Latest Articles
How to Tell Your Mom about the Mainframe
So what is a mainframe? The answer to that question might, at first glance, seem to be obvious to some of us who have worked with mainframe systems our entire career. But have you ever really tried to step back and think about the question? What if your Mother asked...
The Mainframe Dilemma: Coping With an Aging Workforce
A continuing, lingering perception that the mainframe is dead continues on in some parts of the IT industry. It seems that we constantly hear about IT shops that are planning to get rid of their mainframes. But rarely do we ever hear about it after the fact. No, it is...
Keeping mainframe up-to-date
How can you make sure that your mainframe staff stay up-to-date with the latest ideas in the mainframe world? The answer is to make sure they have access to magazines, newsletters, user groups, and social media. There are still printed mainframe-related publications...
Part 4: The four hallmarks of an effective CIO: Ability
Three weeks ago here on Planet Mainframe I introduced the idea that a CIO must excel in 4 areas: Alignment, Architecture, Agility and Ability. Over the last weeks we had a close look at IT Alignment, Architecture and Agility. This week we wrap up visiting IT Ability....
The news seems to be bad for Mainframes as an industry.
People are searching for the term progressively less over the years: www.google.com/trends/ IBM is close to underperforming the S&P 500 for the first time in a decade: www.google.com/finance However, there are early signs that the continued rise of the mobile...
Part 3: The four hallmarks of an effective CIO: Agility
Two weeks ago here on Planet Mainframe I introduced the idea that a CIO must excel in 4 areas: Alignment, Architecture, Agility and Ability, and we looked closely at Alignment. Last week we had a close look at what Architecture in IT is all about. This week we have a...
Three things I would start doing today to help me save IT budget for tomorrow
I am lucky enough in my job to get opportunities to meet with some pretty senior people in the IT industry from the Fortune 500. Saving money is a funny thing to talk about at times. It seems like it is an obvious thing. Surely the best companies in the world must...
Part 2: The four hallmarks of an effective CIO: Architecture
Last week here on Planet Mainframe I introduced the idea that a CIO must excel in 4 areas: Alignment, Architecture, Agility and Ability, and we looked closely at Alignment. This week we have a closer look at what Architecture in IT is all about. 2. Architecture...
Complexities for the Mainframe CIO in Today’s IT Landscape
The Modern Challenge to Run, Grow and Transform Business As the role relates to business, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a fairly modern position—adding to the growing stable of C-level executive job titles—that has been created through necessity as IT...
Part I: The four hallmarks of an effective CIO
Self-driving cars; thermostats that learn your habits; expert systems that help diagnose and treat cancer; smartphones replacing credit cards…and on and on! Technology is becoming more and more important to organizations, no matter what they make or do. Which means an...
