Mainframe Blog

When Java Meets Uber

2 minute read
John McKenny

When Java Meets Uber

What makes Uber really appealing is that you can click on the app and request services at a moment’s notice. When you use Uber you can see where the car is, when it’s on the way, and know – down to the minute – when the car will arrive. The Uber app even displays the vehicle’s license plate, type and color of car, and the name of the driver so that you can identify the car quickly. The payment process is simple and fast – it is automatically charged to your credit card on file.

Wake Up and Smell the Java

In many ways, Uber is to transportation services what a truly integrated performance management solution for monitoring Java is to your mainframe environment. Digital business is driving IT to deliver new applications to meet the needs of consumers who demand always-available, always-fast access to service. To meet this need, mainframe organizations are deploying Java on z/OS at a rapid and growing rate. Not only can Java run everywhere in your mainframe environment, its consumption of resources can impact application performance and availability. IT does not know where Java is running, what resources it is consuming or how it is impacting other workloads and applications. Without clear insight into how many Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) are running and their locations in your mainframe environment, finding and fixing problems may take hours, days or even weeks, resulting in a negative impact on your customers.

Just as you need updates on the status of the car that’s taking you to your destination, IT needs better visibility into Java applications. IT must understand which workloads are using Java, where JVMs are located, and whether they are causing a problem with other workloads. With this insight, IT can lower its mean-time-to-repair by detecting and resolving performance problems before they impact customers.

Uber customers have visibility into what cars are available, the color, make, license number and rate. Uber customers also understand the cost of their journey (when prices are standard and when they could be charged higher surge rates) to make decisions based on cost. They can wait until surge pricing goes down, choose a less-expensive car or pool share if these services are available, or look for other transportation options. In much the same way, IT can leverage an integrated monitoring solution for Java to reduce costs – by monitoring the offload of Java to lower-cost System z Integrated Information Processor (zIIP) engines, reducing monthly license charge (MLC) costs from IBM®

Learn how BMC MainView for Java Environments can improve application performance and availability by providing visibility into real-time Java resource utilization. You can reduce MLC costs while meeting the demands of digital business. To learn more, watch this video.

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These postings are my own and do not necessarily represent BMC's position, strategies, or opinion.

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About the author

John McKenny

As SVP and General Manager of Intelligent Z Optimization and Transformation at BMC Software, John leads the R&D, Product Management and Solutions Marketing teams to innovate the mainframe to meet the needs of today’s evolving digital economy. John has over 25 years of management experience at BMC alone and, prior to joining, he led various IT management teams and strategies for 15 years in the transportation and insurance industries.