January 26, 2023

Measuring the Impact of Shifting COBOL Compute Now Available on YouTube

Shifting COBOL compute to less expensive platforms may be the best first step on the modernization journey. Identifying and moving the execution of your most expensive COBOL batch jobs provides an opportunity to reduce cost or free up funds in an existing IT budget. This modernization technique offers a low-risk, straightforward, and cost-effective approach that could lead to a reduction in your MSU usage spikes and MLC fees. If you move your COBOL compute to

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Common Misconceptions About zIIPs

Common Misconceptions About zIIPs

Regular readers of my posts here know that zIIPs are a type of mainframe specialty processor that augments the general-purpose CPUs. Instead of running all workloads on the general-purpose CPUs, specific workloads are shuttled to the specialty processors for execution. The zIIP, or Integrated Information Processor, was initially created to process certain types of Db2 […]

Why you need to know the difference between a TCB and an SRB

Why you need to know the difference between a TCB and an SRB

Units of work that run on the mainframe, at least those running on z/OS, are dispatched using two different types of control blocks: TCBs (Task Control Blocks) and SRBs (Service Request Blocks). It can be beneficial to understand these two types of control blocks, including how they are used, the differences between the two, and […]

The Benefits of Shifting COBOL Compute

The Benefits of Shifting COBOL Compute

Cost is the primary driver for shifting COBOL compute to less expensive platforms. But once organizations decide that they are going to use shifting COBOL compute they discover there are other benefits to this modernization method. These benefits are realized in three areas: impact, risk, and momentum. Financial Impact The immediate benefit of shifting COBOL […]