When you need to migrate 200,000+ mainframe datasets to the cloud, individual file transfers don't scale. In this episode of Skyward Data, VirtualZ CTO Vince Re explains how PropelZ Multiplexer transforms massive data migrations from operational nightmares into manageable, automated processes.

Learn how inventory-driven migration processing can reduce months-long projects to weeks, with parallel execution that handles hundreds of transfers simultaneously. Discover why enterprises are choosing intelligent queue management over traditional one-at-a-time approaches for virtual tape library migrations, application modernization, and large-scale cloud transitions.

Key topics include:

Perfect for IT leaders planning large-scale mainframe data projects, operations teams managing enterprise migrations, and anyone dealing with the operational complexity of moving massive amounts of archived data to modern storage platforms.

Skyward Data explores the intersection of mainframe systems and modern cloud infrastructure, featuring practical insights from VirtualZ Computing's real-world customer implementations.

VirtualZ CTO Vince Re announces the major 2.0 release of PropelZ, packed with dozens of customer-requested features that transform enterprise mainframe data integration. From 60% performance improvements to seamless binary data handling, this isn't just an update—it's a fundamental leap forward.

Discover the breakthrough features driving this release:

Learn how real customer challenges drove innovation—from a retailers binary data requirements to a financial services customer's billion-row processing needs to a large mainframe outsourcers enterprise connectivity demands. Vince shares the technical details behind each enhancement and explains how PropelZ 2.0 solves the integration problems enterprises face today.

Essential listening for mainframe professionals planning data modernization projects, IT architects evaluating integration platforms, and anyone managing large-scale data movement between legacy systems and cloud platforms.

Skyward Data brings you inside perspectives on mainframe modernization and enterprise data integration from VirtualZ Computing's technical leadership team.

The mainframe has always been the gold standard for mission-critical data. But what happens when that data needs to move — to the cloud, to analytics platforms, to AI pipelines — from anywhere, not just z/OS?

In this episode, VirtualZ Co-Founder and CTO Vince Re joins Co-Founder Dustin Froyum to introduce PropelZ for Linux, the multi-platform extension of VirtualZ's proven data movement engine. If you've been following our journey on Skyward Data, you know PropelZ has already delivered some jaw-dropping results on IBM Z. This episode is about what happens when you take that same engine and run it anywhere Java runs.

What we cover:

Vince walks through the architecture behind PropelZ for Linux — why the core engine translates so cleanly across platforms, where the differences lie, and why those differences are smaller than you'd expect. He also digs into the security capabilities that enterprise teams care most about: field-level filtering, data masking, SSL/TLS support, and how to sanitize sensitive data before it ever reaches its target.

Dustin and Vince also revisit a story that's become something of a cautionary tale in enterprise data circles — a large financial services firm that spent two years and significant resources trying to get a legacy ETL solution working, ultimately abandoning it entirely. Their experience with PropelZ? Up and running the next day.

The episode closes with a look at the Multiplexer — PropelZ's parallel processing capability that lets customers move millions of files simultaneously, using full available network bandwidth to dramatically compress migration timelines.

Key takeaways:

If your organization is dealing with data integration complexity, legacy ETL pain, or modernization timelines that keep slipping — this episode is for you.

Find PropelZ resources, demos, and pricing at virtualzcomputing.com. Questions? Reach us at [email protected].

What really slows down IBM Z modernization?

It’s not the application code.

In this episode of Skyward Data, Dusty Froyum (Co-Founder, VirtualZ) and Marc Sokol (Executive Chairman, former SVP at CA Technologies) break down what’s actually happening inside enterprise VSAM → PostgreSQL migrations — and why data execution is often the hardest part to get right.

They walk through real-world results, including:

But the conversation goes beyond performance.

You’ll hear how modernization efforts often start as “simple migrations” — only to become complex when data dependencies, stale datasets, and heavy ETL or CDC architectures enter the picture.

Marc shares firsthand experience from decades in the mainframe world, including why so many migration programs slow down at the data layer — and what changes when execution becomes predictable.

Dusty outlines how a no-code, direct-access approach can simplify architecture, reduce operational complexity, and help teams meet tight migration windows without over-engineering the solution.

Visit: www.virtualzcomputing.com

Podcast Description

Enterprise modernization is accelerating — but many initiatives still stall for one simple reason: data access.

In this episode of the Skyward Data Podcast, VirtualZ joins Progress Software to explore how organizations are modernizing data access across hybrid environments without disrupting the systems that run their business.

