The GSE UK Virtual Conference will be hosted online on April 23-25. There will be ten parallel streams during the three days with each session lasting for one hour. Registration will be free for GSE members but a small charge will be made for non-members to cover our expenses. Access to session videos will be free for GSE members and for two months after the conference for non-member delegates.
All sessions are in the UK timezone.
1-1:30 pm: How to Build an Internal Mainframe Talent Pool – Darren Surch, CEO of Interskill and Open Mainframe Project Ambassador
Modern mainframe organizations recognize the persistent shortage of external, mainframe-skilled personnel and ensure long-term mainframe workforce efficacy by building internal mainframe talent pools. The synergy of workforce succession planning, strategic mainframe upskilling, and internal mobility provides a powerful solution to a persistent mainframe industry challenge. Join Lifetime IBM Champion, Darren Surch, as he outlines how to build a successful internal mainframe talent pool at your organization!
3-4 pm: How to Test a Mainframe without knowing the Mainframe! – Eamonn Mansour, Software Engineer, and Louisa Seers, Product Manager, at IBM
Writing a test is hard, automating it is even more challenging if you don’t know the interfaces you are working with. Galasa is an open-source project that provides your automated tests with a common API to allow you to focus on writing the tests. From 3270 to Batch jobs, Galasa can help you to test it even as a new mainframer. In this session we will explain what Galasa is and provide a getting started guide, all the way from creating a Galasa test from scratch, running it locally, and running it in a pipeline.
3-4 pm: The Next Generation of Mainframers – Moderator John Mertic, Executive Director of Open Mainframe Project, Jessielaine Punongbayan, Senior R&D Engineer at Dynatrace, Michael Bauer, Software Engineering Supervisor at Broadcom and Richelle Craw, Software Engineer at Beta Systems Software
For many of the fortune 500 companies the mainframe is and will remain a critical component of the IT infrastructure to run business processes efficiently and process billions of critical transactions safely and securely.
As experienced professionals are gradually retiring, a new generation of professionals are moving up as the “mainframe experts.”
In this session, we’ll chat with a few ambassadors and leaders from Open Mainframe Project who are this next generation.
They’ll share their experience with mainframes, how they got into the industry and advice for others and will share real-world examples of the new generation of mainframers and the diversity that is quietly building behind the scenes.
10:30 – 11:30 am: SSO and the Mainframe – Elliot Jalley, Product Manager, and Jakub Balhar, Staff Software Engineer, at Broadcom Mainframe Software
There is an increasing need for tools, processes and architecture that allow modern mainframes to move fast without sacrificing quality. APIs are key to securing quick and secure access to data on the platform.
Come and learn how the Zowe API mediation layer is powering modern workflows with a secure single signon experience from the network to the mainframe, across sysplexes and security domains.
10:30-11:30 am: When Units Tests just aren’t Enough, Application Integration is Key – Will Yates, STSM CICS Hybrid Cloud, and Jamies Davies, CICS TS Development Manager, at IBM
The most obvious answer to effective testing is to make sure each unit test is performed correctly.
In the landscape of enterprise systems compromised of cloud providers, z/OS, and many middleware, integration, and development programs, it becomes a complex web that can seem impossible to connect and test all together.
There is an answer, and that involves understanding applications, what areas could easily have integration tests stitched together, and how to implement testing as a service within your organisation.
This session will cover the technical details to understand more about application integration testing, how Galasa, an open-source project, could be implemented at scale and worked examples of integration testing to help make it easier to scale testing at your organisation.
12-1 pm: Automation and Containers – Two Things guaranteed to be part of your future mainframe strategy – Sujit Neb, Senior Automoation Engineer at BMC
Embark on a real-world journey with me as I share how automation, containerization, and the robot framework transformed my life and reignited my passion for work.
Discover how these technologies gave me back control and infused joy into my professional journey.
Join me in this inspiring exploration of empowerment, where technology not only revolutionizes workflows but also enhances lives.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative experience.
Together, we can unlock the potential of technology together and embrace a future where work is both efficient and fulfilling.
The event is managed by GSE UK. To learn more about the schedule or to register for the event, visit the main event website: https://conferences.gse.org.uk/2024V.
