Profile. IBM mainframe data access company VirtualZ Computing has a native American heritage woven into its backstory which is connected to two of its founders: CEO Jeanne Glass and CTO Vince Re.
VirtualZ, founded in Minneapolis in 2018, has two products: Lozen, which provides real-time, read-write, peer-to-peer, access to IBM z mainframe data; and PropelZ, which enables the creation of a one-time copy of z mainframe data and loading it into a database in the public cloud or on-premises. This is said to be a fraction of the cost of alternative mainframe extract, transform and load (ETL) applications.
A third product, Zaac, is in development. It will do the opposite of Lozen, in that it will provide mainframe applications with real-time, read-write access to external data. We don’t know what external data sources will be supported yet, but it would be no surprise to find out that they include the Lozen targets.
Lozen uses a TCP/IP network link from the mainframe to the destination system and the software is bi-directional. It does not remove the data from the mainframe – providing, as it were, a real-time snapshot instead, with the single version of the data truth staying on the mainframe.
The software runs on the mainframe’s non-billable zIIP processor, meaning its mainframe compute is free. It connects to apps in the hybrid cloud with some pre-built connectors – such as a Mule ESB connector for MuleSoft LLC, or via OpenAPI standards.
This is different from BMC-acquired Model9’s mainframe data access, which is essentially backup up data from the mainframe, transferred across a TCP/IP link and used to feed data into a Virtual Tape Library (VTL) or object storage vaults.
Lozen enables applications running on open systems servers or in the public cloud to use real-time mainframe data and so be more accurate and up to date in their processing. It is not envisaged as a way to move data off mainframes, as a migration tool. Rather, it brings the mainframe into a hybrid cloud and provides a regular pipeline for open server workloads needing mainframe data, or vice versa.
Pricing is impressive. Lozen, and the coming Zaac, cost $150,000 for an initial terabyte of data. PropelZ will set you back $50,000/year, and this is claimed to be a fraction of mainframe ETL offerings.
Bootnote
VirtualZ has three co-founders: CEO Jeanne Glass, CTO Vince Re and SVP global alliances Dustin Froyum. We should note it is the only mainframe software developer in history with a female co-founder and female CEO.
It has a Native American and diverse heritage across its team. Virtualz says of the Lozen product: “Our strategic data access solution was inspired by a female Apache warrior and battlefield strategist named Lozen.” She was a member of the Chihenne Chiricahua Apache, born in the 1840s and sister to the warrior chief Victorio.
VirtualZ says: “Our CTO, Vince Re, grew up hearing stories from his grandmother about her mother – a Blackfoot Indian.” Also: “Jeanne Glass, our founder and CEO, has Native American heritage as well … Jeanne’s family is from the White Earth Reservation, where her grandfather grew up and where her grandmother was well-known for her beadwork.”
Find out more about Lozen and VirtualZ here.
