The SHARE conference wasn’t just a gathering of mainframe enthusiasts; it was a showcase of how artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping the landscape of enterprise IT. While the potential of AI is often met with excitement, Broadcom’s Tech Field Day presentation on their WatchTower platform offered a refreshing dose of pragmatism. They showcased a practical, machine learning-driven approach to tackling the very real challenges of mainframe observability. The message from Broadcom’s leadership was clear: the company is strategically focusing on expanding its mainframe footprint, demonstrating a strong commitment to this area.
The WatchTower Advantage: Machine Learning in Action
Broadcom’s WatchTower platform uses machine learning to simplify the management of mainframe environments. It gathers data from multiple sources to offer a unified view for different organizational roles. The platform can automatically discover infrastructure topology and employ machine learning for anomaly detection and more effective alerting.
Enhancing Mainframe Efficiency
Mainframes are vital. They power critical operations in sectors that need high reliability and security. The challenge is to modernize legacy systems to meet digital demands.
Broadcom’s WatchTower profiler optimizes code to save CPU usage, addressing challenges like mainframe inefficiencies, rising operational costs, and performance issues. It improves system efficiency, leading to lower energy use and reduced strain on hardware, ensuring cost-effective operations and boosting system performance for critical applications.
Key Takeaways:
As a Tech Field Day delegate, I was impressed by several key advantages of Broadcom’s machine learning-powered observability platform.
- Proactive Issue Detection: WatchTower’s AI swiftly identifies unusual behavior. This early detection enables teams to fix issues promptly, resulting in stable systems and preventing small problems from escalating.
- Intelligent Alerting: Alert correlation boosts WatchTower’s efficiency. Manually linking system alerts used to take hours. Now, it connects various data sources. This lets ops teams quickly find and fix issues. There’s a clear opportunity to save time and effort in problem-solving.
- Topology Visualization: The topology visualization feature is handy. Understanding a mainframe’s connections can be challenging for newcomers. However, WatchTower automatically maps these links, making problem-solving and impact analysis easier.
- Application Performance Insights: The application profiler’s ability to visualize mainframe applications and identify performance bottlenecks is invaluable for optimization and modernization efforts. This feature enables teams to pinpoint areas for improvement and make informed decisions about code optimization or refactoring.
- Empowering the Next Generation of Mainframers: Mainframes are vital in many organizations’ modern tech ecosystem. Yet, a skills gap is emerging as experienced mainframe professionals retire. WatchTower’s machine learning automates the discovery of app dependencies and infrastructure. It makes insights, once known only to experts, accessible to all, empowering the next generation of mainframers and boosting their confidence in handling complex systems.
Closing Note: Share Your Thoughts
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the role of machine learning in mainframe modernization. Have you encountered challenges in adopting AI-powered observability solutions, or do you see them as the key to unlocking the full potential of legacy systems? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
Conclusion: The Intelligent Mainframe
Mainframes remain vital, but modernization is key to staying competitive. Broadcom’s WatchTower, with its practical machine learning approach, offers a path to enhanced observability, optimized performance, and empowered teams, ultimately helping organizations maximize their mainframe investments.
Ready to unlock the full potential of your mainframe? Explore how Broadcom’s WatchTower can transform your mainframe operations. Request a demo today!
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