Why is digital transformation in 2026 no longer cloud-first, but data-first — and what does that mean for systems integrators and outsourcers? In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing, Founder and CEO Jeanne Glass explains why AI readiness is fundamentally a data access challenge, and how integrators delivering AI, analytics, hybrid cloud modernization, and storage transformation can turn that into faster outcomes and new revenue.

Jeanne Glass breaks down why enterprises keep investing in AI platforms while business-critical operational data stays locked inside core IBM Z systems — and why hybrid is permanent, incremental modernization is now mandatory, and speed has become the competitive advantage. She makes the case that integrators win by unlocking operational data safely and immediately, rather than through disruptive migrations or fragile pipelines.

In this episode of Skyward Data, the podcast from VirtualZ Computing:

- Why transformation is now data-first, not cloud-first

- Why AI readiness is fundamentally a data access challenge

- Why hybrid environments are permanent and incremental modernization is mandatory

- How systems integrators deliver faster outcomes, scalable execution, and reduced risk

- How to unlock operational data safely, incrementally, and immediately

Jeanne points to VirtualZ's AI-ready, no-code portfolio for enterprise mainframe data: PropelZ (moving and replicating IBM Z data to the cloud, proven at 56,000 records per second), Lozen (live in-place data access), FlowZ (cloud storage for backup and archive), and Zaac (cloud and SAN as native z/OS storage) — enabling integrators to deliver scalable data access with no code and no homegrown pipelines.

Topics: data-first transformation, systems integrators, AI readiness, mainframe modernization, IBM Z, hybrid cloud, storage transformation, incremental modernization, no-code data integration, enterprise data.

Listen to more Skyward Data episodes: https://virtualzcomputing.com/podcasts/