Vince Re makes the case for treating multi-cloud as a mainframe data strategy rather than a vendor decision: distributing the same z/OS data across providers for resilience, geographic compliance, and cost flexibility, without building and maintaining a separate integration for each cloud.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- How to route one mainframe dataset to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud simultaneously from a single PropelZ configuration - Geographic distribution that optimizes performance while meeting regional compliance requirements - Cost optimization by matching workloads to the best pricing across providers - Real applications: cross-continent disaster recovery and per-cloud analytics, such as Google Cloud for analytics, Azure for enterprise integration, and AWS for scale - Moving from "choosing a cloud" to orchestrating several, without managing separate pipelines

PropelZ writes mainframe data directly to Amazon S3, Azure Blob, and Google Cloud Storage with no code and no homegrown pipelines, and is proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage). Topics: multi-cloud mainframe strategy, IBM Z, z/OS, mainframe data replication, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, disaster recovery, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re walks through why most mainframe-to-Splunk integration relies on batch processing and custom work, and how PropelZ delivers real-time streaming into existing Splunk deployments with no custom development, no specialized configuration, and no mainframe-specific expertise required on the security team's side.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why real-time SMF, RACF, and console data beats the batch processing legacy connectors depend on - Out-of-the-box Splunk integration: structured data formatting and unified timeline correlation with the rest of your SOC - Threat-detection scenarios this enables: privilege escalation monitoring, lateral movement analysis, and data exfiltration alerts - Applying behavioral analysis and anomaly detection to mainframe security data alongside distributed systems - Why integration measured in weeks, not months, matters for security operations SMF (System Management Facilities) is the mainframe's audit and activity log; RACF is IBM's z/OS access-control and security package. PropelZ feeds both into Splunk with no code and no homegrown pipelines, and is proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage). Topics: mainframe security monitoring, Splunk integration, SMF, RACF, IBM Z, z/OS, SOC, SIEM, threat detection, real-time data streaming, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re argues the fix isn't finding more mainframe specialists. It's making deep mainframe expertise optional for the integration layer, so the cloud-native and DevOps engineers enterprises already employ can work with mainframe data directly — without learning COBOL or REXX.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- What the mainframe skills gap is, why it's accelerating, and what it costs enterprises that don't plan for it - Why hiring against a shrinking COBOL and REXX talent pool is a losing strategy - How cloud and DevOps teams can own mainframe data integration using skills they already have - The economics of leveraging abundant cloud-native talent instead of rare, expensive mainframe specialists - How to build a mainframe data strategy that scales with your existing team

One practical answer is VirtualZ's no-code approach: PropelZ moves and replicates IBM Z mainframe data to the cloud — proven at 56,000 records per second — with no code and no homegrown pipelines, so teams integrate mainframe data without deep z/OS expertise. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: mainframe skills gap, COBOL skills shortage, IBM Z, z/OS, mainframe modernization, DevOps, cloud-native, IT talent shortage, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re contrasts the traditional "buy everything, use some of it" enterprise software model with a modular, app-store approach: granular selection, pay for what you use, and combine specialized components into exactly the integration you need. He explains why modular architecture also lets a vendor ship new capabilities faster than monolithic, all-in-one development.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- How app-store-style pricing changes enterprise software buying — paying for a handful of capabilities instead of dozens - Examples of modular components working together, such as the Splunk connector, the data-movement multiplexer, and cloud storage - Why modular architecture accelerates innovation compared with monolithic platforms - The advantages of granular selection: lower cost, faster implementation, and flexibility to change later - How customers assemble custom mainframe integration by combining specialized capabilities

This modular philosophy runs through VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data: PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second), Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) — four products you deploy and combine, with no code and no homegrown pipelines, rather than one suite you buy whole.

Topics: enterprise software pricing, modular architecture, mainframe integration, IBM Z, z/OS, connectors, no-code data integration, software procurement, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re makes the case for unified operations: instead of choosing between mainframe expertise and cloud-native skills, teams combine them by feeding real-time mainframe console data into the dashboards and alerting tools they already run. The result is faster incident response across the whole environment, because mainframe events sit on the same timeline as everything else.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- How streaming mainframe console messages into existing tools creates one cross-platform view of mainframe, Kubernetes, and cloud alerts - Using monitoring stacks teams already know — such as Splunk and Prometheus — instead of mainframe-specific tooling - Why real-time mainframe visibility speeds incident response across hybrid infrastructure - Getting more from existing monitoring investments rather than standing up a separate mainframe system - Building operations that scale as the hybrid environment grows

PropelZ streams mainframe console messages, SMF records, and other z/OS data into cloud and monitoring platforms with no code and no homegrown pipelines, and is proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: mainframe monitoring, hybrid cloud operations, IBM Z, z/OS, console messages, observability, Splunk, Prometheus, Kubernetes, incident response, no-code data integration.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re breaks down why copybook creation has quietly slowed mainframe database projects for decades, and how self-describing databases change the equation: PropelZ reads the table's own metadata automatically, so you write a SQL query and run the move instead of hand-building copybooks first. That makes deep COBOL expertise optional for database data movement, not a prerequisite.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- How automatic metadata discovery replaces weeks of manual copybook engineering for database integration - Why "write a SQL query and run it" is the modern alternative to copybook-first workflows - A real DB2 table migration that went from complex to straightforward - Why manual metadata management is the biggest adoption barrier for mainframe database projects - How the approach scales from a single table migration to billion-row analytics workloads

PropelZ moves and replicates IBM Z mainframe data — including DB2 — to cloud data warehouses like Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift, and BigQuery with no code and no homegrown pipelines, and is proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: DB2 migration, mainframe copybooks, metadata discovery, Snowflake, Databricks, IBM Z, z/OS, cloud data warehouse, SQL, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re walks through inventory-driven migration: PropelZ takes a full inventory of the datasets to move, then runs them in parallel, cutting projects that would take months down to weeks. He explains why enterprises choose intelligent queue management over one-at-a-time transfers for virtual tape library migrations, application modernization, and large-scale cloud moves.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Real performance: 100–200 parallel transfers processing thousands of datasets per hour

- Comprehensive status tracking that turns black-box migrations into transparent, monitored processes

- Integration with existing automation and help-desk systems

- Uses beyond migration: compliance archiving, disaster recovery, and data center consolidation

- Why parallel, inventory-driven processing scales where individual file transfers don't

The multiplexer is built into PropelZ, VirtualZ's no-code tool for moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data to the cloud — proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud — with no code and no homegrown pipelines. PropelZ is part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: mainframe data migration, IBM Z, z/OS, virtual tape library, VTL migration, parallel data transfer, application modernization, disaster recovery, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re explains how real customer problems drove the release: a retailer's binary data requirements, a financial services customer's billion-row processing needs, and a large mainframe outsourcer's enterprise connectivity demands. He shares the technical detail behind each enhancement and how it maps to integration problems enterprises face now.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Custom input/output handlers with variable-length record support and binary data processing

- Java method integration delivering a 60% throughput improvement for billion-row workloads

- Enhanced incremental processing with minimal-change algorithms that optimize database updates

- Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) support for security and supply-chain compliance

- Databricks connectivity, SOCKS proxy support, and simplified configuration management

PropelZ moves and replicates IBM Z mainframe data to cloud platforms and data warehouses like Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift, and BigQuery with no code and no homegrown pipelines, and is proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: PropelZ 2.0, mainframe data integration, IBM Z, z/OS, binary data, SBOM, Databricks, incremental processing, billion-row data, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Vince Re walks through the architecture: why the core engine translates so cleanly across platforms, where the differences lie, and why they're smaller than you'd expect. He and Dustin also dig into the enterprise security capabilities that matter most — field-level filtering, data masking, SSL/TLS support, and sanitizing sensitive data before it ever reaches its target.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- PropelZ for Linux runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, IBM i, UNIX, and any Java-enabled environment

- A 150–200% throughput improvement over existing ETL solutions, out of the box

- 26,000 rows per second to cloud-based Postgres — multiple terabytes per hour

- Zero-code, fully declarative setup — running in minutes to hours, not months

- A cautionary tale: a financial services firm spent two years on a legacy ETL project, abandoned it, then ran PropelZ the next day

- The Multiplexer: parallel processing that moves millions of files at once using full available bandwidth

PropelZ moves and replicates data with no code and no homegrown pipelines, now across mainframe and distributed platforms alike. It's part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: PropelZ for Linux, ETL alternative, data integration, cloud migration, Postgres, multi-platform data movement, data masking, IBM Z, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Drawing on decades in the mainframe world, Marc Sokol explains why so many migration programs stall at the data layer — data dependencies, stale datasets, and heavy ETL or CDC architectures turning a "simple migration" into a complex one. Dusty Froyum outlines how a no-code, direct-access approach simplifies the architecture, reduces operational complexity, and helps teams hit tight migration windows without over-engineering.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why data, not code, is what delays mainframe modernization

- Real results: 460,000 VSAM records moved to PostgreSQL in 25 seconds

- 60.9 million records delivered in 18 minutes — roughly 56,000 records per second sustained

- The hidden complexity behind migrations that look simple at the outset

- How to avoid overbuilt ETL and CDC architectures, and move data incrementally without disruption

This direct-access, no-code approach is delivered by PropelZ, VirtualZ's tool for moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data — including VSAM — to the cloud and to targets like PostgreSQL, with no code and no homegrown pipelines. PropelZ is part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: IBM Z modernization, VSAM, PostgreSQL, mainframe data migration, ETL alternative, CDC, no-code data integration, incremental data movement, z/OS, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Dennis Bennett, Principal Sales Engineer at Progress Software, joins VirtualZ Co-Founder and CTO Vince Re and VirtualZ Co-Founder Dustin Froyum to discuss how trusted enterprise connectivity and modern data movement work together to deliver secure, high-performance data integration. The conversation centers on transforming complex legacy data structures — including mainframe formats like VSAM — into modern, SQL-ready data that can power cloud databases, analytics platforms, and AI initiatives.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why data access has become the real bottleneck in enterprise modernization

- How hybrid architectures support modern analytics without disrupting production systems

- The role of high-performance enterprise connectivity in scalable data integration

- How legacy mainframe data structures like VSAM are transformed into SQL-ready data

- What secure, high-performance integration looks like across a hybrid IT environment

On the VirtualZ side, this is powered by PropelZ, VirtualZ's no-code tool for moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data — including VSAM — to cloud databases and analytics platforms, proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud. PropelZ is part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: enterprise modernization, mainframe data access, VSAM, SQL, Progress Software, hybrid cloud, data integration, cloud databases, no-code data integration, IBM Z.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Jeanne Glass argues that modernization is no longer a migration project, that integration alone isn't enough, and that the real bottleneck for enterprise AI is reaching mainframe and legacy data without disruption. She outlines how forward-thinking CIOs are building AI-ready hybrid data platforms that make existing data accessible rather than moving and re-platforming everything first.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why enterprises can't reach their own data — the real constraint on enterprise AI

- Why modernization is no longer a one-time migration project

- Why data integration on its own doesn't solve the access problem

- How CIOs build AI-ready hybrid data platforms without disrupting production systems

- What it takes to deliver mainframe and cloud data to AI pipelines safely

This is the problem VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio is built to solve: PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second), Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) — making enterprise mainframe data accessible to cloud, analytics, and AI with no code and no homegrown pipelines.

