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Pricing

Lightweight, no-code, file-based mainframe-to-cloud storage and data sharing — for backups, file sharing, hybrid workflows, and AI pipelines.

Simple, transparent, flat-rate pricing with no meters and no true-ups.

$235,000 / year

Unlimited use license with flat-rate pricing.
No metering, no true-ups, with multi-year pricing available.

What’s Included in Each FlowZ™ License

FlowZ keeps your files and data sets in cloud object storage while existing z/OS applications read and write them as if they were local — no recompile, no rewrite. One flat Unlimited Use License covers your enterprise.

Access & Architecture

Unlimited use across your enterprise

Unlimited LPARs, sites, and installations under one license.

Open, standard file formats

Sequential mainframe files in open formats — consumable by cloud, distributed, and AI platforms.

Bidirectional, cloud-agnostic

Read and write any cloud object store or distributed application, in either direction.

No application rewrite

Existing COBOL and z/OS apps access cloud data with a simple JCL change.

Operations & Economics

Installs in minutes

No specialized skills or heavy configuration — set it and forget it.

Works with IBM backup utilities

Built-in integration with DFDSS — point the output at FlowZ and stream to the cloud.

Off-site resilience by default

Data lands in the cloud, safe from a local fire, flood, or hardware failure.

Flat-rate, predictable cost

No meters, no hidden fees, no true-ups — with multi-year pricing available.

Flat-Rate License

One License, Unlimited Use

FlowZ is a flat-rate Unlimited Use License — not metered by data volume, seats, or LPARs. One price covers your whole enterprise, with no surprises at renewal.

Unlimited UseFlat Rate

Unlimited Use License

“I want lightweight, no-code mainframe-to-cloud file storage and sharing — at one predictable price.”

The complete FlowZ license, covering unlimited use across your enterprise with no metering.

  • Unlimited LPARs, sites & installations
  • Bidirectional, cloud-agnostic file movement
  • Installs in minutes — no specialized skills
  • No meters, no hidden fees, no true-ups
In the Field

Backups for Pennies

“It's been fire-and-forget. I set it up last year and it just chugs along.”

VirtualZ runs its own weekly system backups through FlowZ to cloud object storage — replacing fragile, expensive local media.

  • Months of retained backups for pennies in cloud storage
  • A common 3390-9 volume backs up in under a minute
  • Streams straight from IBM DFDSS to the cloud
  • Off-site and safe from local disaster

App Store Model

An App Store of Connectors Is Coming

Like every VirtualZ product, FlowZ is priced on an App Store model — a base license plus connectors you add only as you need them. Today, everything you need ships in the flat-rate Unlimited Use License. As FlowZ grows, its App Store will fill out with connectors that mirror the PropelZ catalog.

Roadmap note. The connectors below are planned App Store additions for FlowZ, modeled after the PropelZ catalog. They are shown here to indicate where FlowZ is headed.

Cloud

Cloud Storage Connectors

“I want to pick the cloud that fits my cost and compliance needs.”

Dedicated connectors for the major cloud object stores — AWS S3, Azure, and Google Cloud — mirroring the PropelZ App Store.

  • AWS S3, Azure, and Google Cloud targets
  • Cloud-agnostic, bidirectional file movement
  • Pick and choose per environment
Database

Database Connectors

“I want my archived mainframe files indexed and queryable in a database.”

Land FlowZ data in a relational database so it can be queried and managed, the way PropelZ delivers hundreds of JDBC targets.

  • Relational targets via certified JDBC drivers
  • Index and query archived data by date or type
  • Mirrors the PropelZ App Store catalog
Expansion

More Connectors to Come

“I want FlowZ to keep growing toward the same breadth as PropelZ.”

As the FlowZ App Store takes shape, additional connectors will be added based on real customer demand — following the PropelZ model.

  • Driven by real customer requests
  • Add only what you need, when you need it
  • Same App Store approach as PropelZ

Included in the license today:

Unlimited LPARs, sites, and installations; sequential files in open formats; bidirectional, cloud-agnostic file movement; DF-DSS integration; and installation in minutes.

WHY FLOWZ

The End of Fragile Backups

Keeping big, long-lived mainframe data safe used to mean local devices, removable media, and off-site storage services — fragile, expensive, and easy to get wrong. FlowZ replaces all of it with a simple stream to the cloud.

Legacy Methods

Local NAS or SAN

Thousands of dollars in hardware that still sits feet from the mainframe.

Blu-ray, tape & off-site vaults

Hundreds of discs per terabyte, or tapes shipped to an Iron Mountain service.

Fragile and brittle

Easy to break — you discover a failed backup only when you need to restore.

At risk from disaster

A fire or flood can take the mainframe and its local backups at the same time.

The FlowZ Model

Stream straight to the cloud

Point IBM DFDSS at FlowZ and back up to object storage — no extra hardware.

Dramatically cheaper

Months of retained backups for pennies in cloud storage, with lifecycle tiering to Glacier and more.

Fire-and-forget reliability

Problems surface right on the console — no silent failures, no surprises at restore time.

Off-site and safe by default

Data lives in the cloud, beyond the reach of any local fire, flood, or hardware loss.

Pricing That Works the Way You Do

FlowZ keeps pricing simple today with a flat-rate license, while giving you a roadmap for customer-driven connectors as the App Store expands.

Flat-rate licensing

FlowZ is a single Unlimited Use License at $235,000/year — not metered by data volume, seats, or LPARs. No meters, no hidden fees, no true-ups, with special pricing for multi-year subscriptions.

App Store expansion

Like every VirtualZ product, FlowZ is priced on an App Store model — and everything you need ships in the license today. As FlowZ grows, its App Store will fill out with connectors mirroring the PropelZ catalog, so you add only what you need and never pay for what you don’t use.

Cheaper, faster, lower risk

Stream backups, source-code archives, and log data straight to the cloud — fire-and-forget, off-site, and dramatically less expensive than local media. Installs in minutes and moves data the same day.

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Move Mainframe Files Anywhere

Want the details first? Review the software license agreement.