institutions and Regulated Enterprises Entering the Digital Asset Economy Precisely Announces 2025 Data Integrity Award Winners Driving AI Innovation, Business Impact, and Societal Good BMC Selected as Overall Leader for...
Mainframe Artificial Intelligence Quiz
At Planet Mainframe, we’re spending the month of November focusing on AI and the mainframe. Once viewed as separate worlds, AI and IBM Z now work hand in hand to deliver real-time insights, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation across enterprise-scale...
NEWS – Granite 4.0, Free Cybersecurity Labs, and more
IBM Announces Granite 4.0 Free (Cybersecurity) Labs! Upcoming IBM Z Day Chase Card Decommissioning All Mainframe Code, with AI Assistance IBM z/OS Core Collection v1.15.0 GA ReleasedIBM Announces Granite 4.0 IBM has introduced Granite 4.0, initiating a new era for its...
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...
NEWS – Expanded AI-Powered Data Quality, Strategic Partnerships, & more
IBM and Groq Partner to Deliver Faster Agentic AI Capabilities Precisely Expands Access to AI-Powered Data Quality with Natural Language Interfaces in the Data Integrity Suite IBM Announces Advancements to Help Enterprises Operationalize AI Mainframe Technology...