Improving mainframe economics

  • Monday, 21st November 2016 Posted 8 years ago in by Phil Alsop
CA Technologies has introducced solutions that increase the value of mainframe investments with advanced analytics, increased automation, DevOps for mainframe, and security for mission essential data.

CA’s expanded mainframe portfolio includes predictive analytics capabilities for monitoring data that touches the mainframe. CA Mainframe Operations Intelligence is a new algorithms-based solution suite that identifies and predicts system issues before they impact performance. Machine-learning is applied to make sure there is no downtime and provides the intelligence that reduces the effort and skill to run data centers.

“Mainframe IT should provide insights for business growth,” said Ashok Reddy, general manager, Mainframe, CA Technologies. “CA’s portfolio has the breadth and scale to maximize mainframe value, reinforcing the role that it plays as the platform for business-critical operations and as a launch pad for innovation with DevOps and increased automation.”

The new release of CA Workload Automation makes it easier to run emerging workloads such as Big Data, Cloud and mobile applications. It securely schedules, manages and monitors cross-enterprise workloads through an intuitive web interface for ease of access and increased visibility. In fact, a major retailer that achieved 245 percent ROI over three years, saved $2.1 million in productivity after implementing CA Workload Automation.

"Our experience with CA Workload Automation has enabled us to scale our business. The upgrades are fast and easy, and each release comes with features that are valuable to our business,” said Doug Schneider, senior vice president and Chief Technology Officer, Manulife Financial and John Hancock. “We are excited about the potential the new release offers with a modern UI that will allow our team members to create, monitor and manage workloads anytime and from anywhere. The portability will be a huge factor in helping us save time and allow for engagement swiftly. We’re also looking forward to taking advantage of the new customizable dashboards, which gives App Dev, Line of Business and IT Ops visibility into their workloads.”

New automation capabilities help customers manage the entire project lifecycle of their mainframe software migration efforts. CA Conversion Service is an industry-first, cloud-based service to manage conversion efforts from data preparation to design and rollout, reducing the need for expensive professional services or staff disruptions.

Modern Development from Mobile to Mainframe

Bringing end-to-end DevOps to the mainframe — from development to test, release and manage — the new CA Release Automation Connector for z/OS supports continuous delivery and deployment, including source code management integration with market-leading CA Endevor® Software Change Manager, now enhanced to manage Java components and provide better auditing capabilities for faster delivery speed across mainframe and distributed environments.

Reducing the Cost of Compliance with Data Security on the Mainframe

Customers can address stringent data security and compliance requirements with new releases of CA Data Content Discovery and CA Compliance Event Manager. These industry-first mainframe innovations find, classify and protect sensitive and regulated data at rest and in motion, ultimately helping prevent costly data breaches and insider threats. Combined, this is the only data protection solution on the market that runs 100 percent on the mainframe and can significantly reduce risk inherent in offloading sensitive data.

By investing in mainframe innovations, CA helps companies establish and fully execute their digital transformation strategies across platforms. These solutions are part of CA’s software portfolio that gives companies the ability to sense, react and adapt to market shifts and operational needs.

According to IDC, “Mainframes still represent 10 percent of annual spending on server technology,” says Matt Eastwood, group vice president, IDC. “They remain very strong platforms for a variety of mission-critical workloads including business applications, transaction processing, and large data warehouses.”