ATL Catch up

Question 1

ISDC

Answer 1

IBM Security Discover and Classify

Question 2

DORA

Answer 2

Digital Operational Resilience Act

Question 3

DORA

Answer 3

The Digital Operational Resilience Act, or DORA, is a European Union (EU) regulation that creates a binding, comprehensive information and communication technology (ICT) risk management framework for the EU financial sector.

Question 4

ICT

Answer 4

Information and communication technology

Question 5

1touch.io, provider of Inventa™

Answer 5

1touch.io, provider of Inventa™, an AI-based sustainable data discovery and classification platform for sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) data, announced today that it and IBM Security have entered into an OEM partnership to offer the Inventa platform as IBM Security Discover and Classify later this month. This will enable IBM Security to continue to bring advanced sensitive PII data discovery and classification for data-at-rest and data-in-motion to the market, helping to solve customers’ toughest data security and data privacy challenges.

Question 6

CTI

Answer 6

Counter Threat Intelligence

Question 7

CDC

Answer 7

Change Data Capture
Change data capture (CDC) refers to the tracking of all changes in a data source (databases, data warehouses, etc.) so they can be captured in destination systems. In short, CDC allows organizations to achieve data integrity and consistency across all systems and deployment environments.

Question 8

IDAA

Answer 8

IBM Db2® Analytics Accelerator
is a high-performance component tightly integrated with Db2 for z/OS®. It delivers high-speed processing of complex Db2 queries to support business-critical reporting and analytic workloads. The Db2 Analytics Accelerator has helped improve the performance of thousands of Db2 for z/OS applications and systems of insight and is a key enabler for data access modernization. It can be deployed on IFLs (IBM Integrated Facility for Linux) on zSystems or LinuxONE.

Question 9

IMS

Answer 9

IBM Information Management System (IMS)
is a hierarchical database and information management system that supports transaction processing. It is available on z/OS.

IMS is a database-driven, secure, integrated platform for high-performance online transaction and data processing that delivers on the security, flexibility, and scalability of IBM zSystems™ that’s critical to support your business.

IMS is at the forefront of your enterprise, hosting applications that can process billions of transactions per day while providing the capabilities to extend the functionality of existing applications by linking them to modern tools and emerging technologies.

Question 10

VSAM

Answer 10

Virtual Storage Access Method
(VSAM)[1] is an IBM direct-access storage device (DASD) file storage access method, first used in the OS/VS1, OS/VS2 Release 1 (SVS) and Release 2 (MVS) operating systems, later used throughout the Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) architecture and now in z/OS. Originally a record-oriented filesystem,[NB 2] VSAM comprises four[NB 2] data set organizations:
1. key-sequenced (KSDS),
2. relative record (RRDS),
3. entry-sequenced (ESDS) and
4. linear (LDS).[2] The KSDS, RRDS and ESDS organizations contain records, while the LDS organization (added later to VSAM) simply contains a sequence of pages with no intrinsic record structure, for use as a memory-mapped file (Wikipedia)

1.

Question 11

Terradata

Answer 11

**Teradata **offers three primary services to its customers:
* 1. cloud and hardware-based data warehousing,
* business analytics, and
* consulting services.[50]
In September 2016, the company launched Teradata Everywhere, which allows users to submit queries against public and private databases. The service uses massively parallel processing across both its physical data warehouse and cloud storage, including managed environments such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, VMware, and Teradata’s Managed Cloud and IntelliFlex.[51][52] Teradata offers customers both hybrid cloud and multi-cloud storage.[53] In March 2017, Teradata introduced Teradata IntelliCloud, a secure managed cloud for data and analytic software as a service. IntelliCloud is compatible with Teradata’s data warehouse platform, IntelliFlex.[54] The Teradata Analytics Platform was unveiled in 2017.[55

Question 12

Snowflake

Answer 12

Snowflake Inc. is an American cloud computing–based data cloud company.
The firm offers a cloud-based data storage and analytics service, generally termed “data-as-a-service”.[4][5] It allows corporate users to store and analyze data using cloud-based hardware and software. Snowflake services main features are separation of storage and compute, on-the-fly scalable compute, data sharing, data cloning, and third-party tools support in order to scale with its enterprise customers.[6] It has run on Amazon Web Services since 2014,[2] on Microsoft Azure since 2018[7] and on the Google Cloud Platform since 2019.[8][9

Question 13

Netezza

Answer 13

IBM Netezza designs and markets high-performance data warehouse appliances and advanced analytics applications for the most demanding analytic uses including enterprise data warehousing, business intelligence, predictive analytics and business continuity planning.
In August 2023, IBM Netezza picked up a table format from Apache Iceberg which would extend the reach of Netezza capabilities into a data lake house.[14]. Furthermore it’s integration with IBM watsonx.data (released in 2023) allows it to become a unique, hybrid compute engine based data lake house solution, the next generation data store, extending it’s strategic importance even further.

