Nastel's Richard Nikula recently posted some interesting observations about managing the mainframe skills shortages. There are tools that help automate mainframe ops, and professionals on the distributed side that can help manage data center operations. However, “System z experts” are few and far between. Nikula proposes greater efforts to move more applications and functionality to middleware tiers, where the talent exists. “Rather than focusing on green-screen applications that isolate mainframe data and expertise, these new solutions will combine the required data to diagnose and predict problems without regard to platform boundaries ... By incorporating the best of both worlds, organizations will continue to leverage their mainframe investments and adapt to the decline in System z experts, while not overwhelming those who remain and still providing their customers with the best service possible regardless of the technology used.”
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