IBM Machine Learning for z/OS Gives Clients the Tools to Make Better, Faster Decisions
July 5, 2017
A customer seeks a home-improvement loan to accommodate her growing home-based business. The bank’s loan officer looks at her credit score. It’s not bad, but it also suggests there’s a high probability she won’t be able to pay back the loan. The loan officer says as much to his manager. Not long thereafter, his boss […]
ArticlesKeeping IBM Machine Learning on z/OS Next to the Data Enhances Analytics
July 5, 2017
Machine learning isn’t some sort of sci-fi-y attempt to make mechanical overlords. Rather, it’s a method by which users can train computers to recognize and even predict patterns in data and, based on machine-learning models, help them make better decisions based on historical, recent and up-to-the-minute information—no matter the format. Machine learning represents an acute […]
ArticlesGet Started With CICS Performance and Tuning
July 5, 2017
This article begins with focus on mainframe CICS but as it progresses, the focus shifts to CICS on all platforms, a progression that matches the product’s development. While techniques discussed are initially mainframe-based and oriented to CICS Transaction Server (TS), most principles and concepts apply to all processing platforms; syntax, parameters and implementation specifics may […]
ArticlesBankwest Modernizes Its Mainframe Integration Environment
July 5, 2017
UP CLOSE Customer: Bankwest Headquarters: Perth, Australia Business: Retail and business banking services Challenge: Reducing complexity between front- and back-end banking platforms Solution: Taking advantage of Java on the mainframe to reduce reliance on traditional middleware Hardware: An IBM z Systems zEnterprise BC12 Software: IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty, Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) applications, […]
ArticlesHAL 9000. Samantha. KITT. Alexa. Siri. Bixby. Watson.
July 5, 2017
Movies, TV and companies have made artificial intelligence (AI) humanistic with catchy names, appealing voices and unique personalities. You have probably experienced AI via a virtual assistant, seen a Google self-driving car on the road or even implemented an IBM Watson* project in your organization. You’ve probably also heard the terms machine learning, deep learning […]
ArticlesHow does z/OS data set encryption differentiate itself from other types of encryption for data at rest?
July 3, 2017
As clients begin their journey with pervasive encryption, they consider how best to protect their data in order to satisfy regulatory compliances and avoid potential data breaches. They often wonder how data set encryption differentiates itself from other types of encryption for data at rest, specifically hardware-level encryption. Understanding the value of each type of […]
Articles9th Annual Enterprise Computing Community Conference
June 26, 2017
Two weeks ago, I attended the 9th annual Enterprise Computing Community (ECC) conference hosted by Marist College with collaboration and support from academic and industry partners and sponsors. This year’s conference was Sunday, June 11, to Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Revitalizing Undergraduate Education in Enterprise Computing ECC was formed because of a National Science Foundation […]
ArticlesAnthony English
June 22, 2017
Name: Anthony English Title: CEO Company Name: IT Down Under Company’s Function: Marketing for IT service providers HQ: Sydney Years in IT: 27 The biggest challenge our data center is facing today is silos. Businesses are struggling to get integration between applications. The next big thing for my business will be showing small business owners […]
ArticlesPromoting IBM i—Buzzwords & Hot Buttons
June 19, 2017
Each organization, and in fact each executive within an organization, typically has some specific issues which concern them more than others.
ArticlesExploring DevOps Process and Tools
June 19, 2017
In last week’s post, “Exploring Enterprise DevOps,” I wrote that it’s often useful to look at DevOps solutions that IT companies are promoting and intuit the problems that they are addressing. I listed four main areas centered on modernization, testing, speed, risk and language. These include: Discover, understand and analyze enterprise application logic to modernize […]
ArticlesJohn Ehrman on the Value of Assembler
June 19, 2017
Reg Harbeck talks with John Ehrman on his 50th anniversary as a SHARE volunteer about his path to the mainframe and his Assembler expertise. Listen to the interview via the orange play button or read the transcript below. Reg Harbeck: Hi, I'm Reg Harbeck and I'm here at SHARE in San Jose with Dr. John […]
ArticlesTake a Holistic View
June 19, 2017
If your enterprise system has gotten more complex over the last few years, with new applications and users, it may be time to revisit your hardware configuration to optimize performance. Companies benefit when they practice taking a holistic view of enterprise systems every two years or so, says Jaqui Lynch, a solutions architect and independent […]
ArticlesLet’s Learn About Ublu
June 16, 2017
Have you heard about Ublu? It’s a programming language created specifically for IBM i tasks.