Question 14

IBM DataGate

Answer 14

IBM DataGate, including its specific deployment IBM Data Gate on Cloud,** is a cloud-based solution designed for synchronizing and externalizing data from IBM Db2 for z/OS databases to cloud environments.** This allows applications hosted in the cloud to access up-to-date mainframe data efficiently, supporting modern data architectures and initiatives such as analytics and AI.

Data Gate on Cloud operates on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and integrates with IBM’s Db2 Warehouse on Cloud. It uses a continuous replication mechanism to ensure that the data remains current without impacting the performance of the source Db2 for z/OS system. The architecture of Data Gate on Cloud includes several components such as a Db2 for z/OS source database, stored procedures running on IBM Z, a Red Hat OpenShift cluster on AWS, and a secure network connection for data synchronization​ (IBM - United States)​.

This solution is particularly suited for scenarios where high-throughput and low-latency are critical, and it offers transactional consistency. It’s optimized for scenarios where data needs to be co-located with cloud applications, thus minimizing delays and resource use on the mainframe​ (IBM - United States)​.

Question 15

Db2

Answer 15

IBM® Db2®
is the cloud-native database built to power low-latency transactions and real-time analytics at scale. Built on decades of innovation in data security, scalability and availability, you can use Db2 to keep your applications and analytics protected, highly performant and resilient, anywhere.

It provides a single engine for DBAs, enterprise architects and developers to:

Run critical applications.
Store and query data.
Enable faster decision-making.
Drive innovation across organizations.

Question 16

DVM

Answer 16

Integration point for DataStage
IBM® Data Virtualization Manager for z/OS® provides virtual, integrated views of data located on IBM Z®. It enables users and applications to have read and write access to IBM Z data in place, without having to move, replicate or transform the data.

Data Virtualization Manager for z/OS facilitates the integration of independently designed data structures, allowing them to be used together while incurring minimal additional processing costs. Traditional data movement approaches can negatively impact the opportunity to benefit from data where and when it is needed. By unlocking IBM Z data using popular, industry-standard APIs, like SQL, Data Virtualization Manager for z/OS you can save time and money.

Question 17

Fusion HCI

Answer 17

IBM Fusion HCI, or Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, is a comprehensive solution designed to simplify the deployment and management of containerized applications using IBM’s hybrid cloud capabilities. The system integrates Red Hat OpenShift with advanced data services and computing infrastructure, making it particularly suitable for running enterprise-grade container and AI workloads.

The key features of IBM Fusion HCI include:

• All-in-one system: Fusion HCI combines compute, storage, and network into a unified system optimized for Red Hat OpenShift environments. It is designed to facilitate the fast deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications across hybrid cloud environments.
• Enhanced data services: It offers robust data services such as automated backup, optimization, security, and protection, crucial for mission-critical applications.
• Streamlined management: IBM Fusion HCI aims to reduce complexity by providing a single management interface for Kubernetes environments across local and remote data centers and hybrid clouds. This simplifies the operation and scaling of applications from development through to production.
• Support for AI and ML workloads: The system is equipped with hardware options like NVIDIA A100 GPUs to support AI and ML operations, making it well-suited for data-intensive tasks.
• Global Data Platform: It includes IBM’s Global Data Platform which provides a unified data management layer that spans from edge to core to cloud, thereby enhancing data mobility and accessibility.
  IBM Fusion HCI is positioned as a turnkey solution that addresses the operational complexities of managing container environments while supporting the rapid delivery and scalability of modern applications​

Question 18

CTI

Answer 18

Citi Technology Infrastructure

Question 19

CICS / IMS TM / Batch

Question 20

Db2 / IBM DB / VSAM

Question 21

LOC

Answer 21

Lines of Code

Question 22

CTTP

Answer 22

Critical Third Party Provider

Question 23

ADM

Answer 23

Application Development and Maintenance (ADM): In the field of information technology, ADM refers to the segment of IT services focused on developing, testing, and maintaining software applications. It covers a wide range of activities from initial system analysis to application development, installation, and ongoing maintenance. ADM services help organizations manage their software lifecycle effectively and ensure that applications meet their changing needs and challenges.

