Managing z/OS batch processes is a mission-critical function in enterprise businesses. IT data centers now include a growing number of applications running on a wide range of highly distributed devices, but mainframe batch schedulers cannot manage enterprise-wide workflow processes and workflow automation needs.
Integrating, automating, and managing business-critical applications is a difficult, expensive, and time- consuming operation, but a proven, scalable product—Tidal Workload Automation—can deliver enterprise-wide automation and integrate z/OS jobs and dependencies, even from the most demanding IT infrastructures.
Tidal Workload Automation for z/OS brings the power of business process automation to IBM mainframe batch processing and links it to the entire enterprise-computing environment. This industry-leading product can create, manage, and monitor jobs and job dependencies among z/OS environments and a wide range of databases and application resources, while bringing expanded functionality to z/OS batch processing.
IT operations staff can leverage the scheduler’s capabilities, such as exception-based management, fault tolerance, and a high-degree of scalability for z/OS-based jobs. This easy-to-use platform gives users the ability to monitor and interact with all types of batch jobs, even if they have been defined using other mainframe schedulers. More importantly, users gain the ability to integrate mainframe jobs into larger business workflows that involve enterprise resource planning (ERP), business intelligence, and extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes running on a wide variety of operating systems—even in service-oriented architecture (SOA) environments. Data files from partners and supplier can also be managed and integrated into z/OS jobs, and job dependencies originating from anywhere in the enterprise can be defined and managed via a single pane of glass.
Tidal Workload Automation for z/OS brings the power of business process automation to IBM mainframe batch processing and links it to the entire enterprise-computing environment. This industry-leading product can create, manage, and monitor jobs and job dependencies among z/OS environments and a wide range of databases and application resources, while bringing expanded functionality to z/OS batch processing.
IT operations staff can leverage the scheduler’s capabilities, such as exception-based management, fault tolerance, and a high-degree of scalability for z/OS-based jobs. This easy-to-use platform gives users the ability to monitor and interact with all types of batch jobs, even if they have been defined using other mainframe schedulers. More importantly, users gain the ability to integrate mainframe jobs into larger business workflows that involve enterprise resource planning (ERP), business intelligence, and extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes running on a wide variety of operating systems—even in service-oriented architecture (SOA) environments. Data files from partners and supplier can also be managed and integrated into z/OS jobs, and job dependencies originating from anywhere in the enterprise can be defined and managed via a single pane of glass.
As the needs of the enterprise expand, IT managers must be able to integrate z/OS business process data with other ERP applications. Most mainframe environments are the hub of IT operations, and the investment in this infrastructure is a substantial part of the overall IT budgets. This requires a comprehensive product to meet the challenge of workflow automation across heterogeneous environments.
Tidal Workload Automation allows IT managers to leverage their investment in the mainframe infrastructure by expanding their reach and visibility across the entire enterprise and to increase the manageability of their mainframe environment. Tidal Workload Automation for zOS enables IT managers to leverage their investment in the mainframe infrastructure by expanding its processing power across the entire enterprise.
Furthermore, IT organizations can no longer afford to manage data processing among workflow processes manually, especially in the face of increased business demands for efficiency and competitive advantage. By automating internal batch jobs, distributed workflows, and business intelligence reporting, efficiencies of scale are realized and complex services are executed faster with minimal down time.
Users can define, launch, monitor, and control z/OS jobs and job dependencies and respond to file events without modifying existing mainframe jobs or schedules. The following discussion provides more detailed descriptions of core features that deliver high-level business benefits, as well as many day-to-day usability- related benefits:
Batch and On Demand Processing – Tidal Workload Automation is designed to accommodate scheduled batch and on demand job processing on the z/OS platform, providing comprehensive support for the traditional date and time scheduling model, as well as complex event-and dependency-based processing.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job group can contain several job definitions that enable detailed control and error recovery procedures. These procedures make it possible for IT staff to follow documented best practices consistently. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment, incident management, and change management can be supported with interfaces and integration techniques available for a range of ITIL oriented operations environments.
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based scheduling, Tidal Workload Automation can dynamically introduce jobs—and entire business processes—into a mainframe environment when triggered by business events from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Tidal Workload Automation allows users to view and manage alerts within the scheduling system. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for anytime, anywhere status connectivity and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated actions are extensive and can be easily defined. They include sending an email message to the appropriate owner, generating a message to the central console, or triggering an incident to an IT support technician via the appropriate ITIL- oriented operations systems.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities – Security policy—and changes to it—are tied to enterprise security management tools and processes. For example, access can be controlled in the areas of scheduling functionality as a whole or tied to specific jobs, events, or actions. Actions can also be linked to an individual user or on a workgroup basis.
Tidal’s enterprise-wide automation platform transcends the inherent limitations associated with standalone point products or native cloud schedulers. We can automate and orchestrate cross-application workloads and enterprise-wide business processes that traverse multiple clouds and hybrid environments – all from a single-pane-of-glass view.
Tidal helps you optimize the value and performance of your legacy infrastructure while opening new opportunities to leverage next-gen applications and workflows. From pure on-prem to hybrid on-prem and cloud engagements – the answer is Tidal.
