CA Updates Database Tools, Encrypts Mainframe Tapes
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

CA, formerly known as Computer Associates, got a new chief executive officer in late 2004, a former top executive in IBM's Software Group, John Swainson, who has deep experience in the mainframe and who has been responsible for creating Big Blue's WebSphere middleware franchise. CA, of course, has deep mainframe experience too, and has been peddling tools for that market for several decades. Last week, CA announced updates for its mainframe database tools and also delivered data encryption for tape archives created using its BrightStor tools. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories and Vendor Announcements

(zJournal) Before you stick your fingers in the fan for the first time, wouldn't it be good to know what the experiences of others were? Sometimes the fan blades stop and sometimes they chop off those useful little digits that protrude from your hand. The same logic applies when faced with a legacy migration project. It's best to know what went right and what went wrong before you get all bloody. READ MORE >

(IBM) Disk hardware architecture, disk functions, and storage management are all covered in this Big Blue report. If you need to know more about disk storage access with DB2 for z/OS, this is a good place to start. DB2 integrates with z/OS to provide point in time recovery capability applicable to recovery, disaster recovery, or environment cloning needs. READ MORE >

(IBM) The CICS Transaction Gateway (CICS TG) provides access to CICS programs from Java environments. The latest improvements come in the areas of transactional integration, systems management, performance, security, and ease of use. This IBM report includes step-by-step configuration explanations for connections between each tier of the test environment, support for global transactions which span resources on different systems, and configuration of CICS TG security, including the use of JSSE for establishing secure SSL connections to the CICS TG. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

May 23-25 -- Secaucus, New Jersey - The Enterprise Information World conference will feature educational sessions on topics such as building and managing enterprise information management teams, increasing return on investment by cost effectively meeting regulatory compliance requirements, collaboration technologies and efficiencies, and the intersection of records management and security. LEARN MORE >

May 31-June 2 -- Scottsdale, Arizona - The AMR Research Supply Chain Executive Conference explores how business deploys its resources with focus areas in retail, process, and discrete industry. Topics include communicating results to external audiences, including investors, customers, and the press. Former President Bill Clinton, the keynote speaker, will talk in terms of matching capabilities with opportunities. Other speaker topics include bringing supply chain to bear for the rebuilding of New Orleans, the eradication of waste in the high-tech supply chain, and the scale-up of consumer product businesses in Africa. LEARN MORE >

June 12-16 -- Atlanta, Georgia - The Transaction & Messaging Technical Conference features the most current information on the CICS TS V3.1 and WebSphere MQ family of products including tips, techniques, and business integration solutions. The agenda includes hundreds of sessions, a product expo, and certification testing. LEARN MORE >

June 12 -- Phoenix, Arizona - The Tivoli Information Management (InfoMan) for z/OS Users' Conference will feature topics such as ITIL, ITSM, knowledgebase management, Web 2.0, and InfoMan integration with third-party applications. Included will be demonstrations of Tivoli Enterprise Portal, Tivoli Service Level Advisor, and the IBM Configuration and Change Management Database. LEARN MORE >

July 8-12 -- San Diego, California - The 2006 Enterprise Security Solutions & RACF Users Training Conference emphasizes technical education for current and future data security challenges in business and government. The event features more than 140 classes taught by leading security practitioners, professional instructors and experts. It includes a vendor expo and offers the opportunity to network with industry experts and peers. Continuing education credits can also be garnered throughout the conference. LEARN MORE >

August 13-18 -- Baltimore, Maryland - The SHARE User Events feature IBM technical training tailored for enterprise-class IT professionals. Educational sessions focus on real-world solutions that meet business challenges and influence future IT product development. In addition to the first-class training, SHARE presents a great opportunity for networking with other professionals who work at some of the world's leading organizations and have insights into the technology and products that companies and jobs are depending on. All SHARE User Event sessions and events will take place in the Baltimore Convention Center. LEARN MORE >

October 20 & 21 -- Chicago, Illinois - The Network and Systems Professionals Association annual conference, NaSTEC, features educational tracks on large systems/mainframes, distributed systems, and professional development and includes 24 total sessions. Topics include IT compliance, TCP/IP network health checks, and security, as well as others. LEARN MORE >