This document discusses using Ironstream to integrate traditional IBM systems like mainframes and IBM i servers into modern IT operations management. It provides an overview of challenges in collecting and analyzing log data from these systems due to complex data structures and volumes. Ironstream provides a solution by collecting this data in real-time, normalizing it, and enabling analytics across all platforms without requiring specialized expertise. Customer examples show how Ironstream has helped organizations monitor operations, ensure security and compliance, and gain better visibility into their entire infrastructure.

1. Don't Leave Your Traditional IBM Systems
Out of Your IT Operations Efforts

2. • Today’s IT Operations Management
• Why Traditional IBM Systems are Important
• Ironstream
• Real-world Customer Examples
• Q&A
Agenda

3. Today’s IT
Operations Management

4. IT Operations
Management
• Responsible for
• Network infrastructure
• Server management
• Storage and device management
• Helpdesk
• Tools needed to manage
• Provisioning
• Capacity
• Performance
• Availability
• Focus is on delivery of IT services
to the rest of the business

5. IT Operations Platforms

6. Traditional IBM Systems

7. Traditional IBM Systems

8. Traditional IBM Systems

9. Traditional IBM Systems

10. Mainframes &
IBM i servers
adapt and deliver
increasing value
with each new
technology wave
91%of executives predict long-term
viability of the mainframe as the
platform continues evolving to
meet digital business demands
>100kcompanies today use IBM i
technology to run significant
workloads & power critical
business applications
BMC 12th Annual Mainframe Research Results – Nov. 2017 Syncsort 2018 State of Resilience: The New IT Landscape for Executives:
Threats, Opportunities and Best Practices.” Jan. 2018
that’s 2,500,000,000 -- business
transactions per mainframe per day
2000+ organizations overall
2.5 B

11. Market
Landscape and
Key Concepts:
Data Analytics
Challenges
So many data sources
Mainframe:
Systems Management Facility (SMF),
Syslog, Log4j web and application logs,
RMF, RACF, USS files and standard
datasets
IBM i:
QAUD Journal, QHIST, Message Queues,
Database Journals
Format of data
Mainframe:
• Complex data structures (SMF) with
headers, product sections, data
sections, variable length and self-
describing
• EBCDIC not recognized outside of
the mainframe world
• Binary flags and fields
IBM i:
• Complex data structures with
unique journal entry types, headers,
product sections, data sections,
variable length and self-describing
• IBM i journals are held in DB2
• Performance Collection Services
• IBM i information needs to be
converted to workable formats
such as JSON, Syslog, CEF etc.
Volume of data
Millions of log records generated daily
• 9.7TB Average Daily Mainframe Log Data
Difficulty to get the
information in a timely
manner
• Not real-time, typically have to wait
overnight for an offload
• Typical daily FTP upload/downloads
can’t get granular

12. Ironstream

13. Complete the Picture

14. Ironstream Solutions
Application and System Monitoring
• Monitor operational status of enterprise IT infrastructure
• Make better decisions to take control of the IT infrastructure
• Monitor Resource utilization and availability
• Problem Detection & Isolation
• Ensure SLAs are met
• Reduce MTTI, MTTR
Security and Compliance
• Detect and prevent security threats
• Privileged activity
• Ensure compliance
• Ensure audits pass

15. Ironstream Solutions
Discovery
• Delivers a single view of entire infrastructure to enable smarter
IT decisions
• Rapidly configure and launch secure discovery of the IBM
mainframe and IBM i resources and their relationships
• Automates manual process and keeps an accurate single source
of record
• Relationship mapping - maps dependencies and assigns
relationships automatically

16. • High performance, low-cost, platform for collecting critical system
information in real-time
• Normalization of the z/OS and IBM i data so it can be used by off
platform analytics engines
• Full analytics, visualization, and customization with no limitations on
what can be viewed
• Ability to easily combine information from different data sources and
systems
• Address the SME challenge: use by network managers, security analysts,
application analysts, enterprise architects without requiring mainframe
access or expertise
What does Ironstream® deliver?

17. Syncsort
Ironstream
• Enabling organizations to get
machine data from System z and
IBM i to IT analytic platforms
• Extend IT Analytics to include the
other ~40%-80% of IT Processing
• 360ᵒ Degree View: Complete the
picture for IT visibility

18. Customer Stories

19. U.S. based Loan
Service Provider
Ironstream provided access to previously
inaccessible data to help support one of their
most critical monitoring efforts
“If you’re asking us what the easier solution
is to install and configure, it’s Ironstream”
O B J E C T I V E
• To monitor mainframe IT operations to
track health of service delivery for Loan
Service Providers
• Capture mainframe business data in
support of system and application
monitoring in Splunk
C H A L L E N G E
• Required several data feeds including
SMF, SYSLOG and SYSOUT for batch job
monitoring
• Filtering the log data to selected jobs
• Required the ability to load business
data from sequential files
S O L U T I O N
• Syncsort Ironstream was chosen over
IBM CDP, particularly over its ease of
installation and configuration
• Now they forward the required log
data and filter it to specific messages
and jobs
B E N E F I T
• Able to monitor Loan Service IT
Operations via Splunk
• Partnered with Winward for Splunk
development who were familiar with
Syncsort Ironstream

20. U.S.-based
Insurance
Company
“By bringing in the IBM mainframe
environment into our ServiceNow
infrastructure provides us the deep
insight necessary to take our business
to the next level.”
- Service Management Manager,
O B J E C T I V E
• Find a solution that can integrate the
Discovery of their mission-critical IBM
mainframe environment into their
ServiceNow
C H A L L E N G E
• Automate manual process of collecting
mainframe CI and relationship data
• Combine multiple disparate
environments into a single view
S O L U T I O N
• EView Discovery for ServiceNow
Discovery
B E N E F I T
• Customer leverages existing
investments in ServiceNow and the
IBM mainframe
• Eases the workload of the mainframe
team to manually update the CMDB
• A complete end-to-end solution which
includes the IBM mainframe-z/OS
• Increased business agility by speeding
problem resolution process by
providing IT with visibility into the
complex infrastructure that drives
business.

21. Why Ironstream
Less Complexity
Collect mainframe and IBM i data;
correlate with data from other
platforms; no legacy system expertise
required
Clearer Security Information
Identify unauthorized mainframe and
IBM i server access, other security
risks; prepares and visualizes key
data for compliance audits
Healthier IT Operations
Real-time alerts identify problems in
all key environments View latency,
transactions per second, exceptions,
etc.
Effective Problem-Resolution
Management
Real-time views to identify real or
potential failures earlier; view related
'surrounding' information to support
triage repair or prevention
Higher Operational Efficiency
Enhanced event correlation across
systems; Staff resolves problems faster;
“do more with less”
Eliminate Your Mainframe and
IBM i “Blind-Spots”
Ironstream + IT Analytics platforms =
Your 360ᵒ Enterprise View

22. Q & A