News

Syncsort Boosts Splunk Integration for Mainframe Monitoring

• By David Ramel
• 10/28/2016

Syncsort announced increased integration of its mainframe log data software, Ironstream, with Splunk's IT Service Intelligence (Splunk ITSI) offering.

The two companies already provide integration between their respective products, with Ironstream being available in Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Enterprise Security.

Ironstream provides access to mainframe log data for real-time analytics, such as monitoring data-processing systems for performance and security. Now, that capability will be available in Splunk ITSI, which uses machine learning to power dashboards that provide instant information and visualizations about the workings of critical business services and processes.

"The integration of Ironstream with Splunk ITSI provides users with new levels of visibility into the health and performance indicators of mainframe and mainframe-to-distributed IT services," said Syncsort, which describes itself as a "Big Iron to Big Data" specialist.

That integration comes with the "Syncsort Ironstream Module for Splunk IT Service Intelligence" module, available on the Splunkbase app repository. Its Splunkbase page indicates the module provides z/OS health and status metrics, specifically able to capture data from mainframe (CPC, for Central Processor Complex -- or the "server"), z/OS (LPARs, for Logical Partitions -- or the "virtual machines" running on the CPC), CICS systems and DB2 systems.

"Administrators can get real-time health check and insights into critical performance indicators to help deliver better response time and more reliable services to their customers," Syncsort said. "The new Syncsort Ironstream Module for Splunk ITSI delivers information about large-scale mainframe business processes and services that play a core role in many organization’s key customer transactions."

One common use case for this capability, the company said, involves bank administrators who want to be kept apprised of any slowdowns encountered when customers seek to log in to the bank's systems from smartphones.

"The big iron data that Ironstream feeds to Splunk ITSI for advanced analytics gives administrators the information they require to see the entire transaction path and help them better understand and resolve those kinds of critical performance issues," said exec David Hodgson.

Syncsort provided more information on the news in a blog post authored today by Ian Hartley.