Dennis Bennett, Principal Sales Engineer at Progress, joins Vince Re, Co-Founder and CTO of VirtualZ, and Dustin Froyum, Co-Founder of VirtualZ, to discuss how trusted enterprise connectivity and modern data innovation work together to deliver secure, high-performance data integration.

The conversation covers how organizations are transforming complex legacy data structures — including mainframe formats like VSAM — into modern, SQL-ready data that can power cloud databases, analytics platforms, and AI initiatives.

You’ll learn:

• Why data access has become the real modernization bottleneck

For architects, data leaders, and modernization teams navigating hybrid IT environments, this discussion provides practical insight into building a more flexible and resilient enterprise data architecture.

Enterprises aren’t struggling to build AI.

In this episode of Skyward Data, Jeanne Glass breaks down the 2026 framework for activating enterprise data across mainframe and cloud — instantly and safely.

Learn why modernization is no longer a migration project, why integration isn’t enough, and how forward-thinking CIOs are building AI-ready hybrid data platforms without disruption.

Your AI needs data. This episode explains how to deliver it.

In this episode, VirtualZ Computing co-founders Vince Re and Dustin Froyum explore how enterprises can simplify PCI DSS 4.0 compliance with real-time, no-code data access from the mainframe to Splunk.

PCI DSS 4.0 raises the bar for continuous evidence collection, monitoring, and audit readiness across all systems—including IBM Z. Vince and Dustin unpack how the PropelZ Splunk Log Connector enables mainframe teams to stream z/OS console messages directly into Splunk and JDBC targets (Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) without scripting or replication.

You’ll also hear Vince Re, original author of CA Top Secret and one of the early pioneers of enterprise cybersecurity, reflect on the origins of mainframe security, the evolution of audit logging, and his experience validating early U.S. encryption standards.

Key topics:

PCI DSS 4.0: What’s new and why mainframes are now firmly in scope

How PropelZ accelerates evidence collection and compliance workflows

The shift from manual scripts to governed, real-time data streams

Lessons from the early days of cybersecurity and data protection

Learn more at virtualzcomputing.com, explore our Customer Briefing Center, and follow Skyward Data wherever you get your podcasts.

What separates CIO visionaries from CIO operators in 2026?

In this episode of Skyward Data, Jeanne Glass shares the CIO vision for building an AI-ready enterprise — without risky migrations or operational disruption. As organizations race to adopt AI and modern analytics, the true bottleneck isn’t infrastructure. It’s access to trusted enterprise data.

Jeanne unpacks the architectural shift toward real-time data access, hybrid cloud execution, elastic storage modernization, and incremental transformation — revealing how forward-thinking CIOs are turning legacy platforms into engines of innovation.

Modernization is no longer a migration project. It’s a data strategy.

In this episode of the VirtualZ Skyward Data Podcast, Jeanne Glass, Founder and CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores how traditional batch-based ETL is giving way to real-time, cloud-ready, AI-enabled data integration strategies.

As enterprises accelerate AI adoption and hybrid cloud modernization, operational data locked inside IBM Z systems has become both the biggest constraint and the greatest opportunity. Jeanne breaks down the major trends reshaping ETL and ELT — including real-time integration, no-code platforms, cloud-based transformation, AI-driven data processing, and data virtualization — along with the practical challenges organizations face around security, governance, cost management, and skills gaps.

She also explains how modern approaches, including VirtualZ’s PropelZ platform, simplify mainframe data integration without custom coding, fragile pipelines, or disruptive migration.

If you’re responsible for enterprise data strategy, modernization, or AI enablement, this episode outlines what the future of ETL really looks like — and how to unlock IBM Z data safely, incrementally, and at scale.

In 2026, digital transformation is no longer cloud-first — it’s data-first.

In this episode of the VirtualZ Skyward Data Podcast, Jeanne Glass, Founder and CEO of VirtualZ Computing, explores what this shift means for systems integrators and outsourcers delivering AI, analytics, hybrid cloud modernization, and storage transformation.

Enterprises are investing heavily in AI platforms and modernization initiatives — yet business-critical operational data remains locked inside core systems. Jeanne breaks down why AI readiness is fundamentally a data access challenge, why hybrid is permanent, and why incremental modernization is now mandatory.

She also explains how VirtualZ’s AI-ready data access platform — PropelZ™, FlowZ™, Lozen™, and Zaac™ — enables integrators to deliver faster outcomes, scalable execution, reduced risk, and new revenue opportunities without disruptive migrations or fragile pipelines.

If you're responsible for modernization strategy, AI enablement, or enterprise transformation delivery, this episode outlines how to unlock operational data safely, incrementally, and immediately — and why speed is now the ultimate competitive advantage.