Mainframes carry a stigma of being old technology, but they’re actually more relevant than ever. Today, mainframes are responsible for anything from checking in airline passengers to approving your purchase at the grocery store. Mainframes provide the e-commerce and mobile world a reliable, available, and scalable way to perform their most basic business functions. Before we dive in, let’s define some important terms: Central Processor (CPU): The main brain in charge of processing data and moving it to the correct input/output processor. System Assistance Processor (SAP): Smaller processors that help move data around as quickly as possible to the processor with the correct input/output programing. Architecture: The programing engineered into a processor that details its main function (moving data, storing data, performing client statistics, processing bulk information, computing data, etc). Input/Outputs (I/Os): Smaller CPUs built with specific architecture to take in an input and rapidly compute an output. These are stored in the I/O Cage of the mainframe. 1. How Mainframes Work Mainframes have been running in the background for decades supporting conveniences such as ATMs, accurate bank statements, online and [...]

There have been many high-profile data breaches in recent years, and each has demonstrated the need for ironclad security measures for businesses of all sizes. While many companies focus their security efforts on commodity servers that host consumer-facing applications, it’s just as important to protect internal resources, such as mainframes. This type of hardware might seem isolated from hacking risks, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Mainframes host a high volume of critical data, so they are a prime target for breaches. To complicate matters, the majority of business data security solutions focus on other areas of types of breaches. It’s crucial to expand your efforts beyond what most obviously needs protection because hackers know the most common business vulnerabilities to exploit. If you’re ready to take action to protect your company’s mainframe infrastructure, read on to learn how to get started with our list of mainframe security best practices. Manage Access Control First things first—if you’re asking what access control entails, it’s time to make a plan to protect your data. Access control outlines restrictions on who [...]