Topics: enterprise AI, AI-ready data, mainframe modernization, hybrid data platform, data access, IBM Z, cloud migration, CIO strategy, no-code data integration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

PCI DSS 4.0 raises the bar for continuous evidence collection, monitoring, and audit readiness across all systems — and mainframes are now firmly in scope. Vince Re and Dustin Froyum unpack how the PropelZ Splunk Log Connector streams z/OS console messages directly into Splunk and JDBC targets like Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift, with no scripting or replication. The episode also draws on rare firsthand history: Vince Re, original author of CA Top Secret and an early pioneer of enterprise cybersecurity, reflects on the origins of mainframe security, the evolution of audit logging, and his work validating early U.S. encryption standards.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- PCI DSS 4.0: what's new, and why mainframes are now firmly in scope

- How the PropelZ Splunk Log Connector accelerates evidence collection and compliance workflows

- The shift from manual scripts to governed, real-time data streams

- Streaming z/OS console messages to Splunk and JDBC targets without replication

- Lessons from the early days of enterprise cybersecurity and data protection

The PropelZ Splunk Log Connector is part of PropelZ, VirtualZ's no-code tool for moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data — proven at 56,000 records per second, mainframe to cloud, with no code and no homegrown pipelines. PropelZ is part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: PCI DSS 4.0, mainframe compliance, Splunk, z/OS, audit logging, IBM Z, cybersecurity, JDBC, real-time data streaming, no-code data integration.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Jeanne Glass unpacks the architectural shift forward-thinking CIOs are making: real-time data access instead of wholesale migration, hybrid cloud execution, elastic storage modernization, and incremental transformation that turns legacy platforms into engines of innovation rather than projects to rip out. The throughline: modernization is no longer a migration project — it's a data strategy.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- What separates CIO visionaries from CIO operators in 2026

- Why access to trusted enterprise data, not infrastructure, is the real AI bottleneck

- The shift from risky one-time migrations to real-time data access

- Hybrid cloud execution, elastic storage modernization, and incremental transformation

- How CIOs turn legacy platforms into engines of innovation without disruption

This is the problem VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio is built to solve: PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second), Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) — making enterprise data accessible to cloud, analytics, and AI with no code and no homegrown pipelines.

Topics: CIO strategy, AI-ready enterprise, mainframe modernization, real-time data access, hybrid cloud, storage modernization, data strategy, IBM Z, no-code data integration, enterprise data.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Jeanne Glass breaks down the major trends reshaping ETL and ELT — real-time integration, no-code platforms, cloud-based transformation, AI-driven data processing, and data virtualization — alongside the practical challenges enterprises face around security, governance, cost management, and the mainframe skills gap. She explains how modern approaches simplify mainframe data integration without custom coding, fragile pipelines, or disruptive migration.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why batch-based ETL is giving way to real-time, cloud-ready integration

- The trends reshaping ETL and ELT: no-code platforms, cloud transformation, AI-driven processing, and data virtualization

- Why IBM Z operational data is both the biggest constraint and the biggest opportunity for enterprise AI

- The real challenges: security, governance, cost management, and the skills gap

- How to unlock IBM Z data safely, incrementally, and at scale

Jeanne points to VirtualZ's PropelZ as one modern approach: a no-code tool for moving and replicating IBM Z mainframe data to the cloud — proven at 56,000 records per second, with no code and no homegrown pipelines. PropelZ is part of VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data, alongside Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage).

Topics: ETL, ELT, real-time data integration, mainframe modernization, IBM Z, data virtualization, AI data processing, no-code data integration, cloud migration, hybrid cloud.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Jeanne Glass breaks down why enterprises keep investing in AI platforms while business-critical operational data stays locked inside core IBM Z systems — and why hybrid is permanent, incremental modernization is now mandatory, and speed has become the competitive advantage. She makes the case that integrators win by unlocking operational data safely and immediately, rather than through disruptive migrations or fragile pipelines.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why transformation is now data-first, not cloud-first

- Why AI readiness is fundamentally a data access challenge

- Why hybrid environments are permanent and incremental modernization is mandatory

- How systems integrators deliver faster outcomes, scalable execution, and reduced risk

- How to unlock operational data safely, incrementally, and immediately

Jeanne points to VirtualZ's AI-ready, no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data: PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second), Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) — enabling integrators to deliver scalable data access with no code and no homegrown pipelines.

Topics: data-first transformation, systems integrators, AI readiness, mainframe modernization, IBM Z, hybrid cloud, storage transformation, incremental modernization, no-code data integration, enterprise data.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

Jeanne Glass breaks down the storage trends defining 2026: on-demand storage consumption, decoupling storage from access, hybrid cloud architectures, incremental modernization, support for AI and analytics workloads, and the shift from physical tape to cloud-based archival — all without application changes. The throughline is modernizing storage on the organization's own terms: faster, safer, and with zero disruption.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why enterprises are moving from pre-provisioned storage to on-demand, elastic models

- Decoupling storage from access, and what that unlocks

- Hybrid cloud storage architectures and incremental modernization

- Supporting AI and analytics workloads without re-platforming

- The shift from physical tape to cloud-based archival with no application changes

This is what VirtualZ Computing's no-code portfolio is built for: FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive) and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) modernize mainframe storage without application changes, alongside PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second) and Lozen (live in-place data access) — all with no code and no homegrown pipelines.

Topics: enterprise storage, elastic storage, tape to cloud, cloud archival, hybrid cloud, storage modernization, IBM Z, z/OS, AI workloads, no-code data integration.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/

As data becomes the asset shaping how organizations compete, comply, and innovate, customers are no longer asking for more pipelines or platforms. They’re looking for direct, secure access to trusted data—without disrupting the systems that already run the business.

This episode covers the key trends defining modern data strategies, including access over movement, data-first architectures, AI readiness, hybrid and multi-cloud realities, no-code data access, built-in security and governance, incremental modernization, and the decoupling of storage from access.

If you’re a CIO, CDO, data leader, or platform architect navigating modernization in regulated or hybrid environments, this episode offers a practical, customer-focused view of what matters now—and how enterprises are moving forward with confidence.

In this episode of the Skyward Data Podcast, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ, breaks down how enterprises are modernizing their mainframe environments without disruption. Learn why data-first strategies, AI readiness, hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, no-code integration, and instant storage are reshaping modernization efforts across regulated industries.

If you’re responsible for enterprise data, analytics, AI, or modernization strategy, this episode offers a clear, practical view of what customers actually need now — and how leading organizations are moving forward safely and incrementally.

The conversation focuses on one of the biggest challenges facing modern data teams: integrating data across mainframe, cloud, Linux, Windows, and legacy platforms without building complex, brittle ETL pipelines. Dustin and Vince break down how PropelZ uses a no-code, configuration-driven approach to move and transform data quickly, securely, and efficiently.

You’ll hear a practical overview of PropelZ’s three-stage architecture—input, transformation (including incremental processing), and output—and how it behaves consistently across platforms while adapting to Windows-specific requirements like byte-stream files, record boundaries, and encoding differences. The episode also covers output options including JDBC databases and API-based integrations such as Splunk.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The challenge of unified data integration across platforms

• How PropelZ eliminates custom ETL and scripting

• Running PropelZ on Windows vs. z/OS: what’s different and what stays the same

• Handling binary files, delimiters, record lengths, and code pages

• Flexible output targets, including databases and observability platforms

Whether you’re modernizing legacy data flows, enabling analytics and AI, or simplifying cross-platform integration, this episode provides a clear, technical perspective on how PropelZ helps organizations move data without complexity.

Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com or reach out at hello@virtualzcomputing.com.

They explore how IT teams can easily extract and stream IBM i data to modern analytics, observability, and AI platforms like Snowflake, BigQuery, Azure SQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and Splunk—without manual ETL or complex scripting.

Key topics include:
• Simplifying data access and report modernization on IBM i
• Handling COBOL copybooks, record mapping, and data transformation
• Real-time and batch pipelines for analytics and compliance
• Rapid installation—install, configure, go in hours, not months
• Pricing and licensing overview ($50K per OS per year, unlimited use)

The conversation closes with a look at how PropelZ’s multi-platform runtime extends the same simplicity to IBM Z, Linux, UNIX, Windows, and macOS, giving enterprises a unified, no-code ELT engine across their hybrid environments.

Learn more and request a briefing at VirtualZComputing.com/PropelZ

#PropelZ #VirtualZComputing #IBMi #AS400 #DataIntegration #HybridCloud #AIData #DataPipeline #SkywardDataPodcast

Learn how VirtualZ Computing’s PropelZ™ gives organizations full control over what data moves, what stays behind, and how sensitive fields can be securely excluded or suppressed — all without coding or complex ETL. Jeanne explains how this no-code approach improves data governance, compliance, and performance by filtering and transforming data directly on the mainframe before it ever leaves the source.

From real-world examples to best practices in hybrid cloud environments, this episode reveals how smarter data exclusion helps enterprises achieve faster, safer, and more efficient data movement for AI, analytics, and modernization initiatives.

Key Topics:

• What data exclusion means and why it matters

• Row- and column-level control in PropelZ™

• Governance, masking, and encryption at the source

• Performance gains through selective data movement

• Hybrid-cloud use cases across mainframe and distributed platforms

Skyward Data explores real stories and strategies behind hybrid data access, AI-ready integration, and modernization — powered by VirtualZ Computing.

From flight operations and defense intelligence to compliance and secure collaboration, much of A&D’s most valuable data remains locked in mainframes, tapes, and outdated tools. Jeanne highlights how VirtualZ’s no-code solutions — PropelZ™, FlowZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™ — give organizations AI-ready data where it lives, across mainframes, clouds, and classified environments.

Discover how to:

• Accelerate mission planning and simulations with AI-ready data.

• Strengthen cybersecurity by streaming logs into SIEM platforms.

• Modernize storage with encrypted, on-demand cloud or SAN.

• Enable secure file sharing and collaboration across hybrid and classified systems.

Your data. Delivered at the speed of mission.

Over seven minutes, Vince demonstrates how PropelZ captures, transforms, and updates VSAM data directly into a modern relational database, automatically handling complex mainframe structures such as packed decimals, binary fields, and floating-point data.

