DEVOPSdigest

Compuware announced ISPW Deploy, an advanced mainframe release automation solution that enables large enterprises to bring continuous delivery best practices to their IBM z/OS environments.

ISPW Deploy, built on the ISPW technology Compuware acquired January of this year, facilitates faster and more reliable mainframe software deployment through three key sets of capabilities:

- Automation that rapidly moves code through the deployment process, including test staging and approvals, while also providing greatly simplified full or partial rollbacks.

- Visualization that enables DevOps managers to quickly pinpoint deployment issues in order to both solve immediate rollout problems and address persistent bottlenecks in code promotion.

- Integrations with both third-party solutions and Compuware’s own industry-leading mainframe toolkit that allow IT to build complete SCM-to-production DevOps pipelines and to quickly launch associated remediation support tools if and when deployment issues occur.

Compuware is further empowering enterprises to achieve mainframe agility by integrating Compuware ISPW and XebiaLabs' cross-platform continuous delivery solutions. This integration uniquely enables IT organizations to orchestrate and visualize their mainframe DevOps processes in a common manner with their broader cross-platform DevOps automation.

Most IT organizations have historically resorted to homegrown scripts to automate deployment of the code that emerges from their SCM environments. Unfortunately, these scripts do not provide essential capabilities such as rollback, progress visibility, and auditability of deployment processes.

With ISPW Deploy, IT can much more effectively automate mainframe processes to keep pace with the demands of the business for continuous delivery across all platforms.

The automation, visualization, and integrations ISPW Deploy provides are also important for IT organizations transitioning responsibility for the mainframe from their retiring senior platform specialists to a new generation of cross-platform IT professionals.

“Without intensive modernization, the mainframe will remain an impediment to large enterprises’ DevOps efforts,” said industry analyst Jason Bloomberg of Intellyx. “The automation and visualization provided by Compuware’s ISPW Deploy positions the mainframe as a first-class participant in the DevOps toolchain. Not only does ISPW Deploy support the automation necessary for continuous integration and continuous deployment, but it also counteracts the mainframe ‘brain drain’ taking place as Baby Boomers age out of the active IT workforce.”

In addition to introducing ISPW Deploy, Compuware today unveiled numerous enhancements to ISPW’s source code management capabilities, as well as:

- Capabilities in Compuware File-AID that help customers migrate to COBOL v5 and above and reap associated performance benefits

- New features in Compuware Topaz Workbench that reduce dependency on arcane TSO/ISPF utilities

- Enhancements to Compuware Strobe that include the addition of IMS Transaction Profiling and automated initiation of measurements across all members of a targeted CICSPlex.

- Integration between Compuware Strobe and ConicIT mainframe performance analytics that helps IT organizations predictively discover and remediate operational issues.