Question 24

z/OS Data Gate

Answer 24

z/OS Data Gate is a feature of IBM Db2 for z/OS introduced to facilitate real-time data access and integration with other platforms and systems. It allows for seamless data sharing and exchange between Db2 for z/OS and distributed systems, such as cloud platforms, distributed databases, and analytics engines.

Question 25

IBM Wazi as a Service (Wazi aaS)

Answer 25

IBM Wazi as a Service (Wazi aaS) is a cloud-based solution that provides a development and testing environment for z/OS applications. It enables cloud native development on IBM’s Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), giving developers access to z/OS virtual server instances. This service integrates seamlessly with public cloud services and supports existing DevOps tools, making it easier for developers to build, test, and debug z/OS applications using industry-standard integrated development environments (IDEs) like VS Code or Eclipse.

Key features of IBM Wazi as a Service include the use of stock or custom z/OS images for development and testing, the ability to scale resources dynamically, and enhanced security and compliance practices. It supports continuous delivery through integration templates based on DevSecOps practices, aiming to increase productivity and accelerate delivery times by providing on-demand access to development and testing environments. This service is particularly beneficial for developers who are new to z/OS or IBM Z, as it allows them to get up to speed quickly and start contributing to projects without extensive training on mainframe technologies​

Question 26

TesorFlow

Question 27

Db2z

Question 28

IceBerg

Answer 28

Iceberg (Data Lake): Iceberg is an open-source project for building tables with large-scale data processing engines like Apache Spark and Apache Flink. It provides efficient and scalable table format for storing and querying massive volumes of data, inspired by the principles of Apache Parquet and Apache Avro.

Question 29

Power 9 E 980

Question 30

Parquet file

Answer 30

A Parquet file is a columnar storage file format commonly used in big data processing frameworks like Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, and Apache Hive. It’s designed to efficiently store and process large amounts of data. Here are some key characteristics of Parquet files:

Columnar Storage: Unlike row-based storage formats, Parquet organizes data by column rather than by row. This means that values from the same column are stored together, which can significantly improve query performance, especially for analytics workloads where only a subset of columns are frequently accessed.
Compression: Parquet supports various compression algorithms, such as Snappy, Gzip, and LZ4, to reduce file size and storage costs. By compressing each column individually, Parquet can achieve high compression ratios, especially for datasets with repetitive or highly structured data.
Predicates Pushdown: Parquet files store metadata about the data they contain, including statistics about the values in each column. This metadata enables query engines to optimize query execution by skipping irrelevant data blocks based on query predicates. This feature is known as predicate pushdown and can significantly improve query performance.
Column Pruning: Parquet files also support column pruning, which allows query engines to read only the columns necessary to satisfy a query, further reducing I/O and improving query performance.
Schema Evolution: Parquet files support schema evolution, meaning that you can add, remove, or modify columns in a dataset without needing to rewrite the entire dataset. This flexibility is particularly useful in data warehousing and data lake scenarios where schemas may evolve over time.

Question 31

CICS

Answer 31

CICS stands for Customer Information Control System. It’s a transaction processing system designed for mainframe computers, particularly those from IBM. CICS is widely used in large-scale enterprise computing environments to handle high-volume transaction processing for applications such as banking, finance, airline reservations, and telecommunications.

Here are some key aspects of CICS in the context of mainframe computing:

Transaction Processing: CICS provides a runtime environment for running transactional applications. It manages the execution of individual transactions, which are discrete units of work initiated by users or other systems. Transactions can involve tasks such as querying or updating databases, processing payments, or retrieving information.
Concurrency and Scalability: CICS is optimized for handling concurrent transactions from multiple users simultaneously. It provides mechanisms for managing resources, handling concurrency, and ensuring data integrity in a multi-user environment. This scalability makes it suitable for processing large volumes of transactions efficiently.
Integration with Databases: CICS integrates closely with databases such as IBM Db2 (formerly known as DB2) and VSAM (Virtual Storage Access Method) to perform database operations as part of transaction processing. It provides facilities for accessing and manipulating data stored in these databases, ensuring transactional consistency and reliability.
Program Development: CICS applications are typically developed using programming languages such as COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, or more recently, Java. CICS provides programming interfaces and libraries for developing transactional applications, including APIs for interacting with CICS services and resources.
Security and Access Control: CICS includes features for ensuring the security of transactional data and resources. It supports authentication, authorization, and encryption mechanisms to protect sensitive information and restrict access to authorized users and applications.
Monitoring and Management: CICS provides monitoring and management tools for administrators to monitor system performance, track transaction activity, diagnose problems, and manage system resources. These tools help ensure the reliability, availability, and performance of CICS-based applications.