What you’ll hear:
🔹 Viewing a real VSAM dataset in IBM File Manager (76,000+ airport records)
🔹 Understanding COBOL copybook metadata and schema mapping
🔹 Running PropelZ with the Incremental option
🔹 Creating and populating MySQL tables with full index generation
🔹 Making live record edits and running a lightning-fast incremental update
🔹 Verifying changed records instantly in SQL

Key takeaway:
PropelZ Incremental Mode pinpoints and updates only what’s changed — reducing processing time by up to 20× while preserving complete data integrity.

PropelZ™ — No-Code ELT for Mainframe, Linux, and Windows
Move your data where it needs to be — fast, accurate, and governed.

Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how VirtualZ solutions unlock mission-critical data instantly, securely, and without disruption. From powering personalized streaming experiences to enabling real-time audience insights, billing optimization, content protection, and hybrid cloud adoption, VirtualZ delivers results in just one day.

Discover how Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ help media companies:

• Elevate audience engagement with AI-ready data

• Automate billing and subscriber management in real time

• Strengthen cybersecurity to combat fraud and piracy

• Streamline content delivery and multi-channel distribution

• Reduce storage costs with encrypted, on-demand cloud storage

Your data. Delivered at the speed of innovation. Without disruption.

Together, they explore how PropelZ’s no-code, multi-platform architecture enables seamless data movement from VSE, z/OS, and other enterprise platforms to modern databases and cloud environments like Snowflake, Oracle, and SQL Server — all without scripting or replication.

The discussion also covers the evolution of VSE under 21CS, the role of VSEn in supporting modernization and AI initiatives, and how VirtualZ and 21CS are partnering to help customers access and integrate their mainframe data faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Tune in to learn how PropelZ™ for VSE bridges legacy and modern environments — bringing mainframe data into the AI era with simplicity, speed, and security.

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how VirtualZ unlocks mission-critical data instantly, securely, and without disruption. From predictive maintenance and real-time quality control to supply chain visibility and regulatory compliance, VirtualZ delivers results in just one business day.

Discover how Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ help manufacturers:

• Drive predictive maintenance and production efficiency with AI-ready data

• Improve supply chain resilience with hybrid cloud integration

• Automate compliance and defect reporting in real time

• Strengthen cybersecurity with integrated monitoring and alerts

• Reduce costs with on-demand, encrypted cloud storage

Your data. Delivered at the speed of innovation. Without disruption.

They unpack the persistent challenges of traditional ETL and file transfer from IBM Z, and show how FlowZ enables no-code, bidirectional file sharing for DevOps pipelines, testing frameworks, and CI/CD automation—without middleware or scripts.

You’ll hear:

• How FlowZ integrates with tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub

• Why it’s faster, simpler, and more secure than legacy transfer utilities

• A walkthrough of installation and operation in minutes

• How FlowZ fits alongside PropelZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™ in the VirtualZ suite

Listen now to discover how enterprises are simplifying DevOps and hybrid workflows with FlowZ™.

🔗 Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explains how VirtualZ unlocks institutional data instantly, securely, and without disruption. From improving student outcomes and modernizing research to streamlining compliance and reducing costs, VirtualZ solutions deliver results in just one day.

Discover how Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ help educational institutions:

• Enhance student success with AI-ready data

• Accelerate research with seamless cloud integration

• Automate compliance reporting for FERPA, GDPR, and accreditation

• Secure sensitive data with real-time monitoring and observability

• Simplify storage with on-demand, encrypted cloud solutions

Your data. Delivered at the speed of learning. Without disruption.

You’ll learn:

• What DORA Article 12 requires for ICT resilience, backup, and recovery

• How FlowZ™ extends z/OS applications to cloud and SAN storage — no code required

• Ways to achieve segregated, fault-tolerant, and testable backups without adding new mainframe sites

• Performance benchmarks showing full-system backups reduced from hours to minutes

• Options for duplexed backups across multiple storage providers (SAN, S3, Azure, Google Cloud)

• How FlowZ™ integrates with existing mainframe security and audit trails for compliance assurance

FlowZ™ gives mainframe customers a fast, flexible way to meet DORA’s operational resilience standards — while enabling hybrid cloud and AI data strategies.

🔹 Annual enterprise license: $50,000 (unlimited installations through December 2025)
🔹 Learn more: https://virtualzcomputing.com
🔹 Contact: hello@virtualzcomputing.com

#DORA #FlowZ #Mainframe #Resilience #Compliance #EURegulation #HybridCloud #VirtualZComputing

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how VirtualZ solutions unlock data instantly, securely, and without disruption. From accelerating clinical trial analytics to improving regulatory compliance and powering AI-driven research, VirtualZ delivers measurable results in just one day.

Discover how Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ help pharmaceutical companies:

• Accelerate drug discovery with AI-ready data

• Meet FDA, EMA, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance with real-time auditability

• Modernize storage with encrypted, on-demand cloud options

• Strengthen cybersecurity with mainframe log integration into Splunk

Your data. Delivered at the speed of innovation. Without disruption.AI-Ready Pharma: Unlocking Data for Drug Discovery and Compliance

Now, PropelZ™ brings no-code ELT to Linux. Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explains how enterprises can move data from Linux into Snowflake, BigQuery, SQL Server, and AI platforms with point-and-click simplicity.

Guiding this vision is VirtualZ Co-Founder and CTO Vince Re, whose pioneering work with Linux on the mainframe earned him election to the elite kernel.org team. That expertise ensures PropelZ isn’t just another tool — it’s built by people who helped shape Linux itself.

With PropelZ now spanning IBM Z, IBM i, UNIX, Windows, and Linux, enterprises finally have one consistent way to move data anywhere it’s needed — faster, simpler, and without disruption.

PropelZ installs in minutes, configures in hours, and gets you from installation to operation in less than a day.

You’ll learn how to offload reporting workloads, cutting costs, and unlocking IBM i data without disrupting the applications they rely on.

With PropelZ, one universal solution moves your data—securely, simply, and without boundaries.

IBM i data. Anywhere. No code.

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how utilities can unlock their mission-critical data — instantly, securely, and without disruption. You’ll hear how VirtualZ’s no-code solutions connect mainframe data to AI, cloud, and hybrid platforms in just one business day, enabling:

• Smarter grid operations and predictive maintenance

• Real-time billing, compliance, and audit readiness

• Stronger cybersecurity through SIM integration

• Seamless file movement for meter data, grid logs, and reports with FlowZ™

• Lower costs and scalable storage with Zaac™

Utilities can’t afford to wait. Discover how VirtualZ delivers the fastest, safest, and most cost-effective path to modernization — with guaranteed results.

You’ll hear to go from installation to operation in under 24 hours, offloading read workloads and unlocking VSEn data for compliance, reporting, and innovation.

Tune in and discover how PropelZ makes VSEn data ready for anywhere.

In this episode, Jeanne Glass, CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how to unlock that data instantly, securely, and without disruption — making it AI-ready, cloud-ready, and innovation-ready. Discover how VirtualZ solutions Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ help travel and hospitality leaders deliver:

• AI-driven personalization with no-code integration

• Seamless hybrid cloud and multi-cloud strategies

• Real-time billing and payment transparency

• Stronger cybersecurity with integrated log management

• Instant booking, loyalty, and operations file access

• Flexible, encrypted cloud and SAN storage

Learn how VirtualZ Computing is bringing modern simplicity to data complexity, delivering proven results in just one day — so you can innovate at the speed of your customers.

Your mainframe is generating valuable business data every day—but legacy file transfer tools are slow, manual, and complex. Enter FlowZ™, a lightweight solution that moves files instantly and securely to cloud storage, distributed platforms, and hybrid workflows—without virtual disks, ETL pipelines, or staging.

Join Dustin Froym, Co-Founder of VirtualZ, and Vince Re, CTO and architect of the FlowZ technology, as they explore:

• What makes FlowZ™ different from ETL or virtual-disk-based tools

• How FlowZ™ enables AI-ready file sharing for ML pipelines and analytics

• Real-world use cases for backups, hybrid workflows, and app integration

• Why sequential mainframe files matter—and how FlowZ™ moves them without complexity

• A behind-the-scenes look at how FlowZ™ installs in minutes, not months

Whether you’re a hybrid-cloud architect, platform engineer, or AI/ML leader, this episode will give you a fresh perspective on the future of mainframe data access—one that’s lightweight, no-code, and instantly useful across platforms.

💡 Learn more at www.virtualzcomputing.com

Discover how VirtualZ’s no-code, real-time solutions — Lozen™, PropelZ™, FlowZ™, and Zaac™ — empower telecoms to:

• Deliver real-time billing accuracy and customer insights

• Securely integrate mainframe data with AI and cloud platforms

• Strengthen compliance, observability, and cybersecurity

• Modernize storage and reduce infrastructure costs

Hear real-world use cases and learn why leading telecom providers are choosing VirtualZ for a seamless, cost-effective, and future-ready path to modernization.

Your data. Delivered at the speed of innovation.

Dustin breaks down the key requirements of Article 12 and shows how VirtualZ Computing’s FlowZ™ helps financial entities achieve compliance quickly and cost-effectively. From no-code, plug-and-play backups to hybrid workflows and secure, segregated recovery, FlowZ is more than a tool—it’s a compliance accelerator.

If you’re navigating the intersection of mainframe modernization and EU regulation, this episode offers practical insight into making compliance simpler, faster, and more resilient.

Use PropelZ™ — for database output.

From real-time application modernization to AI and ML integration, scalable data lakes, hybrid file sharing, and enhanced compliance, we share how VirtualZ’s software portfolio—Lozen™, PropelZ™, Zaac™, and FlowZ™—is redefining what’s possible in a hybrid cloud world.

If your organization runs on IBM Z and cloud, this is your roadmap to real-time, no-code, secure data access that skips the ETL and accelerates business outcomes.

Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com, and follow Skyward Data for more conversations on the future of data, AI, and innovation.

We explore how organizations can stream SMF data, console messages, and other operational logs from IBM Z directly into tools like Splunk, Elastic, and other SIEM or observability platforms — with no coding or scripting required.

In this session, you'll learn:

• The PropelZ architecture and how it works

• Real-world use cases for mainframe observability

• How to stream IBM Z log and event data to your SIEM platform in real time

• Strategies for secure storage and recovery of observability data

• A live demo of PropelZ pushing mainframe console messages into Splunk

• Overview of pricing ($50,000/year flat fee for unlimited use)

• How PropelZ compares to other transfer methods in terms of performance and efficiency

You’ll also hear about complementary solutions like FlowZ™ for cloud storage integration and tape-to-cloud migration strategies powered by VirtualZ's no-code platform.

Learn how no-code, AI-ready data access enables faster diagnostics, predictive care, stronger HIPAA compliance, and better outcomes for patients.

Discover how you can modernize your infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity, and enable AI initiatives — while keeping sensitive data secure on the systems you already trust.

#HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare #HIPAACompliance #AIReadyData

You’ll learn:

• Why legacy ETL, replication, and change data capture (CDC) are slow, costly, and fragile

• How PropelZ™ enables mainframe-to-cloud data movement in hours — not months — with no code and minimal impact

• Ways to feed mainframe data into AI models, data lakes, analytics dashboards, and observability platforms

• Use cases including incremental updates, VSAM and SMF processing, tape migration, and real-time streaming to Splunk

• How PropelZ™ works: input → transformation → output — any source, any target

• How you can eliminate staging, manual processes, and reduce costs while delivering AI-ready data

If you’re tasked with enabling AI, analytics, or modernization but your mainframe data feels out of reach, this session is for you.

Learn more about PropelZ and the full VirtualZ product suite at:
https://virtualzcomputing.com

We break down how no-code, real-time access eliminates barriers from legacy systems — helping you deliver seamless omni-channel experiences, strengthen security, and control costs. Learn how to take the first steps toward building the data foundation your customers expect today.

#RetailInnovation #CustomerExperience #FraudPrevention #AIReadyData

They discuss:

• How to navigate growing regulatory and audit pressures in industries like financial services, healthcare, and more.

• Strategies to integrate mainframe data with cloud and distributed systems without losing control or security.

• Ways to eliminate silos and maintain Z/OS-level governance even as data moves beyond the mainframe.

• Centralizing and unlocking real-time access to critical management and audit data, including SMF records and console messages.

• Protecting against ransomware and disaster with multi-location, immutable cloud storage — at a fraction of traditional costs.

• Meeting RPO/RTO targets with innovative journaling and resilient architectures.

• How to mask, encrypt, and transform sensitive data while keeping it compliant and audit-ready.

You’ll also hear how VirtualZ’s products — PropelZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™ — help organizations achieve all of this with no-code, mainframe-native solutions that work seamlessly with the cloud.

If you’re responsible for mainframe data compliance, governance, or modernization, this conversation offers actionable insights and practical approaches.

Learn more, explore demos, and connect with us at virtualzcomputing.com
Contact: hello@virtualzcomputing.com

Discover how to eliminate ETL and avoid expensive, risky migrations while keeping your operations secure and resilient. Walk away with an actionable vision for how to modernize your infrastructure without disruption, increase agility, and cut costs — even before you’re ready to start.
#BankingInnovation #FinancialServices #Compliance #AIReadyData

If you’ve struggled with overcomplicated ETL pipelines, fragile virtual disks, or slow, manual file transfers, this episode is for you. We explain how FlowZ eliminates unnecessary layers, letting you move mainframe files securely, quickly, and in open formats — with no code and no drama.

You’ll learn:

• Why VirtualZ built FlowZ — and what problems it solves.

• How FlowZ works to deliver lightweight, bidirectional file sharing.

• How FlowZ fits into the broader VirtualZ portfolio alongside PropelZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™ — helping you modernize all your data access needs.

• Why FlowZ is ideal for backups, hybrid workflows, file-level AI, and more.

Discover how to modernize your mainframe data access — securely, simply, affordably, and on your terms.

For more information, visit virtualzcomputing.com or email us at hello@virtualzcomputing.com.

What you’ll learn:

• Why legacy ETL & CDC fail for real-time AI and analytics

• Inside PropelZ’s three-stage architecture (ingest ▸ transform ▸ deliver)

• Incremental updates & zIIP-eligible performance

• One-click targets: Amazon SageMaker & S3, Google Vertex AI, Azure ML, IBM watsonx, Postgres, Snowflake, more

• Flat-rate pricing: $50 K/yr, unlimited data, 5 certified JDBC drivers

You’ll learn:

• Why traditional ETL is too costly and slow for modern data needs

• How PropelZ installs directly on z/OS and runs on zIIP engines for cost efficiency

• How PropelZ handles VSAM, SMF, sequential datasets, and even console messages

• How incremental data updates and interactive execution reduce batch windows

• How to use PropelZ for report migration, legacy tape offloading, data warehousing, and observability (including Splunk)

• Why PropelZ delivers high performance without moving data through a middle tier

The session includes a deep dive into the product’s architecture, real-world use cases, and performance advantages—plus insight into why to choose PropelZ over expensive, complex alternatives.

Jeanne breaks down why mainframe data remains essential for training AI models, and how VirtualZ’s PropelZ™ solution eliminates the complexity of traditional ETL and data replication.

You'll learn how to:

• Seamlessly connect IBM Z data to Vertex AI and BigQuery

• Deliver governed, AI-ready data without writing a single line of code

• Accelerate time-to-insight for predictive and generative AI

• Enable hybrid data architectures without disruption

If your AI strategy is ready—but your data isn’t—this episode is for you.

🎧 Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com

In this episode of Skyward Data, we explore how VirtualZ Computing makes AWS Transform actionable for mainframe environments—unlocking mission-critical data instantly and securely, with no code, no disruption, and no replication.

You'll learn how VirtualZ’s patented software suite—PropelZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™—bridges the gap between IBM Z and AWS services like SageMaker, Lambda, Redshift, and Amazon S3. Whether your goal is to modernize applications, accelerate AI, optimize storage, or ensure compliance, this episode shows how you can do it without rewriting or rehosting.

If your organization is navigating AWS Transform and still runs on IBM Z, this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Why mainframe data access stalls modernization

• How VirtualZ eliminates legacy integration friction

• Real-world AWS use cases powered by PropelZ, Lozen, and Zaac

• What makes VirtualZ different—and why it works for hybrid cloud

Learn more: https://virtualzcomputing.com

Listen in as we cover:

• How Zaac integrates GitHub directly into Z/OS using standard Fuse drivers

• Why mainframe teams no longer need to choose between modern toolchains and traditional workflows

• How developers can edit, compile, and manage code in GitHub from both cloud and mainframe environments—without any sync errors

• Real-world productivity gains from removing build delays and replication steps

• Support for iSCSI, NFS, S3, and other modern storage protocols—all accessible as mainframe disk or tape

Whether you're managing legacy COBOL or building Java applications, Zaac makes it easier to modernize DevOps processes while maintaining full compatibility with your existing tools.

🎙️ Prefer to see it in action? Watch the full webinar on our YouTube channel.
📩 Questions or want a custom demo? Email us at hello@virtualz.com

#MainframeModernization #DevOps #GitHub #IBMZ #VirtualZ #HybridCloud #SkywardData

You’ll get a quick overview of PropelZ’s architecture — built on a powerful three-tier pipeline for real-time or batch processing of SMF records and console messages — and see how organizations are using it to feed mainframe data into cloud-native platforms for security, compliance, and performance monitoring.

Highlights include:

• Real-time vs. batch input options

• API-based output for Splunk and other platforms

• Easy install and configuration — often running in under an hour

• Flat-fee pricing and flexible JDBC support

Tune in to hear how PropelZ can replace months of setup with a plug-and-play solution for streaming mainframe log data.

Questions or topics? Email us at hello@virtualzcomputing.com

Key Topics

· Eliminating ETL Headaches: Learn how PropelZ’s no-code solutions reduce complexity and costs.

· Accelerating AI and Analytics: Enable real-time data access for faster insights and decision-making.

· Customer Use Cases: Explore real-world examples of organizations successfully modernizing their relational databases with VirtualZ.

What Experts Are Saying

Jerry Edgington, Senior Solutions and Innovation Consultant, Mainline Information Systems

Read the blog and join us to learn how VirtualZ can help you unlock the value of your relational database data, streamline workflows, and drive innovation — all without disrupting your existing systems.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how PropelZ can transform your relational database strategy.

In an era dominated by disruption, organizations with mainframe systems seek to achieve business agility in response, but they're finding it difficult given the vast amount of data involved.

In this webinar hosted by TechChannel, VirtualZ discusses real-time, read-write data access solutions that can transform the combination of mainframe and cloud data access into a modern, competitive advantage — from any platform, anytime, anywhere.

IBM Z mainframes remain the foundation of enterprise IT, processing mission-critical transactions and housing vast amounts of business data. As organizations move toward hybrid cloud architectures and modern analytics platforms, accessing mainframe data in real time is essential.

For years, Change Data Capture (CDC) has been the default method for synchronizing mainframe data with cloud and distributed systems. However, CDC is an expensive, complex, and high-maintenance solution that requires constant monitoring, manual tuning, and resource-intensive processes.

VirtualZ Computing eliminates the need for traditional CDC by enabling direct, secure access to mainframe data without replication, ETL pipelines, or ongoing maintenance. Our approach reduces costs, simplifies operations, and accelerates cloud adoption—allowing enterprises to leverage real-time mainframe data without the headaches of CDC.

Marc, with over four decades in technology, shares insights from his days writing COBOL compilers to his current role at VirtualZ, while Todd, founder at Paperkite.ai, brings his expertise as a former Chief Data Governance and Privacy Officer. They explore how metadata serves as "the language of data governance" and discuss the critical challenges of implementing responsible AI in regulated industries.

This episode offers invaluable perspectives on legacy system migrations, regulatory compliance, and the future of enterprise data management.

Overview

Organizations leveraging IBM Z mainframes often encounter significant challenges when it comes to accessing and integrating their data into modern applications.

This is where Lozen™ steps in, offering a powerful solution for real-time, read-write access to mainframe data across various platforms.

With its OpenAPI Connector, Lozen enables seamless integration with Azure Logic Apps, allowing organizations to automate workflows without extensive coding or complex configurations.

Lozen’s OpenAPI Connector enables organizations to access mainframe data, such as VSAM files, from any OpenAPI-compliant application. This means applications can interact with mainframe data using familiar OpenAPI objects, eliminating the need for custom coding.

Key Features of Lozen’s OpenAPI Connector

1. Seamless Integration: Effortlessly access mainframe data from Azure Logic Apps workflows without custom coding.

2. Real-Time Access: Automate workflows that require immediate interaction with mainframe datasets.

3. Declarative Configuration: Simplified setup through a user-friendly interface.

Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) face growing challenges in securing mainframe data while ensuring smooth integration with modern platforms.

This podcast explores the latest trends in mainframe security, addresses

the challenges of data governance, and presents practical strategies to

protect and leverage mainframe data in an increasingly complex threat

landscape.

However, is decommissioning the only path forward? We explore how VirtualZ Computing offers innovative solutions that allow organizations to modernize their IT ecosystems without abandoning their mainframes. By addressing the root causes—outdated tools and processes—VirtualZ enables seamless integration with contemporary technologies, ensuring that the mainframe remains a valuable asset in today's hybrid IT environments.​

Lozen™ offers several connectors to enable mainframe data access to a broad range of applications. In this blog, we explain two of these in more detail:

The Lozen OpenAPI Connector, which makes it possible to access mainframe data, such as VSAM files, from any OpenAPI application (such as Microsoft Azure Logic Apps, Boomi, TIBCO, and more)

The Lozen API, a stand-alone, streamlined version of our native interface with a callable library and encapsulated logic that makes mainframe data access as efficient as possible

Connectors are valuable extensions to Lozen, allowing Lozen customers to have simple and secure access to mainframe data from an increasing number of application environments, with high performance and data integrity.

