Ushering in a New Era of Mainframe Modernization with IBM z17 

Mainframes are not just alive—they’re thriving. In fact, in today’s AI-powered digital economy, they are more essential than ever. Responsible for managing 75% of all enterprise data and driving over $3 trillion in daily commerce, the mainframe is the silent engine behind everything from employee payroll to airline bookings to online banking transactions. Without it, the digital world stops turning. 

As a long-standing strategic partner of IBM, Rocket Software is proud to lead the charge in enterprise modernization, helping our customers maximize the value of the mainframe as a critical pillar of their hybrid cloud strategy. The launch of IBM z17 marks a new era of intelligent computing—bringing together high performance, advanced security, resiliency, and AI to support the world’s most demanding workloads. With z17 setting a new standard for hybrid cloud integration, Rocket Software is uniquely equipped to help organizations tap into its full potential—accelerating innovation through enhanced security, automation, and AI-driven insights.  

With IBM z17 introducing groundbreaking on-chip AI acceleration via the Telum II processor and delivering real-time inferencing at scale, Rocket Software solutions are positioned to fully harness these advancements. Our integration of AI-powered analytics, intelligent automation, and real-time data access enables us to unlock the full value of z17 for our customers.

One thing that makes me especially proud, and a proof point of our strong ties to IBM, is the incredible talent we have at Rocket. We currently have 18 IBM Champions on our team—an amazing group of experts recognized by IBM for their deep knowledge, leadership, and community contributions. These individuals do more than just understand the tech, they actively shape how it’s used and where it’s going. It’s a powerful testament to the caliber of people we have and our commitment to leading the IBM ecosystem. 

We have long been trusted to extend the value of IBM Z by delivering modernization tools that help businesses transform—without rewriting, replatforming, or disrupting mission-critical operations. Here are three ways our customers can enhance and extend the capabilities of z17:  

• Security and Resiliency

  As data volumes grow and cyber threats become more sophisticated, IT leaders must safeguard mainframe environments from both external attacks and internal vulnerabilities. Rocket Software delivers intelligent security solutions that detect and address risks with precision—while enabling advanced access controls and rapid, accurate data recovery. It provides solutions that extend cyber-resilient storage, making it faster and easier for customers to recover data after a cyberattack or local disruption. These tools are designed to mitigate risk, reduce downtime, and help organizations meet compliance standards with confidence. 

  For more information on our security solutions, click here and for more information on our resiliency solutions, click here 

   

• Hybrid IT and Data Accessibility 

  A modern IT strategy demands seamless data access across mainframe, distributed, and cloud environments. We help eliminate data silos by enabling real-time connectivity and intelligent data federation across platforms. Through Rocket DataEdge, we offer Gen AI-powered conversational interfaces that enable both business users and IT teams to query complex datasets using plain language, accelerating insights without requiring specialized technical knowledge. This approach empowers IT leaders to make mainframe data a first-class citizen in enterprise analytics strategies—bridging critical systems with modern innovation. The result is faster decision-making, broader data access, and a unified view of business performance across the enterprise. 

  For more information on our data solutions, click here.  

   

• Predictive Analytics and Intelligent Automation 

  The ability to anticipate and act on operational challenges before they impact performance gives organizations a competitive edge. Through Rocket Workload Automation and DevOps Orchestration, we integrate predictive analytics directly into workload automation, giving IT leaders the tools to identify risks and prevent bottlenecks. By leveraging AI to monitor and optimize scheduling workflows, organizations gain real-time and forward-looking visibility into their operations. This not only improves system efficiency but also frees up IT resources to focus on strategic initiatives. 

  For more on our intelligent automation solutions, click here.  

As we step into this new era with IBM z17, Rocket Software remains committed to helping organizations modernize without disruption. The journey ahead is full of opportunity, and we’re ready to help IBM Z customers lead the way.