Where I Started:
My mainframe journey began at Broadcom, where I joined the WatchTower R&D team to build AI model–driven observability solutions. Our goal was to monitor mainframe system health efficiently. Before this role, I had encountered mainframes in the airline domain, where they managed massive volumes of shopping requests reliably, and that experience gave me an early appreciation for how consistently these systems power critical operations behind the scenes.

What I Learned:
Working on WatchTower deepened my understanding of how essential mainframe systems are to continuous business operations. The scale, performance, and resilience they deliver inspired me to learn even more about mainframe technology. That curiosity later led me to work directly with core mainframe systems, running REST APIs on z/OS and securing them with API/ML.

My Best Tip:
Here’s the piece of advice I always share:

Let go of the myth that mainframe workloads are destined to move entirely to the cloud. Instead, focus on understanding what the mainframe offers today—handling trillions of transactions daily with unmatched reliability and performance.

How You Can Apply It:

1. Understand the value – Learn why mainframes remain essential and explore the industries and workloads they power.

2. Start with the basics – Use resources like IBM Interskill to get a strong foundation, and connect what you learn with distributed systems you may already know.

3. Bridge the two worlds – Explore how mainframes and modern cloud environments can complement each other, creating powerful hybrid solutions across financial, automotive, airline, healthcare, and insurance sectors.

The Impact:
By following this approach, I’ve been able to modernize systems effectively—leveraging contemporary architectures while optimizing mainframe strengths for long-term value.

Encouragement for Others:
You don’t need to master everything from day one. Start where you are, stay curious, and connect with the IBM Z community. Growth in this space is continuous and incredibly rewarding.