VirtualZ now offers Integrating Mainframe Data with Splunk, a no-code solution based on PropelZ™ that simplifies the process of capturing, transforming, and integrating mainframe logs with Splunk, enabling seamless integration and real-time visibility across platforms without the complexity.

Why Mainframe Logs Matter in a Modern IT Ecosystem. Mainframe logs, particularly console messages, are more than just records of system activity—they are the pulse of the enterprise. They provide:

- Real-Time Monitoring: Helping IT teams identify performance issues or security threats as they arise.

- Compliance and Auditing: Offering a detailed trail of system activity to meet regulatory requirements.

- Proactive Management: Allowing organizations to stay ahead of potential problems with automated alerts and responses.

When these logs are integrated into a platform like Splunk, they gain even more value. Splunk’s powerful analytics and visualization tools make it easier to uncover patterns, detect anomalies, and gain actionable insights.

The Challenge: Integrating Mainframe Logs with Splunk

While Splunk excels at aggregating and analyzing data from various sources, mainframe logs don’t natively fit into this ecosystem. Issues like incompatible formats, complex workflows, and the need for manual intervention make integration daunting.

For many organizations, the result is siloed mainframe logs that are either underutilized or manually processed—an inefficient approach that undermines the potential of real-time insights.

The Solution: PropelZ for Mainframe Log Integration. PropelZ changes the game by offering a simple, no-code solution to integrate mainframe logs with Splunk. Here’s how PropelZ bridges the gap:

- Real-Time Log Capture: PropelZ captures mainframe console messages and logs as they occur, ensuring no critical event is missed.

- Data Transformation Made Easy: Mainframe logs are processed and enriched to align with Splunk’s ingestion formats. PropelZ adds useful metadata like timestamps and severity levels, making the data ready for analysis.

- Seamless Integration: PropelZ sends logs directly to Splunk via its HTTP Event Collector (HEC) or other ingestion methods. Logs can also be stored in databases or cloud environments for preprocessing before integration.

- Automation at Its Best: PropelZ enables custom workflows and alerting, automating responses to critical events in real time.

Getting Started: Using PropelZ to Connect Mainframe Logs to Splunk. Integrating mainframe logs with Splunk is simpler than you might think:

- Set Up Splunk Integration: PropelZ uses Splunk’s HEC to seamlessly send logs into Splunk.

- Capture Logs in Real Time: Install PropelZ on your mainframe to collect logs and console messages as they happen.

- Enrich and Transform: PropelZ processes and prepares the data for Splunk, aligning it with your requirements.

- Automate Processes: PropelZ can trigger scripts, workflows, or alerts based on specific log events, enabling proactive system management.

Benefits of Using PropelZ for Splunk Integration. By using PropelZ, organizations can:

- Simplify Log Integration: PropelZ automates the process, eliminating the need for custom coding or manual workflows.

- Enhance Visibility: Gain real-time access to mainframe logs in Splunk for a unified view of system performance.

- Reduce Costs: PropelZ runs on zIIP processors, optimizing resource utilization and lowering costs.

- Scale Effortlessly: PropelZ handles large log volumes, ensuring smooth operations as data grows.

- Boost Automation: Enable event-driven responses and proactive management with customizable workflows.

Real-World Applications. Here’s how organizations are using PropelZ to enhance their IT ecosystems:

- Operational Monitoring: Achieve full visibility into system performance by integrating mainframe logs with Splunk.

- Compliance and Auditing: Use Splunk to analyze and archive mainframe logs for regulatory compliance.

- Event-Driven Automation: Respond to critical events in real time with automated alerts and workflows.?

Conclusion: A Unified IT Ecosystem Starts Here

Mainframe logs hold a wealth of information, but their true potential is only realized when they’re integrated into modern log management platforms like Splunk. PropelZ makes this integration seamless, empowering organizations to break down silos and unlock real-time insights across their IT environment.

If you’re ready to simplify your log management and leverage the full power of your mainframe data, PropelZ offers a no-code solution tailored to your needs.

During this podcast you will learn how to use PropelZ to push data from your mainframe directly to your preferred database. Once there, you can use the capabilities you’re already familiar with to transform and analyze your dataset. This process is ideal for times when you don’t need full real-time, read-write access.

Push a copy of mainframe data at a fraction of the cost of legacy ETL solutions. PropelZ lets you easily put mainframe data to use in a hybrid cloud environment, taking advantage of the database tools you already know.

We explore how organizations are:​

• Embracing hybrid cloud models to enhance scalability and flexibility.
• Integrating AI and machine learning to drive predictive analytics and operational efficiency.
• Adopting DevOps and agile methodologies to accelerate development cycles.
• Transitioning to microservices and API-driven architectures for improved modularity and integration.
• Modernizing legacy codebases to align with current technological standards.
• Enhancing security and compliance measures in response to evolving regulatory landscapes.
• Leveraging data analytics to derive actionable insights from mainframe data.
• Focusing on sustainability and green IT initiatives to reduce environmental impact.
• Investing in skill development to bridge the talent gap in mainframe expertise.
• Integrating edge computing to process data closer to its source for real-time responsiveness.
• Adopting open-source solutions to foster innovation and reduce vendor lock-in.​

Discover how VirtualZ Computing's solutions—Lozen™, PropelZ™, and Zaac™—connect, access, and use data faster — fueling smarter decisions and accelerated outcomes.

Tune in to gain insights into the strategies and tools that are redefining mainframe modernization in 2025.​

The session outlines a comprehensive understanding of the 'modernize in place' concept as it pertains to mainframe systems. We discuss how businesses can innovate with their existing mainframe environments, integrate with modern applications, and improve business agility without the need for total system overhauls or migrations. We also explore strategies for optimizing data access within these robust systems. Explore the exciting potential of mainframe modernization, the critical role of real-time data access, and how these elements can work together to drive your business forward in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

This podcast explores the significance of SMF data, the complexities of managing it, and VirtualZ’s innovative solutions to address these challenges through effective data management strategies, including unified access to various management logs.

However, as organizations modernize their data strategies, they face challenges in integrating legacy systems, ensuring data quality, and achieving real-time insights. This podcast explores the evolution of data lakes and warehouses, the opportunities they create, and the challenges businesses must overcome to succeed in this new era.

VirtualZ Computing’s Lozen and PropelZ provide essential tools for integrating mainframe data into MuleSoft’s event-driven ecosystem. By simplifying real-time read-write access and data transformation, these solutions ensure that organizations can access and correlate mainframe data with other sources, driving faster insights and improved business agility.

Benefits of Lozen and PropelZ to Integrate Mainframe Data with MuleSoft

1. Real-Time Data Correlation: Lozen and PropelZ allow organizations to correlate mainframe data with other event-driven sources in MuleSoft, resulting in better insights and faster decision-making.

2. Simplified Integration: With native connectors and no-code interfaces, Lozen and PropelZ eliminate the complexity of traditional ETL processes, facilitating easier integration into modern cloud ecosystems.

3. Cost and Resource Efficiency: Lozen reduces MIPS consumption by offloading data access tasks, while PropelZ automates data extraction and transformation, minimizing infrastructure and operational costs.

4. Enhanced Scalability: Both Lozen and PropelZ offer flexible, scalable solutions, making it easier for organizations to expand their data access capabilities across platforms as business needs evolve.

Maintaining data integrity, ensuring compliance, and minimizing risk—while enabling seamless access to mainframe data—are vital priorities for enterprises that operate in highly regulated industries. VirtualZ’s solutions, Lozen and PropelZ, address these challenges head-on, providing secure, compliant, and efficient tools for data governance and real-time data

access.

Key Topics

· Real-time data access for AI-driven modernization.

· How VirtualZ reduces costs and risks while accelerating innovation.

· Customer Use Cases

What Experts Are Saying

“Lozen was incredibly easy to install and configure. The step-by-step documentation made the process seamless, and with responsive support, everything worked as expected on the first try. Even with our complex AWS and mainframe environment, Lozen integrated smoothly, ensuring secure, real-time data access.” Gilberto Biondo, Sr. Specialized Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how VirtualZ can help your organization unlock the full potential of AI-driven modernization.

Bonus: Download our White Paper, AI and Application Modernization, to dive deeper into the topic.

Join Dustin Froyum (Co-Founder and SVP of Global Alliances) and Mark Potts (VP of Global Services) to learn how our suite of products allows you to access data from any platform, anywhere, and leverage that data to power better applications and experiences. Whether you need real-time, read-write access or ad-hoc access, we have the solution to help.

VirtualZ Computing™ is the first woman-founded, woman-led, and Native American-founded and -led mainframe software provider in the history of the mainframe industry. The company empowers organizations to innovate and thrive in hybrid cloud environments by delivering easy, consistent, and secure access to their most valuable resource: their data.

The challenges companies face in hybrid cloud environments often arise because of data access issues. Running applications across a mixture of mainframe, cloud, and distributed environments proposes many hurdles that introduce added costs, time, data inaccuracies, and security risks

Our suite of products allows you to access data from any platform, anywhere, and leverage that data to power better applications and experiences. Whether you need real-time read-write access or a one-time data pull, we have a solution to help.

Our suite of products allows you to access data from any platform, anywhere, and leverage that data to power better applications and experiences. Whether you need real-time read-write access or a one-time data pull, we have a solution to help.

1. PropelZ™ makes it simple to create a copy of mainframe data whenever needed for experimentation or analysis in hybrid cloud environments. PropelZ enables organizations to push a copy of mainframe data for just a fraction of the cost of legacy ETL solutions, and it is ideal for use cases that don’t require real-time, read-write access.

2. Lozen™. Our patented product, Lozen™ software, allows you to leave data where it is — securely on the IBM Z platform — eliminating the need to replicate or “lift and shift” data with ETL or Change Data Capture.

3. Zaac™ connects IBM Z mainframe applications directly to cloud storage, allowing organizations to quickly provision additional storage without the need for physical devices or complex configurations. Spin mainframe storage up and down on demand.

Whether you need real-time read-write access or a one-time data pull, we have a solution to help.

Despite the promise of AI, one of the most persistent challenges remains: accessing legacy data stored in mainframe environments. While AI-driven tools can replatform applications and rewrite legacy code, they often struggle to integrate with mainframe data architectures.

Traditional methods like Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes and Change Data Capture (CDC) introduce complexity, cost, and performance bottlenecks that hinder modernization efforts.

VirtualZ Computing addresses this challenge by providing seamless, real-time access to mainframe data for modern cloud and AI environments—without the need for replication, transformation, or ETL pipelines. Although VirtualZ does not develop AI solutions or modernize applications directly, our technology eliminates one of the most significant barriers to modernization: ensuring reliable, secure, and efficient access to mainframe data.

With Lozen, custom and packaged applications running anywhere — in the cloud, on distributed platforms or on mobile devices — have real-time, read-write access to always-in-sync data on the IBM Z platform.

