Mainframe Automation and Innovation
Extend the limits of your mainframe with on-platform innovation.
Build legacy platforms with modern capabilities
There’s a pressure in IT organizations to choose between two worlds: mainframe and cloud. Both technologies have evolved by leaps and bounds in recent years, making each a viable route for many companies. The problem for many is legacy.
While cloud is where most cutting edge innovation happens, mainframes are where many company’s core business intelligence and data live. There is a significant amount of history, capital, and institutional knowledge housed in these legacy mainframes, making full migration a tricky proposition. The problem is that these legacy platforms become unstable over time. Key staff leave the company. Technology becomes obsolete, and security holes widen. It’s at those times when companies need to expand beyond legacy mainframe to secure the future of their IT organization.
Many look to the cloud. But migration isn’t the only option. Instead of picking between cloud or mainframe, a Modern, Cloud-Connected Mainframe can bring the benefits of the cloud to organizations’ legacy applications.
They can do that by modernizing and innovating on the mainframe itself by tapping into modern applications, coding languages, and cloud integrations.
As with any technology, the choice between mainframe, cloud, or hybrid should be informed by the suitability of that IT estate to the company’s business needs and opportunities. Flexibility and expertise are key here. Companies need choice in where and how they innovate, and they need the ability to lean in and pull back where it makes sense. They also need a partner who knows how to adapt the innovation roadmap to the company’s unique situation and goals.
3 mainframe automation tools and services to drive on-platform innovation
Ensono has three core mainframe automation tools and innovation services that provide this flexibility and expertise.
Modern mainframe capability development
There are restrictions to what can and can’t be developed on a mainframe. Automation is one key example. This is where a modern, platform-agnostic approach to mainframe application development can pay dividends.
Ensono’s Python Development Toolkit is one such approach. This lets companies leverage modern optimization solutions to improve efficiency, accuracy, and security across critical business processes on the mainframe.
The Toolkit uses Python and IBM Open Automation Utilities for Z (z/OAU) to unlock cutting edge development capabilities previously unavailable on this mainframe. The result is the ability to bring automation to legacy mainframe processes, and consume and analyze data through the hybrid cloud environment.
Mainframe integration and interface services
Innovating on the mainframe means being able to integrate and interface data and processes from cloud and hybrid applications. This allows companies to extend the capacity of capability of their existing mainframe, and unlock key performance gains afforded by the cloud.
Ensono’s mainframe integration tool of choice is IBM z/OS Connect. This provides the capabilities and infrastructure needed to allow modern cloud applications to access mainframe systems and data using standard REST APIs.
Fast and reliable integrations between mainframes and cloud afford numerous benefits. Data is easy to access and consume by mission critical staff, without having to balloon costs by building a needlessly complex tech stack. And thanks to advanced API integrations, that data is also safe and secure at rest, and in flight.
Mainframe data management with hybrid cloud
True hybrid IT estates make core business data accessible across all applications. But they also need to ensure that data is secure, accurate, and properly managed. This is where mainframe data management with hybrid cloud comes into play.
Innovating on the mainframe is not possible without two core components: cloud data management and hybrid data virtualization. This enables an efficient, flexibly priced and software-only solution that allows clients to leverage their investment in hybrid cloud for their mainframe, while reducing compute and storage costs.
With Ensono’s mainframe data management with hybrid cloud solution, companies realized more of their mainframe data potential by integrating it within their hybrid cloud innovation initiatives. This allows mainframes to do what they do best while leverage cloud technologies without disruptive application or data changes.
“Ensono continues to improve and expand their portfolio and introduce innovative and flexible solutions that help clients continue on their transformation journey.”
Jan Erik Aase, Partner & Global Head
ISG Provider Lens™ at ISG
Innovation on the mainframe resources
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