Mainframe clients don't always utilize the system to its fullest potential; it's often relegated to legacy applications in their minds as well as their data centers. To counteract this misperception, and to demonstrate the modern mainframe's flexibility and cost effectiveness, the IBM team is meeting with clients to talk about IT from a cost perspective, and highlighting how they can leverage System z as the most cost-effective platform to run their business.

The team explains to clients that there are four ways to quickly reduce costs and deliver a competitive edge: 1) consolidate applications and data, 2) optimize deployment of data, 3) reuse applications and data, and 4) properly account for costs.

IBM’s ongoing pursuit is to help customers simplify their environment and reduce costs by migrating scattered applications and data onto a lower cost, more scalable and manageable platform.

New IBM software (see sidebar) – spanning IBM's branded product lines for application architecture, development, and delivery; business intelligence and database management; transaction management and IT service management – will extend the advantages of using System z as a platform for developing, deploying and running today’s applications and business data.

Independent software vendors (ISVs) – including SAP, Chordiant, Temenos, i-flex, ACI and Norkom – are demonstrating interest in z, with more than 150 new ISVs in 2008, and more than 1,000 new vendor applications.

In addition to customer adoption of System z, 600 universities worldwide now offer coursework on System z. Since 2004, more than 50,000 students have taken mainframe classes and many have secured opportunities with leading banks, such as Citigroup, through an IBM program linking interested businesses with the students.

As you read in the above article, IBM delivered a spring launch around System z software.   This launch included:

• Press release - June 4
• Analyst consultations (March - May)
• Analyst briefings:  June 24 (AG / EMEA) and June 29 (AP)
• Enablement webcast
• Customer dinner events (Q2 and Q3)

A new webpage with a link to the enablement webcast and a wide variety of customer facing materials is now available to help you in your selling efforts. 

 This page has been linked into both the System z software marketing page (under related resources) and selling page (under featured resources).

• SHARE:  August 23-28 (Denver, CO)
  
• IDUG Europe 2009:  October 5-9 (Rome, Italy)
• Information on Demand Global Conference:  October 25-29 (Las Vegas, NV)
  
• System z Expo:  October 5-9 (Orlando, FL)
• IBM Portal Excellence Conference 2009: 
• August 5-7 (Macau, China)
• October 12-15 (San Diego, CA)
• October 26-28 (Salzburg, Austria)
• November 2-4 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  

• Don't forget about the new z101 online class!
  

• Upcoming System z Software Top Gun classes in 2009:  Schedule is still being defined for 2009, check out the System z Software Top Gun site for more information.
• IBM TGVL:  System z Software Foundation

 Open to Business Partners, customers and IBMers

• Teleconference: July 7, 2009
• Every DBA strives to maintain a healthy DB2 environment every day. However, there are numerous lingering misconceptions about database health to which many organizations fall prey. These misconceptions occur because Database Administrators believe in, or apply concepts that are, objectively false. Like old wives' tales, some misconceptions exist simply because they have been passed down from older generations. In terms of DB2, this means that even best practices true for older DB2 versions may no longer be best. This teleconference comprises a number of the most common ones about DB2 maintenance and recovery. 
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• Teleconference: July 14, 2009
• This teleconference explains how you can combine your COBOL business logic with IMS solutions for Java for a more flexible programming environment. 
• Enterprise COBOL for z/OS enables the integration of existing COBOL applications with IMS Java. IMS Java provides a complete Java development solution for both IMS transactions and IMS databases. We will cover the basics of COBOL/Java interoperability when being used under IMS, including: database access to IMS and DB2, calling Java from COBOL, and calling existing Language Environment (LE) modules from Java using the Java Native Interface. Possible runtime environments are the IMS Java Regions persistent Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and existing Message Processing Regions for LE languages.
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Tivoli Provisioning Manager V7.1.1 for z/OS

• Teleconference: July 16, 2009
• In this teleconference, not only TPM is introduced with its multiple functional service management capabilities, but also validated with implementation details of the already mentioned client implementation. In addition, extensive data from a TPM on System z10 Linux Benchmark underpins the excellent scalability and performance of this just ported 64-In this teleconference, not only TPM is introduced with its multiple functional service management capabilities, but also validated with implementation details of the already mentioned client implementation. In addition, extensive data from a TPM on System z10 Linux Benchmark underpins the excellent scalability and performance of this just ported 64-bit TPM solution on a System z platform. 
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DB2 9 for z/OS Utilities – Best Practices Update

• Webcast: July 21, 2009
• This webcast will provide an updated overview of utility related best practices that are recommended from the lab. These recommendations will be provided for DB2 for z/OS V8 and DB2 9. 
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Increase Business Agility through Innovative Tooling

• Teleconference: July 22, 2009
• The new web application is in system test, and there's a problem.  The application looks slow to the user and no one can figure out why.  During this teleconference, you'll see IBM software tools work in concert to help IT teams collaborate to provide a timely, accurate, and documented solution to this problem.  Watch a three-person team identify an issue in an application, document the issue, investigate a solution, fix the problem, and deliver an updated and re-tested application.  Learn how Rational and CICS tools can help your team to collaborate to save time and money while developing enhancements and fixes for cross-platform, enterprise applications. 
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IMS Connect Extensions - Revealing the Secrets of IMS Connect

• Teleconference: July 28, 2009
• This teleconference will show how IMS Connect Extensions provides the data about key IMS Connect events that allow you to report, analyze, and fix problems with IMS Connect. The teleconference will also show how IMS Connect Extensions provides additional operational help for IMS Connect environments and removes most of the typical reasons for user modifications to the IMS Connect message exits. You will see how multiple IMS Connect systems can be monitored and controlled from a single ISPF console. Several high profile requirements such as a Eclipse GUI to augment the current ISPF console will also be discussed.
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Enhancing Mainframe Security with Tivoli Security Management for z/OS

• Webcast: July 30
• Tivoli Security Management for z/OS enhances mainframe security with simplified user administration, automated security policy enforcement, improved security management, and automated auditing and compliance reporting. The solution can help an organization to establish their mainframe as an Enterprise Security Hub from which to manage distributed security while reducing costs, improving service and managing risks. Join this webcast to learn more about products that make your mainframe even more security in today’s dynamic infrastructure.
• click here to register