Empower Your Modern Hybrid Cloud Applications With Lozen

1. Provide real-time, read-write access to your business-critical mainframe data, where and when it’s needed most.

2. Improve your agility and support smarter business decisions with complete, consistent, and up-to-date data.

3. Deliver better apps and drive better business outcomes, all without compromising security or efficiency.

Leave Day-Old Data Where It Belongs: In The Past

No more relying on stale data to make important decisions. Eliminate the frustration of inaccurate information, costly manual processes, and waiting a day or longer for data to refresh. Lozen is the real-time, no-code alternative for connecting mainframe data to modern apps. Deliver better apps, drive better outcomes.

The Lozen Story

Our revolutionary data access solution was inspired by an Apache warrior and battlefield strategist named Lozen. As the first woman-founded, woman-led IBM Z ISV in history — and with Native American and diverse heritage across our team — Lozen’s story threads deeply within VirtualZ.

Yet, with this transition comes the challenge of migrating complex, data-heavy mainframe systems to modern cloud environments without disrupting business operations.

Application modernization is not just about moving workloads from onpremise servers to the cloud. It's about reimagining how systems, applications, and data can be managed, accessed, and scaled. It’s a strategy for future-proofing IT infrastructures while ensuring security, reducing

operational costs, and improving business agility.

In this episode, we discuss key trends in application modernization and the need for flexible, cost-effective, and secure application modernization solutions has never been more critical.

VirtualZ Computing’s solutions—Lozen, PropelZ, and Zaac—provide a comprehensive pathway for organizations to modernize their mainframe applications and data.

By addressing the challenges of real-time data access, hybrid cloud integration, and incremental migration, VirtualZ empowers businesses to innovate and remain competitive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.

• Enable broader data access at a lower cost.

• Unlock faster, simpler application migration.

• Gain simple and secure access to mainframe data from multiple application environments.

• Improve ETL and other existing legacy solutions with higher performance and lower costs.

Unlock Microsoft Azure with Lozen, PropelZ, and Zaac

As organizations embark on their digital transformation journeys, the seamless integration of on-premises mainframe environments with cloud platforms becomes increasingly vital.

VirtualZ™ Solutions for Azure provides an innovative approach to bridge the gap between IBM Z mainframes and Microsoft Azure. Based on our innovative products Lozen™, PropelZ™, and Zaac™, this solution empowers organizations to access, manage, and modernize their data effortlessly, unlocking the full potential of a hybrid cloud strategy.

Join us as we break down the key trends driving modernization, including:

• The shift toward cloud migration and hybrid-cloud strategies to improve scalability and efficiency.

• The growing demand for real-time analytics and AI/ML to power next-generation decision-making.

• Increasing regulatory and compliance pressures driving enterprises to rethink legacy infrastructure.

• The need for cost optimization and operational efficiency as businesses modernize their IT environments.

• The rise of no-code and low-code solutions to address legacy skill shortages and accelerate digital transformation.

We’ll also discuss how legacy ETL and change data capture methods are becoming outdated, costly, and inefficient, and why businesses are moving toward direct, real-time access solutions for AI, analytics, security, and storage modernization.

VirtualZ’s no-code solutions—Lozen™, PropelZ™, and Zaac™—eliminate complexity and provide secure, real-time mainframe-to-cloud integration, empowering organizations to:

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• Seamlessly integrate mainframe data into AI/ML models, analytics platforms, and SaaS applications.
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• Enhance security and compliance with automated data governance.
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• Optimize storage and business continuity with hybrid-cloud solutions.
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Whether you're a CIO, IT leader, or data strategist, this episode will provide actionable insights into how VirtualZ Computing helps enterprises modernize mainframe data access for hybrid-cloud environments—without disruption, complexity, or excessive costs.

Tune in now and discover how to unlock the full potential of your mainframe data in the hybrid cloud era!

Lozen™ eliminates the need for costly #data replication or complex "lift and shift" migrations. With real-time, read-write access to data directly on the IBM Z platform, Lozen simplifies ETL workflows, enabling faster data transformation and integration across hybrid cloud environments. Its no-code capabilities streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and ensure data security and compliance by keeping data in its original location.

Join us to learn more!

enterprises, providing reliable, secure, and scalable infrastructure. However, as

businesses undergo digital transformation, there is increasing pressure to

modernize mainframe storage solutions to accommodate the growing

demands of hybrid cloud environments, big data analytics, and cost

management.

This thought leadership podcast examines the top trends currently shaping

mainframe storage, along with the challenges organizations face in adapting

to these changes. The shift towards more flexible, cost-efficient, and scalable

storage solutions has introduced opportunities and risks for organizations

relying on mainframe systems. We also explore how businesses can

leverage emerging technologies to overcome these challenges and optimize

their mainframe storage strategies

Vince delves into how PropelZ enables enterprises to bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern hybrid cloud environments. Learn how it empowers businesses to achieve real-time observability, consolidate system logs, preserve critical data for historical analysis, and automate responses to mission-critical events—all while maintaining cost efficiency and flexibility.

From enabling resilient multi-cloud strategies to transforming historical mainframe data into actionable insights, Vince offers an unfiltered look at the future of mainframe observability and how VirtualZ is driving innovation.

Join us on Skyward Data as Vince Re reveals how PropelZ is rewriting the rules of mainframe data integration, paving the way for the next generation of enterprise technology. Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes conversation with one of the brightest minds in mainframe innovation!

VirtualZ Computing’s Lozen and PropelZ provide essential tools for integrating mainframe data into MuleSoft’s event-driven ecosystem. By simplifying real-time read-write access and data transformation, these solutions ensure that organizations can access and correlate mainframe data with other sources, driving faster insights and improved business agility.

Benefits of Lozen and PropelZ to Integrate Mainframe Data with MuleSoft

1. Real-Time Data Correlation: Lozen and PropelZ allow organizations to correlate mainframe data with other event-driven sources in MuleSoft, resulting in better insights and faster decision-making.

2. Simplified Integration: With native connectors and no-code interfaces, Lozen and PropelZ eliminate the complexity of traditional ETL processes, facilitating easier integration into modern cloud ecosystems.

3. Cost and Resource Efficiency: Lozen reduces MIPS consumption by offloading data access tasks, while PropelZ automates data extraction and transformation, minimizing infrastructure and operational costs.

4. Enhanced Scalability: Both Lozen and PropelZ offer flexible, scalable solutions, making it easier for organizations to expand their data access capabilities across platforms as business needs evolve.

Jeanne will discuss out of the box, no-code, real-time access to mainframe data — and mainframe applications’ real-time access to data in the cloud.

Join us for this brief, enlightening session!

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This is just one of several quick, robust presentations included in CMG’s, “What are you doing to modernize your customers on the mainframe?

Business-critical data is stored in a variety of locations — in the cloud, on SAN devices, or in SaaS applications, just to name a few. Until now, the mainframe has not been empowered with equivalent data access capabilities to these other platforms.

What can Zaac do for me?

With Zaac, the mainframe is elevated so that it has the same data access capabilities as any other platform. Applications running on IBM Z now have real-time, read-write access to data on other storage platforms and to data created by applications running in the cloud and on distributed platforms.

Zaac maintains existing mainframe-level security, letting you control user access to cloud data and securely manage multiple data source connections simultaneously. It’s based on open standards and protocols, simplifying data source integration — and Zaac’s streamlined process makes it very easy to deploy.

Zaac operates under the concept of “IBM Z as a Client” — allowing mainframe applications to read and write data from other platforms in real time the way a client would.

Vince introduces Lozen, a powerful solution that simplifies this problem by offering seamless, no-code access to mainframe data. With Lozen, businesses can access their mainframe data as if it were stored on any other platform, making it easy to integrate with analytics and reporting tools. Lozen also features a data transformation engine, enabling organizations to convert complex mainframe data into universally understandable formats like CSV, XML, and JSON, ensuring that no matter the tool, the data is ready for analysis.

Additionally, Vince highlights how Lozen’s use of metadata, such as COBOL copybooks, allows users to automatically adapt to changes in data formats without needing to write custom code. This flexibility ensures that businesses can streamline their operations, reduce costs, and eliminate the ongoing maintenance headaches that come with traditional methods of data extraction and transformation.

Tune in to hear how Lozen unlocks the power of mainframe data for business intelligence, analytics, and beyond.

Learn how PropelZ™ seamlessly integrates with any database supporting a JDBC driver, enabling smooth, efficient data transfers. Dive deep into PropelZ’s key features and powerful capabilities, and discover how it can transform your data management strategies. Don’t miss this chance to leverage your mainframe data like never before! Watch now!

What You'll Learn:

1. How PropelZ enables real-time mainframe data streaming to cloud and BI platforms like Tableau, Snowflake, and Power BI.

2. Key differences between PropelZ and traditional SQL-based solutions like IBM DVM.

3. The architecture of PropelZ and how it eliminates the need for SQL expertise and complex ETL processes.

4. A demo showcasing end-to-end data movement from the mainframe to MySQL and into Tableau in minutes.

5. Cost-effective licensing and pricing details, including enterprise-wide deployment benefits.

6. Use cases beyond BI, such as mainframe tape migration, SMF data streaming, and log management.

This podcast is a must for CIOs, IT leaders, and data professionals looking to unlock their mainframe data for business intelligence and cloud analytics. Watch the full session now and see how PropelZ transforms mainframe data access for modern enterprises!

VirtualZ is modernizing mainframe data access in a simple, efficient, cutting-edge way that is empowering data stores — ensuring they become more than just repositories in today’s modern hybrid cloud environments.

During this podcast, we discuss:

• Understanding Data Stores: Dive into what constitutes a data store and its significance in today's digital ecosystem. Discover the versatility of data stores in handling everything from structured data like database tables to unstructured data like emails and videos.

• Exploring Use Cases Across Industries: Uncover how diverse sectors leverage data stores to drive decision-making, efficiency, and outcomes. Whether it’s retail gaining insights into customer behaviors or insurance streamlining claims processing, learn how data stores serve as the backbone for analytics, machine learning, and more.

Discover the specific advantages of VirtualZ software for your data stores. Learn about its incremental, scheduled update functionality that bypasses the inefficiencies of continuous full data set replication, thus fostering agility, supporting intelligent business insights, and delivering impactful results at a fraction of the cost.

This podcast illustrates how VirtualZ can transform your data store strategy, ensuring your organization remains at the forefront of innovation and efficiency.

In today’s highly regulated industries like banking and finance, properly managed System Management Facility (SMF) data is not just an operational necessity — it’s a legal requirement.

Organizations are tasked with storing, managing, and preserving SMF records, which track every action on a mainframe for potentially many years. The volume of SMF data can be staggering, with larger enterprises producing terabytes of data daily. Managing this data effectively, securely, and at low cost has long been a challenge.

