Keeping 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
From 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 […]
ArticlesDevelopment Methods and Architectural Styles
May 1, 2017
This is the first in a series on how applications are developed, with a focus on development methods and architectural styles that are gaining in significance. Methods aren’t the same as styles and some pairings work well together. This discussion starts with a bit of history. Development Methods or Philosophies Computer applications have been developed […]
ArticlesWhy Organizations Should Reconsider Their Current Chargeback Systems
April 1, 2017
Imagine Mary, Fred and George are gathered for a budget meeting with Ellen, their company’s CIO, to discuss another budget shortfall. Ellen asks, “What caused this million-dollar shortfall?” George says, “We think it’s related to the decision by accounting to shift one of their major workloads from our Power Systems* platforms to our VMware tower. […]
ArticlesTrend Watch: Open-Source Software
March 20, 2017
This is the fifth post in a multi-part series with a focus on trends that are interesting and important, specifically in enterprise computing. In this post, I’ll continue my point-in-time analysis of trends, this time looking at open-source software. Open-source software with mainframes is not an uncommon pairing. If in your everyday job you work […]
PodcastsBarry Schrager Looks at the State of Mainframes
March 20, 2017
Reg Harbeck talks with Barry Schrager who recounts his career and explains what’s missing among today's mainframe operators and administrators. Listen to the interview via the orange play button or read the transcript below. Reg: Hello. This is Reg Harbeck and I'm here today with Barry Schrager, who is the author of ACF2 and the […]