ArticlesUnderstanding and Tuning CPU Throughput
June 14, 2017
Few topics related to AIX performance analysis and tuning are more misunderstood than CPU throughput: how databases, applications, middleware and utilities use CPUs in an IBM Power Systems environment. What follows is a basic primer on determining CPU throughput and usage in your AIX systems. By combining this knowledge with performance statistics, you can tune […]
ArticlesPromoting IBM i—Triggering Events
June 13, 2017
Before a company launches a platform evaluation, there are often signs, which, if you recognize them, would allow you some time to prepare.
ArticlesSmart Buildings Need Smart Grid’s Demand-Side Management to Ensure Sustainability
June 13, 2017
Imagine a city with smart buildings and smart technologies that leverage cloud-enabled, automated metering infrastructure (AMI) platforms deployed by utilities to not only remotely monitor and optimize the building’s energy usage, but also connect with the utility’s backend systems for cost-effective procurement of electricity. This is starting to happen to enable cities to not only […]
ArticlesExploring Enterprise DevOps
June 12, 2017
This week, I am starting a two-part series on enterprise DevOps. Let me begin with the term enterprise then I’ll move on to DevOps. Enterprise Meant Mainframe To many of us, enterprise means mainframe. It wasn’t always that way but when mainframes became an out-of-favor platform in the 1990s, we started using the more indirect […]
ArticlesChanging Development and Operating Ideas in IT
June 5, 2017
This week, I’ll finish up this three-part series by exploring application software development and groups that run the software within a company. This area of IT has undergone a significant amount of growth and change over the years due to the enormous success of computer use in business. The Way It Was Not long ago, […]
ArticlesDavid Cutaia
June 5, 2017
Name: David Cutaia Title: Domino and IBM i system adminstrator, RPG programmer Company Name: Brown & Bigelow Inc. Company’s Function: Promotional material distributor HQ: St. Paul, Minnesota Years in IT: 27 The biggest challenge our data center is facing today is keeping up with the never-ending changes to technology and infrastructure. The next big […]
ArticlesThe Future Becomes Reality
June 2, 2017
Imagine being able to look at a car’s engine—almost as if you had X-ray vision—without lifting the hood. Or asking a handheld device how you can fix an oil leak even if you have no idea what you’re doing. Now extrapolate that to jet engines or oilrigs, the complexities of which can be mind-boggling to […]
ArticlesUnintended Emissions
June 2, 2017
Natural gas is considered by many to be a cleaner energy source. The downside to natural gas is the methane that is a primary component. If it leaks into the air—estimates suggest approximately 1-2 percent leakage is common at production sites—it absorbs the sun’s heat and warms the Earth’s atmosphere. Methane is estimated to be […]
ArticlesIBM Lab Services Helps Clients Stay Vigilant Against Data Hackers
June 1, 2017
In July 2015, an operator noticed some heavy UNIX* System Service (USS) activity that seemed highly suspicious. Some scripts were sending spam messages all over the world from the client’s mainframe. The client called IBM Systems Lab Services for z Systems* and LinuxONE*, and the Lab Services team sprang into action. The team of highly […]
ArticlesCICS TS Performance and Tuning: A Rich Tradition
June 1, 2017
It may sound geeky, but one of my favorite discussion topics—usually limited to a client’s system programmers and sometimes manager—is CICS Transaction Server (TS) performance and tuning. Sysprog is a group I’m very comfortable with, because there aren’t a lot of times I can share an acronym-laden conversation with a bunch of enthusiastic groupies passionate […]
ArticlesFrom Military to Mainframe
June 1, 2017
Working as a z/OS* systems programmer on an infrastructure team is not quite the role Torrie McLaughlin once envisioned for her career. But both the job and the journey that led her to it are rewarding. “I get a big kick out of knowing that the system I work on every day is the backbone […]
ArticlesModernize Environment and Applications to Stay Competitive
June 1, 2017
It’s official: The online customer experience is driving revenue significantly in both directions. Businesses and consumers are becoming merciless as they demand clear, clean, seamless transactions in real time. This trend is measurable. A leading search engine calculates average loading time for a mobile site at 19 seconds—and says reducing that time to five seconds […]