Capturing and preserving SMF data is crucial, but the real value comes from leveraging that data across various applications. Many of these applications (such as log management, intrusion detection systems, and AI-driven capacity planning tools) are not hosted on the mainframe. Organizations need seamless access to SMF data in these cloud-based or distributed systems to enable real-time insights, security monitoring, and operational intelligence.

• Real-Time Data Capture: Whether you have one system or hundreds generating SMF data, PropelZ consolidates it all into a single, unified stream.
• Seamless Cloud Integration: PropelZ pushes SMF records to a customer’s preferred cloud environment — including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure — with no need for additional manual processes. The data is securely stored in low-cost cloud storage, ensuring long-term archiving and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Cost-Effective Archiving: By utilizing cloud storage, organizations can store SMF data in a highly scalable and secure environment. PropelZ allows for the automatic maintenance of these records in the cloud, ensuring they are readily available for audits, inquiries, or other needs without the high costs associated with traditional storage methods.
• Data Accessibility & Querying: Once in the cloud, SMF records are stored in a database, making them easily accessible for analysis and reporting. Users can run complex queries such as retrieving all SMF records from specific time frames or performing data analytics for business intelligence — all without needing to manually merge or process data sets.
• Eliminating Data Loss: One of the key benefits of PropelZ’s real-time integration is its ability to reduce the risk of data loss. Traditional methods, which rely on periodic data set switches, can sometimes lead to small amounts of data being lost if a system crashes. With PropelZ, records are captured as they are written, significantly reducing this risk.

PropelZ empowers businesses to correlate mainframe activity with broader enterprise-wide data, offering a more holistic view of security, performance, and operational health.

• Reduce the cost of your mainframe storage by leveraging cloud, SAN, and physical storage.

• Improve redundancy by leveraging more than one storage solution.

Business-critical data is stored in a variety of locations — in the cloud, on SAN devices, or in SaaS applications, just to name a few. Until now, the mainframe has not been empowered with equivalent data access capabilities as these other platforms.

That’s where Zaac comes in. Zaac operates under the concept of “IBM Z as a Client” — allowing mainframe applications to read and write data from other platforms in real time the way a client would.

Zaac Use Cases:

1. Application Modernization

2. Instant Mainframe Storage

3. Mainframe Tape to Cloud

4. Mainframe Data for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Any mainframe application, any type of storage.

Zaac removes the barrier between the mainframe and other data sources, allowing mainframe applications to process and update non-mainframe data as if it were stored locally, no matter where it is.

It provides mainframe applications with real-time, read-write access to any data, anywhere. And it does this without requiring mountains of code or a complex architecture to maintain – the no-code approach lets you access the data directly and maintain that access easily.

Zaac is the only solution that does all this. Any application that can reference local files can reference the cloud or any other non-mainframe data source. That includes apps connecting to low-cost local storage devices sitting right in your own data center.

Best of all, you don’t even have to lose any of the mainframe’s classic strengths. You still have full security and the ability to set policies on what apps can reference what data.

Watch the full demo to see how easy it is to harness the power of your mainframe data with PropelZ!

During this podcast, Dustin Froyum (Co-Founder and SVP of Global Alliances) and Richard Philyaw (Chief Architect) will discuss the power of Lozen for your incremental application migration projects. In addition to a brief demonstration of Lozen's out of the box integration with Micro Focus Enterprise Server, we will review how Lozen will expedite your project while reducing risk, complexity, and cost.

Are you migrating some mainframe applications to the cloud while leaving others in place? If so, this podcast is for you!

1. Real-Time Data Access

Lozen provides read-write access to mainframe data across hybrid cloud environments without replication, allowing real-time decision-making.

2. Incremental Migration

VirtualZ enables phased migration of applications and workloads, reducing the complexity and risks associated with large-scale, multi-year projects. This approach minimizes downtime while providing flexibility.

3. No-Code Integration

PropelZ simplifies the extraction and integration of mainframe data into modern databases or data lakes with a no-code utility, eliminating traditional ETL complexities.

4. Eliminate Data Silos

Zaac connects mainframe applications to cloud storage, ensuring seamless, secure access to diverse data sources without the need for complex custom architectures.

5. Cloud & On-Prem Compatibility

The solution supports integration with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud) and on-premise storage, providing flexibility based on organizational needs.

6. Security and Compliance

VirtualZ’s software ensures that all data access and migration activities meet the highest standards of security and compliance, critical for industries with stringent regulations.

The integration of Lozen with Rocket Enterprise Server allows businesses to:

1. Seamlessly Access Mainframe Data

Enable COBOL applications running on distributed platforms (Windows, Linux) to access VSAM data on the IBM Z mainframe without code modifications, ensuring continuity during migrations.

2. Enhance Security and Reduce Costs

Keep mainframe data securely on the IBM Z platform without the need for replication, significantly lowering both costs and risks associated with data transfers.

3. Streamline Migration Processes

Ensure that COBOL workloads can move to cloud or distributed environments without disrupting data dependencies, leading to faster, safer migrations.

4. Align with Modern Data Strategies

Modernize data strategies by leveraging existing mainframe data while integrating seamlessly with cloud environments.

Vince provides a technical deep dive into how Lozen, VirtualZ Computing's game changing data access solution, works to save time and reduce the cost of application migration - all while keeping data securely on the IBM Z platform.

With Lozen, you can greatly reduce ETL, change data capture and other legacy data access methods with real-time, read-write access to data on IBM Z - from migrated or packaged applications - running in the cloud and on distributed platforms.

Thousands of cloud and distributed applications require access to data residing on the mainframe.

Legacy data access methods, such as ETL, FTP and API's are costly "lift and shift" approaches that require data replication and multiple terabytes of sensitive data traversing back and forth across your network.

With Lozen, your data remains where it is, always in-sync, securely on the mainframe, maintaining a single source of truth throughout your organization.

Lozen™ eliminates the need for costly data replication or complex "lift and shift" migrations. With real-time, read-write access to data directly on the IBM Z platform, Lozen simplifies ETL workflows, enabling faster data transformation and integration across hybrid cloud environments. Its no-code capabilities streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and ensure data security and compliance by keeping data in its original location. Lozen empowers businesses to modernize their data strategies while supporting analytics, reporting, and digital transformation initiatives with unparalleled efficiency.

Key Highlights:

PropelZ™: Simplifying Mainframe Data Migration to AWS. PropelZ enables organizations to transfer mainframe data (e.g., VSAM files, sequential files, and tape datasets) to AWS databases and data lakes like Amazon RDS, Aurora, and Snowflake without complex ETL processes. The solution transforms mainframe data into structured, platform-neutral formats, making it accessible for analytics, AI/ML, and reporting. PropelZ supports incremental updates, allowing organizations to sync only changed data, reducing bandwidth usage and accelerating migration timelines.

Lozen™: Real-Time Mainframe Data Access Without Replication. Lozen™ provides real-time, read-write access to mainframe data from AWS applications, eliminating the need for data replication or CDC. This capability is ideal for modernizing COBOL applications, enabling them to run in the cloud while accessing mainframe data securely and efficiently.

Lozen™ ensures data integrity and security by keeping sensitive data on the mainframe while allowing controlled access for cloud applications.

Zaac™: Optimizing Mainframe Storage with AWS. Zaac™ replaces traditional mainframe storage (DASD and tape) with scalable, cost-effective cloud storage solutions like Amazon EBS, EFS, and S3. The solution ensures high performance, data resiliency, and seamless integration with AWS storage services, making it ideal for hybrid cloud environments. Zaac’s journaling capabilities provide near-zero recovery point objectives (RPO), ensuring data consistency and reliability even during network disruptions.

Hybrid Cloud Use Cases

The session highlighted real-world use cases, including AI/ML initiatives, real-time analytics, legacy application modernization, and disaster recovery. VirtualZ solutions enable organizations to modernize at their own pace, ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud without disrupting existing operations.

Why VirtualZ?

1. Eliminate Complex ETL Processes: VirtualZ solutions eliminate the need for costly and complex CDC and ETL processes, enabling faster, more efficient data integration.

2. Cost Efficiency: Reduce operational costs by minimizing data replication and leveraging AWS’s scalable, pay-as-you-go storage solutions.

3. Enhanced Security: Maintain mainframe-grade security and compliance while enabling cloud access to sensitive data.

4. Accelerate Modernization: VirtualZ solutions enable enterprises to modernize at their own pace, ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud without disrupting existing operations.

Discover how VirtualZ can help you unlock the full potential of your mainframe data in the cloud.

Richard discusses our integration with Micro Focus and how you can eliminate ETL, change data capture and other legacy data access methods with real-time, read-write access to data on IBM Z - from migrated or packaged applications - running in the cloud and on distributed platforms.

In just a couple of hours, Jerry was able to prepare the environment, install PropelZ, and integrate it seamlessly into his mainframe setup without any downtime or system disruption.

Learn how PropelZ can transform your mainframe data management with this informative video!

Traditional methods of extracting, transforming, and loading (ETL) mainframe data are often costly, resource-intensive, and time-consuming, requiring weeks or even months to implement changes. These legacy processes can lack agility, create fragile architectures, and fail to maintain the robust security controls inherent to mainframe systems.

Enter PropelZ™, a powerful, mainframe-based solution designed to streamline data migration and integration. Propels operates entirely on the mainframe, eliminating the need for additional platforms or middleware. It leverages metadata, such as COBOL copybooks, to transform mainframe data into structured formats suitable for modern databases like Snowflake, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and more. With PropelZ™, organizations can achieve high-throughput data transfers, incremental processing for near real-time updates, and seamless integration with cloud platforms—all while maintaining mainframe security controls.

Key highlights of the podcast include:

• Efficient Data Migration: PropelZ™ eliminates the need for complex, multi-step ETL processes by directly connecting to mainframe data sources (e.g., VSAM files, sequential files) and transforming data into rows and columns for target databases.

• Incremental Processing: PropelZ™ can scan large datasets and identify changes (inserts, updates, deletes), enabling near real-time synchronization without the overhead of traditional change data capture methods.

• Cost-Effective and Scalable: PropelZ™is ZIP-enabled, reducing mainframe processing costs, and is priced at $50,000 per year for unlimited use within an enterprise, including support for five certified database drivers (Snowflake, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server).

• Flexibility and Agility: PropelZ™ supports ad hoc use cases, allowing semi-technical users to quickly extract and transform data for reporting, analytics, or AI applications. It also enables data masking, filtering, and multiplexing to multiple targets simultaneously.
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• Snowflake Integration: PropelZ™ seamlessly integrates with Snowflake, enabling organizations to leverage Snowflake’s advanced analytics, AI tools (e.g., Copilot), and data warehousing capabilities without the delays and complexities of traditional ETL processes.

Additionally, the webinar introduces Lozen™, another VirtualZ product designed for real-time, read-write access to mainframe data from distributed systems. Unlike Propels, which replicates data to target databases, Lozen™ keeps data on the mainframe while providing secure, file system-based access for distributed applications. This approach ensures data integrity and eliminates synchronization issues, making it ideal for transactional systems requiring real-time updates.

