It’s no secret that many enterprises are already heavily invested in their mainframe environments. Legacy systems are associated with millions of dollars of sunk costs. Financially-minded teams are keen to ensure legacy investments maximize returns. After all, getting value out of the mainframe is harder these days. Assets can be difficult to access thanks to … Continued
Mainframes are the scapegoat when companies are trying to modernize their business processes. C-level executives often think simply ripping and replacing these legacy systems will solve all their problems and create a clear path to innovation. However, legacy applications are often custom-written for the company’s specific business needs and replacing them proves to be difficult, … Continued
Like clockwork, an exaggerated report of the mainframe’s inevitable demise will crop up from time to time. Detractors like to talk about the Z-machine like a dinosaur headed for extinction. So, why do hundreds of companies keep their mainframes year after year? As with anything, it’s a complicated answer. Many companies are afraid to touch … Continued
It’s business as usual during COVID-19 for this government agency. As the largest U.S. municipal public employee retirement system, one agency has substantial technology needs all year long, let alone during a pandemic. The agency assists more than 350,000 workers from both civilian and uniformed vocations, administers pension benefits, and offers a variety of financial … Continued
A simple way to buy and manage enterprise software, with automated deployment to the cloud We’re excited to announce GT Software’s mainframe integration software, Ivory, was invited to be one of the first products available through Red Hat Marketplace. Red Hat’s new, open cloud marketplace makes it easier to discover and access certified software for container-based … Continued
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe and within the U.S., the programming language COBOL has been thrust into the national spotlight. State and government systems have been inundated with unemployment claims, and these systems, which are written in COBOL, are unfortunately buckling under the pressure. However, COBOL may not be entirely to blame. … Continued
With €500B in assets, €10B in revenue, this European bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the world. The global player aimed high when they set out to become the first bank in France to execute a real-time payment (RTP). After all, this banking giant prides themselves on superior customer satisfaction, even crediting … Continued
The recent surge in unemployment claims due to COVID-19 is overwhelming many state systems with the unexpected volume. Adding to the stress of an unprecedented number of claims, many of these systems are based on the computer language COBOL, which was written in the 1950s and is no longer a major focus in computer science … Continued
When the economy is booming, companies aren’t as focused on cost cutting measures as they could be. Cost optimization and organizational efficiency may not be top of mind when the economy is at its peak. The truth is that many companies simply do not prepare for unfortunate circumstances, while best practices suggest having a plan … Continued
These days, you can get same-day delivery, immediately post your thoughts and pictures on social media, and reach out to friends and family with a quick text. However, when it comes to your money, it can take days for funds to show up in your account. Fortunately, the Federal Reserve is looking to change that. … Continued
Mainframe applications built decades ago had no concept of online transactions triggered by a REST or SOAP API request. The focus was on a computerized workflow via an interactive dialog, with an end user sitting at a dumb terminal that supported specific business processes (e.g., create a new customer account or pay an insurance claim). … Continued
Agile is widely considered the gold standard of modern software development methodology. Since it can help teams deliver products and value more quickly and with higher quality, it should be no surprise that nearly all modern development incorporates at least some Agile principles. But Agile’s iterative approach can be extremely challenging if the technology environment … Continued
Instantly transferring money amongst friends is easy thanks to the abundance of mobile payment services like Venmo or Zelle. Now, the Federal Reserve is getting in on the action. The Fed announced that it is developing a real-time payment service called FedNow Service, which is an around-the-clock payment and settlement service that will support faster … Continued
In today’s fast-paced world, we expect instantaneous results. This has contributed to the belief that all transactions are handled immediately. But it’s not just about customer expectations. Fraud, terrorism, and money laundering are areas where a delay in identification can be disastrous. To avoid these negative consequences, organizations must convert traditional batch validation processes-which can … Continued
Despite the tangible benefits for organizations of investing in and modernizing their mainframe platform, as can be expected, organizations do reassess the value of their mainframe platforms and consider using more distributed infrastructure. This is based on the findings of a study by IDC called “The Business Value of the Connected Mainframe for Digital Transformation.” … Continued
When talking about new application development, both APIs and Microservices are often mentioned. But what exactly are the differences between the two and which one should you be using when integrating mainframe applications? Don Spoerke, GT Software’s Director of Product Evangelism, leads an informative discussion around these topics in our recent “APIs, Microservices, and Mainframe … Continued
The recently announced merger between BB&T and SunTrust is all about achieving scale in order to compete, something that is often driven by technological innovation. According to the The Wall Street Journal: “Regional lenders are struggling to compete with big national banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp, which are … Continued
Thanksgiving is here, development teams are winding down and freezing their code, and thoughts are moving towards the holidays (turkey and mashed potatoes), not mashups. Interestingly enough, the two have more in common than you might think. The original Thanksgiving feast, and even the modern day feast, is a combination of whatever’s available, different ingredients, … Continued
The API model has definitely become a major consideration for a growing number of companies across the world. As discussed previously, the API approach has particular attractions for mainframe users. However, past attempts at mainframe integration have typically run into a range of problems, and today there is a much greater understanding of the mainframe-specific … Continued
The idea of integrating the mainframe more widely is not new; it has gone through numerous iterations including messaging middleware, ESBs and SOA before arriving at APIs. The lessons learned can drastically shortcut the effort to API-enable the mainframe while increasing the likelihood of a successful project. There are four main categories of technology-related factors … Continued
The old and new worlds of information technology collided at the SHARE mainframe conference in Atlanta this week. Founded in 1955, SHARE bills itself as the oldest enterprise IT-centric user group on the planet – and from the buzz at the conference, many of the vendors as well as attendees have been in attendance for … Continued