Client Communications Newsletter

October 2024

Welcome to the October Edition of the IBM Z and LinuxONE Client Communications Newsletter. We are excited to bring you the latest updates and announcements including IBM watsonx Assistant for Z v2, IBM Z Day taking place TODAY, the newest installment of our Actionable Steps to Fortify Your Mainframe Posture series, and many great in-person and virtual events. Continue reading to maximize your investment in IBM Z and LinuxONE platforms.

Announcements

• IBM watsonx Assistant for Z v2 is NOW AVAILABLE.
  
  • Version 2 now offers clients increased flexibility, with the ability to ingest their enterprise documentation for a more personalized experience. Learn more.
• IBM Threat Detection for z/OS is NOW AVAILABLE.
  
  • IBM TDz is an AI software solution that identifies anomalies in data access that might indicate a potential cyberattack. Learn more.

IBM Z Day

IBM Z Day is a free 1-day enterprise computing virtual conference for anyone and everyone taking place OCTOBER 1 from 8 AM to 4 PM! 

IBM Z Day's signature experience will showcase how you can unleash the scale of AI with the power of IBM Z. Hear the latest about IBM Z and LinuxONE, and join over 250 industry expert speakers and global thought leaders who will highlight industry trends and innovation spanning AI, Hybrid Cloud, Quantum-Safe Security, and more!

Customize your experience and find sessions that align with your interests with over 250 industry expert speakers and 6 content-rich technical tracks: IBM Z, AI & Data, App Modernization, Security, IBM Z Skills Acceleration, and Academic Symposium. Plus the opportunity to earn up to 3 IBM Z Day Knowledge Certificates!

Don't miss out on all this free, virtual conference has to offer! REGISTER NOW.

Tech Corner

Actionable Steps to Fortify Your Mainframe Posture

Part 3: Technology Integration Framework

Explore an approach where different technologies or components within an IT system are integrated to complement each other's strengths, enhance overall performance, and achieve impossible synergies with isolated or standalone systems.

A great example of implementing a technology integration framework includes an approach that many companies are using to drive successful integration between their multiple platforms. Many companies are achieving great cost savings by creating a fully automated CI/CD pipeline. A fully automated CI/CD pipeline streamlines software delivery, reduces human error, accelerates deployment times, improves collaboration, and enables teams to focus on higher-value tasks. 

Many cloud programs tout the enhanced DevOps environment, so why not extend those highly touted capabilities to your IBM Z platform? A leading repository and integration point company, GitLab, suggests that a "CI/CD is crucial because it automates the software development process, from coding through deployment. This automation means teams can release new features and fixes faster and more frequently, enhancing the product's responsiveness to user needs."

CI/CD can automate much of the manual processes traditionally needed to get code from commit into production. The CI/CD process encompasses build, test, deploy, and provisioning instances. When DevOps teams make changes to their code, it's automatically tested and pushed out for delivery and deployment, reducing possible downtime while streamlining the release phase. Another benefit alongside DevOps automation that a fully automated CI/CD pipeline brings is a more reliable, understandable, and usable feedback loop to drive a more efficient DevOps posture. 

A value play for companies with a hybrid cloud architecture is combining this fully automated CI/CD DevOps pipeline to function the same for any platform, including their IBM Z, other on-premises architectures, and cloud architectures. 

An approachable first step toward integrating the processes of multiple architectures is using GitLab's extension of their Source Code Management solution. Take a look here to set up a GitLab runner to integrate z/OS platforms into your current GitLab CI/CD pipelines. The attached white paper proposes sample configurations to implement pipelines with GitLab CI/CD features and extend them with IBM Z DevOps capabilities.    

Upcoming Events

In-person Event