The session concludes with a Q&A, addressing topics such as:

• Replacing traditional ETL tools like Informatica with PropelZ™.
• Supporting non-mainframe data sources and future roadmaps for multi-platform compatibility.
• Handling complex data transformations and maintaining security controls.
• Use cases for government agencies and other industries.

Whether you’re looking to modernize your data strategy, reduce costs, or accelerate time-to-value for cloud analytics, this webinar demonstrates how PropelZ™and Lozen™, can help you unlock the full potential of your mainframe data. Join us to learn how VirtualZ Computing is transforming the way organizations integrate and leverage their mainframe assets in the cloud era.

For more information, visit VirtualZ Computing or contact us at hello@virtualzcomputing.com.

Jeanne Glass, Founder and CEO of VirtualZ, alongside Vince Re, Co-Founder and CTO, share their collective journey of reimagining the mainframe and cloud landscape. In hybrid cloud environments, challenges often stem from data access issues. The complexity of running applications across mainframe, cloud, and distributed environments introduces added costs, time, data inaccuracies, and security risks.

In this session, we explore new paradigms for accessing data from any platform, anywhere, and leveraging it to power better applications and experiences. Whether you need real-time, read-write access or ad-hoc access, we discuss solutions.

Let’s commemorate the 60th anniversary of the mainframe — and discuss propelling the industry forward into a new era of diversity, disruption, and opportunity.

Are you looking to make your mainframe VSAM data accessible to SQL-based platforms like Db2 without the complexity and risk of a full migration? PropelZ from VirtualZ offers a no-code solution that automates the process, enabling seamless data sharing and integration.

Join us for this informative podcast to learn how PropelZ transforms the way businesses handle mainframe data, making it possible to:

· Leverage SQL for powerful querying and analytics.

· Streamline access to VSAM data for non-mainframe applications.

· Integrate seamlessly with modern SQL-based tools and cloud environments.

What You’ll Learn

· The challenges of full VSAM-to-Db2 migration and how sharing data simplifies the process.

· Step-by-step guidance on using PropelZ to automate ETL workflows for Db2 on z/OS.

· Real-world benefits of enabling SQL access to VSAM data, from analytics to cross-platform integration.

· How to reduce costs with zIIP-eligible processing while maintaining mainframe reliability.

PropelZ is available as an enterprise-wide, unlimited-use license through a one-year subscription, covering both the license and maintenance for a flat, transparent fee of $50,000 per year. This allows you to transfer as much mainframe data as needed, as often as required, across your entire enterprise — without additional costs.

Watch the full interview to learn more about Lozen’s installation and best practices.

Join Dustin Froym, Co-founder of VirtualZ, and Vince Re, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, as they address the challenges of integrating mainframe data into WatsonX. Learn how PropelZ simplifies the process by eliminating the complexity of traditional ETL methods while offering built-in data transformation and near real-time updates.

Key topics covered include:

1. Challenges of mainframe data integration in traditional ETL workflows.
2. How PropelZ enables direct access to mainframe data without the need for additional tools like MQ or CICS.
3. The flexibility of Propels to connect with various AI and BI platforms, including WatsonX.
4. Insights into bidirectional data movement between mainframes and WatsonX for enhanced data currency, security, and analytics.

Discover how PropelZ can save resources, boost agility, and modernize your data strategy. Whether you're looking to enhance AI, BI, or analytics initiatives, this webinar provides actionable insights into integrating mainframe data with WatsonX and beyond.

Listen Now and learn how to unlock the full potential of your mainframe data with PropelZ and WatsonX!

A Game-Changer for Modern Data Management

As companies increasingly turn to hybrid cloud environments to enhance their data management strategies, the need for efficient and cost-effective storage solutions has never been greater.

Enter the VirtualZ™ Instant Mainframe Storage solution featuring Zaac™ — designed to seamlessly connect mainframe applications to cloud storage.

What is VirtualZ Instant Mainframe Storage?

VirtualZ Instant Mainframe Storage offers everything organizations need to leverage cloud storage as if it were traditional physical mainframe storage.

Our innovative solution eliminates the need for costly physical storage investments, long shipping times, and complicated setup processes.

With Instant Mainframe Storage, businesses can quickly configure cloud storage solutions and have their mainframe storage operational in no time, all at a fraction of the cost.

Key Features

- Secure Storage On Demand: Organizations can connect IBM Z mainframe applications directly to cloud storage, enabling them to provision additional storage rapidly without the need for physical devices or complex configurations.

- Cost-Effective Solution: By utilizing cloud storage as a backend, customers benefit from low-cost pricing models, paying only for the storage they actually use. This approach can lead to significant savings compared to traditional mainframe storage options, which often involve expensive Direct Access Storage Device (DASD) purchases and maintenance.

- No-Code, Out-of-the-Box Integration: Instant Mainframe Storage is a no-code solution that installs and operates seamlessly. There’s no need for custom code or complicated configurations; mainframe applications gain real-time, read-write access to data stored in the cloud.

- Flexible Storage Options: Our solution allows organizations to use cloud-stored data as if it were traditional mainframe DASD, offering both virtual disk and tape options. This flexibility enables organizations to tailor their storage configurations based on specific needs, such as disaster recovery, backups, or high-performance storage.

Empower Your Modern Hybrid Cloud Applications With Lozen

1. Provide real-time, read-write access to your business-critical mainframe data, where and when it’s needed most.

2. Improve your agility and support smarter business decisions with complete, consistent, and up-to-date data.

3. Deliver better apps and drive better business outcomes, all without compromising security or efficiency.

4. Leave Day-Old Data Where It Belongs: In The Past

No more relying on stale data to make important decisions. Eliminate the frustration of inaccurate information, costly manual processes, and waiting a day or longer for data to refresh. Lozen is the real-time, no-code alternative for connecting mainframe data to modern apps. Deliver better apps, drive better outcomes.

Cost Efficiency

Save significantly on integration costs by leveraging no-code software and eliminating the need for expensive ETL tools.

Seamless Integration

Instantly integrate with cloud platforms like Snowflake, Google BigQuery, and Azure Synapse Analytics using a no-code solution, reducing time-to-market and development efforts.

Scalability and Flexibility

Easily scale data storage and processing capabilities to meet evolving business demands without the need for additional physical hardware.

Enhanced Data Security

Maintain data security and compliance by integrating existing mainframe security protocols with cloud-native solutions across multiple platforms.

Join Dustin Froyum, Co-Founder and Head of Global Alliances, and Vince Re, Co-Founder and CTO, as they explore PropelZ’s capabilities, architecture, and use cases. Learn how PropelZ simplifies and accelerates legacy ETL processes, enabling seamless mainframe data integration with cloud environments, databases, and analytics platforms like AI and BI tools.

What you’ll discover in this webinar:

*The challenges of legacy ETL and how PropelZ eliminates inefficiencies.

*PropelZ’s architecture: A zip-eligible, no-code, direct-to-target solution.

*Real-world use cases for data integration, tape migration, SMF data streaming, and report migration.

*PropelZ’s ability to support multiple targets, including hybrid cloud and on-prem environments.

*The cost-effective, transparent pricing model of PropelZ.

Whether you're tackling mainframe modernization, simplifying data integration, or optimizing your ETL processes, PropelZ is the game-changing solution you've been waiting for.

By leveraging VirtualZ’s powerful software suite — Lozen™, PropelZ™, and Zaac™ — businesses can achieve seamless integration, flexible migration, and efficient data management, without sacrificing operational continuity.

Re-Platforming and Refactoring Integrations

VirtualZ recognizes that every organization has unique modernization needs. That’s why we integrate and collaborate with leading refactoring and platforming solutions such as Rocket Enterprise Server, TmaxSoft, and BluAge.

This approach allows organizations to enhance the functionality of their applications by combining VirtualZ’s data integration and migration tools with the specialized capabilities of these platform providers.

As a result, enterprises can modernize legacy applications, migrate workloads to the cloud, and maintain compatibility across various platforms, while enhancing operational performance and reducing costs.

Modernizing Your Data Storage

In an era where digital transformation is paramount, many organizations are faced with the challenge of managing legacy data stored on outdated tape systems.

Leveraging the features of Zaac™, VirtualZ’s Mainframe Tape to Cloud Migration solution offers a comprehensive approach to streamline this transition, allowing businesses to migrate their legacy tape data seamlessly to modern cloud environments.

By addressing the inefficiencies and high costs associated with traditional tape technologies, this solution enables organizations to modernize their data storage while ensuring data integrity and accessibility.

Why Migrate from Tape to Cloud?

As companies strive to enhance their data storage solutions, the limitations of legacy tape systems become increasingly apparent.

From high maintenance costs to accessibility challenges, the need for a more efficient solution is clear.

Our Mainframe Tape to Cloud Migration solution leverages automation and robust data management techniques to facilitate a smooth migration process, ensuring that no data is left behind and that organizations can fully harness the benefits of cloud technology.

Seamless Data Access with Lozen and Rocket Enterprise Server (formerly Micro Focus Enterprise Server).

Leveraging Lozen’s integration with the Rocket Software Callable File Handler API, organizations can simplify mainframe data access, minimizing costs and risks — making modernizing data access for COBOL workloads on the IBM Z mainframe easier than ever.

Integrating Lozen with Rocket Enterprise Server offers organizations several benefits:

1. Seamless Access to Mainframe Data: COBOL applications running on distributed platforms like Windows and Linux can access VSAM data on the IBM Z mainframe without code modifications. This ensures business continuity during migrations.

2. Enhanced Security and Cost Reduction: By keeping mainframe data securely on the IBM Z platform and eliminating the need for replication, organizations can significantly lower costs and reduce risks associated with data transfers.

3. Streamlined Migration Processes: The integration facilitates the movement of COBOL workloads to cloud or distributed environments without disrupting data dependencies, resulting in faster and safer migrations.

4. Alignment with Modern Data Strategies: Organizations can modernize their data strategies by leveraging existing mainframe data while integrating seamlessly with cloud environments.

VirtualZ’s Mainframe Report Migration solution simplifies the modernization and management of legacy reports. By leveraging the no-code extraction capabilities of PropelZ™ and the real-time access of Lozen™, organizations can seamlessly migrate their reports, unlock valuable insights, and drive greater business agility — all while reducing costs and reliance on specialized mainframe teams.

Join us to learn how VirtualZ’s solution streamlines this process, enabling businesses to modernize report generation and seamlessly extract mainframe data while reducing costs and dependency on mainframe teams.

Use PropelZ to push data from your mainframe directly to your preferred database. Once there, you can use the capabilities you’re already familiar with to transform and analyze your dataset. This process is ideal for times when you don’t need full real-time, read-write access.

The ease of use and value of this approach to accessing and obtaining mainframe data — on demand and under end user control — will be quickly proven. Rather than complicated and expensive data pipelines, you can provide your users the specific data they need in just a few easy steps.