How VirtualZ Helps You Stay Ahead
As enterprises continue modernizing their IT landscapes, IBM Z mainframes remain mission-critical for high-volume transactions, secure data management, and business continuity. However, modern IT demands require seamless integration with cloud, AI, automation, and DevOps methodologies to maintain competitiveness. In 2025, the focus is shifting from legacy maintenance to innovation — driving efficiency, agility, and scalability while maintaining mainframe reliability. In this blog, we explore the top trends in mainframe modernization:
- Cloud Integration and Hybrid Environments
- AI and Machine Learning Integration
- DevOps and Agile Practices
- Microservices and API-Driven Architectures
- Modernization of Legacy Code
- Enhanced Security and Compliance
- Data Modernization and Analytics
- Sustainability and Green IT
- Skill Development and Workforce Transformation
- Edge Computing Integration
- Open Source Adoption
And share how VirtualZ Computing enables organizations to modernize seamlessly with PropelZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™.
1. Cloud Integration and Hybrid Environments
The Trend: Hybrid cloud adoption is accelerating as organizations integrate mainframes with cloud platforms to create scalable, flexible environments while retaining mainframe reliability. Mainframe-as-a-Service (MFaaS) is also emerging as a cost-effective modernization path.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ simplifies data movement between mainframes and cloud platforms, enabling seamless hybrid cloud integration.
- Lozen provides real-time, secure access to mainframe data from cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure — without replication.
- Zaac facilitates direct cloud storage integration, reducing reliance on physical storage while improving scalability and cost-efficiency.
2. AI and Machine Learning Integration
The Trend: AI-driven operations and cognitive automation are optimizing mainframe performance, predictive maintenance, and security. AI/ML models require real-time data access to generate insights.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ extracts and structures mainframe data for AI/ML models, enabling predictive analytics and anomaly detection.
- Lozen enables AI-driven analytics by providing continuous, real-time access to mainframe data.
- Zaac ensures AI/ML workloads have scalable and secure storage for processing large datasets.
3. DevOps and Agile Practices
The Trend: Organizations are extending DevOps methodologies to mainframe environments, enabling continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) for faster development cycles.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ eliminates manual data handling, making it easier to integrate mainframe data into modern DevOps pipelines.
- Lozen supports DevOps automation by providing instant, secure access to mainframe data, streamlining development workflows.
- Zaac optimizes storage for DevOps workflows, ensuring data accessibility and security across hybrid environments.
4. Microservices and API-Driven Architectures
The Trend: The shift from monolithic applications to microservices improves mainframe flexibility and integration with modern cloud and enterprise systems.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ enables API-driven data movement, simplifying connectivity between mainframes and modern enterprise applications.
- Lozen exposes mainframe data through APIs, enabling integration with cloud-native applications and microservices.
- Zaac provides scalable storage for microservices architectures, ensuring data accessibility across distributed environments.
5. Modernization of Legacy Code
The Trend: Organizations are modernizing legacy applications using automated refactoring and low-code/no-code platforms to reduce technical debt.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ ensures real-time data availability for modernized applications, eliminating complex ETL processes.
- Lozen provides real-time, read-write access to mainframe data, enabling seamless operation without the need for ETL or CDC.
- Zaac provides scalable, cost-efficient storage for modernized applications, reducing reliance on outdated infrastructure.
6. Enhanced Security and Compliance
The Trend: Zero-trust security models and quantum-resistant encryption are becoming essential for safeguarding mainframe environments.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ ensures secure data movement across hybrid environments, supporting zero-trust frameworks.
- Lozen provides policy-based access to mainframe data, enhancing compliance and data protection.
- Zaac encrypts storage and access across hybrid environments, strengthening data security.
7. Data Modernization and Analytics
The Trend: Real-time data processing and virtualization are transforming how enterprises extract value from mainframe data.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ moves structured and unstructured mainframe data to cloud data lakes and analytics platforms.
- Lozen provides live, real-time data access, enabling analytics without traditional ETL processes.
- Zaac ensures scalable and secure storage for analytics workloads, enabling faster insights.
8. Sustainability and Green IT
The Trend: Energy-efficient mainframe strategies are gaining traction as organizations focus on sustainable IT practices.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ reduces energy consumption by optimizing data movement and eliminating redundant processes.
- Lozen eliminates unnecessary data replication, reducing hardware usage and environmental impact.
- Zaac optimizes mainframe storage, shifting data to more efficient cloud resources.
9. Skill Development and Workforce Transformation
The Trend: Enterprises are investing in upskilling and collaboration tools to bridge the mainframe skills gap.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ reduces the learning curve for modern developers by simplifying data integration with open-source and cloud-native tools.
- Lozen provides intuitive, API-driven access to mainframe data, enabling collaboration between mainframe and modern development teams.
- Zaac supports workforce transformation by providing scalable and easy-to-manage storage solutions.
10. Edge Computing Integration
The Trend: Mainframes are being integrated with edge computing to support real-time processing closer to data sources.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ enables real-time data movement between mainframes and edge computing environments.
- Lozen provides instant access to edge computing environments, enabling real-time processing without duplication.
- Zaac connects mainframe storage to distributed computing environments, enhancing performance optimization.
11. Open Source Adoption
The Trend: Organizations are increasingly leveraging open-source tools for mainframe modernization, reducing costs and fostering innovation.
How VirtualZ Helps:
- PropelZ facilitates data movement between mainframes and open-source analytics platforms like Apache Spark and Kafka.
- Lozen integrates with open-source frameworks, allowing seamless interoperability with modern applications.
- Zaac supports open-source workloads by providing scalable and secure storage for modern data platforms.
The Future of Mainframe Modernization with VirtualZ
As enterprises accelerate mainframe modernization, seamless integration with AI, cloud, and automation technologies is critical. VirtualZ Computing provides no-code solutions that enable organizations to:
- Unlock real-time data access without replication.
- Seamlessly integrate with cloud & AI platforms.
- Reduce costs, improve security, and enhance automation.
- Optimize storage and drive sustainable IT.
Ready to embrace the future of mainframe modernization?
Learn More
- Watch demos of Lozen, PropelZ, and Zaac.
- Try Lozen, PropelZ, and Zaac.
- Review all VirtualZ Solutions, Thought Leadership papers, and Solution Briefs.
- Explore our YouTube channel, podcasts, and blog.
- Still have questions? Contact us.