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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Exploring 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 […]
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 […]
ArticlesTrend Watch: Security
March 27, 2017
This is the sixth 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 by looking at the interesting and complex topic of security. z/OS Security When someone says “mainframe security” you probably think RACF. However, if you […]
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 […]