Two great machines.  One common “why”. A number of years ago I owned a Harley-Davidson® Fatboy®.  The motorcycle looked and ran great.  It suited me and did everything it needed it to do.  After owning it for a while, reading up on performance mods and relenting to some peer pressure, I decided to “upgrade” the motorcycle. In theory it all seemed like a good idea.  That is where the good ended.  After changing one component I was forced to change another, then another, and another.  Before I knew it I had spent a lot of time and money.  The truth ..read more

Free mainframe education.  Are they going over the top down under? In July 2018, an IT news site in Australia reported that mainframe education provider, Column 72, had launched a trainee program in Canberra that provides free education for students pursuing a degree in mainframe technology.  Their hopes are to make a career in Mainframes more attractive to students.  According to the article, financing for the program is being underwritten by government agencies and banks in Australia that are admittedly starved for IBM Z mainframe specialists.  Students that meet th ..read more

The newest mainframe from IBM boasts powerful specs, but so does its’ predecessor. The z14, IBM’s newest large system mainframe, is a work of technological art that makes blockchains seem en vogue.   However, a shiny new flagship isn’t always viable for organizations looking to add a mainframe or replace a mainframe.  Additionally, IBM itself promotes similar features that are shared with the z14 mainframe, including pervasive encryption and secure cloud scalability.  So let’s take a real world look at the pros, cons, and alternatives to IBM’s newest flagship mainframe. Pr ..read more

KPIs are being widely ignored as mainframe usage grows Recently, Compuware’s CEO published an article about a study done by their firm that cements the truths that many of us in the mainframe community have long suspected.  Mainframe usage is going up.  Mainframe staffing is dwindling. The Compuware study uncovered several significant facts: Companies that run most of their critical applications will continue to increase that usage by 7% over the next year. A significant 72% of customer-facing applications use mainframe technology. A meager 37% of the mainframe workforce ..read more

The relationship with Simon Systems Before delving into the AI-ISS-mainframe connection, it needs to be clarified that CIMON, pronounced “Simon”, is not a brainchild offspring of an IBM-Simon Systems relationship.  Only the phonetic of the name is shared.  However, CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion) may be a nod to one of the widely recognized founders of AI, Herbert Simon, a logic theorist. AI powered by z Systems is the future of the mainframe Most of the top banks, airlines, and other large organizations that process sensitive or robust data use z System mainframes.&n ..read more

Copyright 2005 Paul W Shaffer, University of Pennsylvania. As IBM unleashes AI on willing human debaters, we take a moment to pause and reflect on the humble beginnings of machine versus man. There was once a time when we could out-think the machine, but that was a long time ago and extremely short-lived.  Today, most would never believe that the first computer was born in an Iowan lab nearly a lifetime ago, half a continent away from today’s Silicon Valley.  Thankfully, the Computer Museum has created an illustrative and comprehensive timeline that documents the history of to ..read more

The primary mainframe market is dependent on a healthy secondary market. We exist in an economy that is dependent on secondary markets.  Whether it is the resale of your home or a collectible Atari console on Ebay, the secondary market is not only a staple in our economy, it is in the driver’s seat.   Looking at the largest secondary market, housing, we see the secondary market is selling nearly twelve times as many homes as the primary market.  This same market dependence applies to business-class technology, including mainframes. New mainframe sales represent a ..read more

IBM gives us a fun, high-speed video that shows their techs assembling the new IBM Z. Over 12 Billion transactions daily, pervasive encryption, and scalability that is ready for the cloud. The IBM Z is powering the future of the mainframe industry.  read more Affordable and scalable solutions are available today. The post Assembling the new IBM Z appeared first on Simon Systems ..read more

IBM z14 3906 IBM z14 machine type 3906, provides a scalable, highly available platform that delivers differentiated value to enable business growth, reduce cost, and protect existing investments. The IBM z14 platform provides the hardware infrastructure, in a balanced system design, with the encryption capabilities that now make it possible to create a fortified perimeter around critical business data. z14 provides the infrastructure to meet the demands of a digital business. z14 continues in the same footprint as its predecessor z13, 42u in height with a 38u height reduction. It runs at 5.2 ..read more

IBM z14 ZR1 The newest member of the IBM z14 product portfolio, the new z14 Model ZR1 can be ordered with four CPC drawer options, Max4, Max12, Max24 and Max30. The z14 ZR1 delivers high-reliability, high-speed functions in a smaller, industry-standard 19 inch frame, that easily partners with other platforms in a cloud data center. As part of the IBM Z portfolio, the z14 Model ZR1 provides a highly available platform that delivers differentiated value, designed to enable business growth, reduce cost, and protect existing investments. Depending on the configuration the z14 ZR1 will support up ..read more