IBM z/OS V2.5 introduced for heightened security and app modernization.
(Image courtesy of Shutterstock/Laborant.)
IBM has announced its next-generation operating system, IBM z/OS V2.5 for IBM Z, expected to be available Sept. 30. The system is designed to accelerate client adoption of hybrid cloud and AI and drive the application of modernization projects. The operating system is envisioned to drive value for IBM clients by providing new capabilities across AI enablement, application modernization, resiliency, enhanced security and developers’ improved experience.
One of the new operating features is cloud provisioning and management, allowing customers to provision an entirely new z/OS system.
“Traditionally, the process of deploying a new z/OS system in an IBM Z LPAR [logical partition] has been a complex and arduous process that requires the skill of an experienced system programmer,” IBM stated. “As a result, some clients might delay creating new z/OS systems, which can impact their DevOps agility and processes.”
Mainframe Modernization
The app modernization aspect of the OS is crucial. An IBM Institute for Business Value study found that although the coronavirus pandemic has hastened cloud adoption, the mainframe remains critical in many industries. Modernization of the mainframe, however, has been lacking. The study found that 71 percent of executives say that mainframe applications are central to their business strategy. The percentage of organizations leveraging mainframe assets in a hybrid cloud environment is expected to more than double within three years. Furthermore, four out of five executives say their organizations need modernization of mainframe apps to stay competitive. For example, 93 percent of companies still rely on mainframe apps for financial management systems while 73 percent use them for customer transaction records. Many executives plan to increase their usage of both mainframe and cloud-based applications as part of comprehensive transformation plans.
AI Capabilities
IBM’s z/OS V2.5 introduces new high-performance capabilities that are integrated with z/OS workloads to provide clients with business insights for better decision-making. Eighty-seven percent of global IT professionals said it was important that their company can build and run AI projects regardless of data location, according to an IBM Watson Global AI Adoption Index survey. During the pandemic, 43 percent of companies accelerated AI capabilities. Over the next year, 31 percent of companies surveyed plan to use AI to invest in data security and 25 percent to automate processes. In addition, more than a third of global IT professionals reported that AI makes employees more productive, and 36 percent said that it helps with customer interactions.
“IBM is all-in on hybrid cloud and AI, and we are deeply focused on delivering new innovations like AI and new security capabilities on IBM Z to help our clients move forward more quickly with their modernization journeys,” said Ross Mauri, GM, IBM Z. “For our clients, IBM z/OS V2.5 brings new security and resiliency capabilities to the platform and enables clients to infuse AI in real-time into every business transaction—imperatives that became more urgent during the pandemic.”
(Image courtesy of Pixabay/Bethany Drouin.)
Enhanced Security
Cybersecurity is an ever-growing threat for governments, companies and organizations everywhere. Recent incidents like the SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack on critical infrastructure illustrate the need for bolstering cybersecurity and resiliency. IBM prioritized this need in the z/OS V2.5 by offering a broad spectrum of enhancements for authentication, authorization, logging, system integrity, system and data availability, and encryption for data both in transit and stationary. Data privacy is also enhanced within the OS by expanding pervasive encryption to new types of datasets, such as basic sequential format and large format SMS-managed datasets, allowing users to encrypt without application changes to simplify compliance. Additionally, anomaly mitigation capabilities leverage Predictive Failure Analysis, Runtime Diagnostics, Workload Manager and JES2 to help detect abnormal behavior in real-time so clients can immediately address privacy gaps.
“Modern applications are composed of services that are now spread across hybrid multi-cloud environments instead of being contained within an organization’s data center,” said IBM Z Engineer Michael Jordan. “What this means, from an attack vector point of view, is your attack surface is now amplified and orders of magnitude more complex than the attack vector within an application contained within a data center. That also poses a risk for the data that’s associated with that.”
Secured and Scalable for Hybrid Cloud
Executives surveyed in the IBM Institute for Business Value study confirmed that modernizing mainframe-based applications and connecting them with new applications through a hybrid cloud environment is crucial to staying current with business needs. Facilitating the integration of both environments was deemed necessary for enterprise-wide transformation. Moreover, 44 percent of executives plan to use cloud-based applications in their transformations over the next one to two years while 35 percent plan for mainframe-based app usage during that timeframe.
In light of this, IBM’s z/OS V2.5 introduces new capabilities that support application modernization and provide a cloud-native experience on z/OS. The operating system possesses Java/COBOL interoperability that extends existing application programming models with support for parallel 31-bit and 64-bit addressing, simplifying enterprise application modernization. There’s also enhanced performance and ease of use for z/OS Container Extensions to integrate Linux applications and utilities into z/OS. Finally, additional capabilities help integrate cloud storage through transparent cloud tiering and Object Access Method cloud tier support to help reduce capital and operating expenses with data transfer to hybrid cloud storage environments for simplified data archiving and data protection on IBM Z.
Performance
The IBM z/OS V2.5 is intended to help achieve rapid application development and provisioning for hybrid cloud deployment; make z/OS easier to use for those who lack specialized skills; strengthen security, integrity and data privacy; and use cyber-resilient infrastructure to help users predict, respond and recover.
Compared to previous z/OS iterations, the V2.5 is expected to be faster and easier to install and upgrade. For example, one client trial demonstrated that it was 30 percent faster to install than z/OS 2.3 and 2.4.
The operating system is designed to leverage the strength of the IBM Z platform’s computing power and resources, playing a role in providing a secure, scalable environment for the underlying transformation process in which organizations are looking to deliver rapid innovation.
IBM z/OS V2.5 operates on z15 Models T01 and T02, IBM z14 Models M01-M05, z14 Model ZR1, z13, and z12s servers.
The new operating system is designed as a highly scalable and secure system for running mission-critical applications for various industries. It can facilitate the work of application developers in creating new apps and modernizing existing apps through enhancements that enable developers to run Linux on IBM Z software directly in z/OS. System programmers can independently deploy, maintain and manage z/OS software functions using guided and customized instructions and workflows. Given current cybersecurity threats, compliance regulations are regularly updated to deal with elevated risk. As such, the z/OS V2.5 positions security architects in the areas of authentication, authorization, logging, system integrity, system and data availability, encryption, and overall data privacy.
