Written by April Hickel, Vice President – Intelligent Z Optimization and Transformation at BMC Software
Thanks to the interconnected hybrid cloud world and the convenience of our phones, the digital world is at our fingertips. Wherever we are, we can access information and services for entertainment, shopping, banking, and health, almost instantly. Our experiences aren’t limited by the type of device we’re using. We can be watching a show on a smart TV, continue watching on a smart phone as we leave the house, and then listen in our car. We can seamlessly access and edit the same document in the office, on the plane, and at home.
Retail, banking, and shipping companies strive to provide similar uninterrupted experiences. We no longer need to enter payment details and shipping information on each e-commerce site we visit. Thanks to payment platforms and website integrations from UPS, FedEx, and others, we can purchase items from multiple websites using a single login, then instantly see whether our package has been shipped, where it is now, and when it is expected to arrive.
We’re now accustomed to receiving the same user experience, with the same tools, media, and content, wherever we are and whatever device we’re using. So, why should our expectations of a work experience be any different?
The latest innovations announced for the BMC AMI portfolio are centered on hybrid cloud integration with an open borders approach to mainframe computing, with the aim of creating consistent, complementary experiences not only for mainframe professionals, but for the customers they serve, too.
**Bringing the power of the cloud to the mainframe**
The new BMC AMI Cloud suite of solutions empowers organizations to adopt a hybrid cloud strategy for mainframe data management. Integration of mainframe data with the hybrid cloud enables your organization to choose the on-premises, private cloud, or public cloud strategy that is best suited for your needs. This provides an efficient and high-preforming alternative to replace or augment proprietary mainframe virtual tape library (VTL) systems.
Storage in the cloud with BMC AMI Cloud Data allows faster access to crucial data and offers improved disaster recovery preparation and response.
BMC AMI Cloud Vault enables the creation of secure off-platform backup copies of data and fast disaster recovery that doesn’t rely on mainframe systems. The creation of immutable copies of data stored in the cloud protects against cyberthreats like ransomware while also enabling standalone (bare metal) data recovery at any location.
BMC AMI Cloud Analytics enables the integration of your mainframe data with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) platforms to gain valuable new business insights. By quickly and efficiently moving data to the cloud, then transforming it for use with AI/ML tools (without consuming costly MIPS), the solutions make your mainframe data actionable, opening the door to new possibilities of insight and innovation.
**Increased quality, more efficient development**
The open-borders approach not only integrates the mainframe with the broader IT ecosystem, it also allows mainframe development, operations, data, and security applications to interact, breaking down siloes and providing full system visibility. New BMC AMI DevX integrations increase developer efficiency, improve application quality, and put the information that developers need at their fingertips.
New Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extensions for BMC AMI DevX File-AID enhance developers’ use of their preferred development environment by streamlining the data browsing and editing of IBM® Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS™) data sets, reducing time spent on test data management.
An integration between BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID and BMC AMI DevX Code Pipeline makes it faster and easier for developers to find abending code, fix any issues, test, and move the code back into production.
The ability to reuse test case input stubs in BMC AMI DevX Total Test enables faster generation of new test cases for changed programs.
**Stronger security, faster incident response**
To ensure optimal enterprise system security, mainframe security can’t be siloed separately from enterprise security strategies. BMC AMI Enterprise Connector for Venafi, which integrates the mainframe with enterprise certificate management solutions, now supports automated bulk certificate management, empowering security teams to implement hundreds, or even thousands, of security certificates on the mainframe each month.
Integration of BMC AMI Security with ServiceNow ITSM solutions supports automated workflows, increasing efficiency and reducing time to response while providing centralized incident response that coordinates security incident management across the enterprise.
**Optimising database reorgs, identifying SQL bottlenecks earlier**
An integration between BMC AMI Reorg for Db2® (part of BMC AMI Database Performance for Db2®) with the rules-based automation of BMC AMI Apptune for Db2® (part of BMC AMI SQL Performance for Db2®) enables right-on-time database reorgs, ensuring that reorgs aren’t repeated unnecessarily, reducing CPU usage, helping to minimize costs, and providing for peak response rates and improved application performance.
New enhancements improve the database administrator (DBA) and developer experiences. BMC AMI DevOps for Db2 now integrates with GitHub Actions, joining integrations with Jenkins and Azure DevOps to further developers’ ability to use their tools of choice, while a modern, developer-friendly BMC AMI Command Center for Db2® user interface enables the shift-left identification of SQL bottlenecks. Now, the developer and DBA (especially the next-gen DBA) easily identify SQL bottlenecks. And an enhancement to BMC AMI Change Manager for IMS™ (part of BMC AMI Administration for IMS) enables systems programmers to route commands from a single screen across multiple IMS systems within an IMSPLEX.
Further enhancements to reporting and log records facilitate database performance optimization and debugging. Enhanced report comparison BMC AMI Fast Path Analyzer/EP history files makes it easier to spot usage trends within BMC AMI Database Advisor for IMS™ while additional Fast Path log records in BMC AMI Log Analyzer for IMS™ abend reports provide increased visibility into the debugging process.
**Integrated solutions for an integrated world**
With its July 2023 quarterly release, BMC continues its commitment to support and advance your organization’s digital transformation. Just as integrations of entertainment, shopping, banking, and other digital experiences—and the convenience they provide—have become commonplace, we believe that the integration of BMC solutions, and of the mainframe with other technologies, improves performance and reliability, leading to optimized experiences for mainframe professionals and end users alike.