Question 32

IDE

Answer 32

“IDE” stands for Integrated Development Environment. It’s a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to programmers for software development. An IDE typically includes a code editor, compiler or interpreter, debugger, and other tools needed for software development within a single interface.

Question 33

Apptio

Answer 33

Apptio is a software company that specializes in technology business management (TBM) software. The company’s products are designed to help organizations analyze and manage the costs, quality, and value of IT services. By providing detailed insights into technology spending, Apptio’s software assists companies in making informed decisions about IT investments and budget allocations.

Apptio’s platform integrates with various IT data sources and uses analytics to provide visibility into the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT services. This includes costs related to infrastructure, applications, and services. The platform enables IT leaders to understand spending, plan effectively, and optimize costs, thereby aligning IT spending with business priorities.

Question 34

z OS connect

Question 35

Green screen

Answer 35

“green screen” refers to the traditional user interface of mainframe applications, which typically features a simple, text-based screen with a green-on-black color scheme. These screens are part of the legacy systems that have been used for decades, particularly in industries like banking, insurance, government, and healthcare, where mainframes have been central due to their reliability and processing power.

Modernization of these green screen interfaces often involves several approaches:

Screen Scraping: This method involves capturing the data displayed on the green screen and reformatting it to display in a more modern user interface, such as a web browser or mobile app. This can be done without altering the underlying business logic on the mainframe.
Application Modernization: This approach might involve rewriting or refactoring the existing mainframe application to support newer, more user-friendly interfaces. This could also involve porting the application to a new platform or rewriting it in a modern programming language.
Integration with Modern Technologies: Another strategy is to integrate the mainframe with modern software architectures, like microservices or web services, allowing the data and processes of the mainframe to be accessible in more modern applications and interfaces.
Emulation: Similar to screen scraping, but more focused on mimicking the behavior of the original application in a new environment. Emulation can provide a bridge by allowing legacy applications to run on newer hardware or in cloud environments with an interface that is familiar to users but hosted in a more modern infrastructure.
The goal of modernizing green screen applications is to enhance accessibility, improve user experience, and integrate with modern IT systems, all while preserving the critical business logic that mainframes handle so effectively. This helps organizations leverage their existing investments in mainframe technology while staying current with technological advancements and user expectations.

Question 36

what is 3270 Emulation

Answer 36

3270 Emulation refers to software that simulates the functionality of IBM 3270 terminals, allowing modern computer systems to interact with mainframe computers as if they were using an actual 3270 terminal. The IBM 3270 terminals were originally designed in the 1970s to connect to IBM mainframes and were used extensively for business applications that required large-scale data processing.

These terminals are known for their screen-oriented interface, as opposed to the line-oriented terminals of earlier technologies. They use a block mode of communication, where the screen acts as a form of input and output buffer: data is entered into fields on the screen and sent to the mainframe in blocks when triggered by the user.

3270 Emulation software is crucial in many business environments where legacy systems on mainframes are still in operation, as it allows these older systems to be accessed from modern PCs and networked environments. This software typically provides a graphical user interface that mimics the display and function of the original 3270 terminals, integrating seamlessly with modern operating systems and networks. This enables businesses to maintain and utilize their legacy systems without the need to maintain the actual old hardware.

Question 37

Veritas

Question 38

Cohesity

Question 39

Rubrik

Question 40

IBM Prviledge Access Manamement

Answer 40

IBM Privilege Access Management (IBM PAM) is a comprehensive solution designed to address the security risks associated with privileged access within an organization’s IT infrastructure. Privileged access refers to the elevated permissions and capabilities granted to certain users, such as system administrators or IT personnel, to perform critical tasks and manage sensitive resources.

IBM PAM helps organizations manage, monitor, and secure privileged access across their IT environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures. Some key features and capabilities of IBM PAM may include:

Privileged Session Management: IBM PAM allows organizations to monitor and record privileged user sessions in real-time. This helps ensure accountability and transparency by providing detailed audit trails of all privileged activities.

Credential Vaulting: IBM PAM securely stores and manages privileged credentials, such as passwords, SSH keys, and certificates, in a centralized vault. This reduces the risk of credential theft and unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data.

Privilege Elevation: The solution enables organizations to enforce least privilege access policies by dynamically elevating user privileges only when necessary for specific tasks. This helps mitigate the risk of unauthorized access and privilege abuse.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): IBM PAM supports multi-factor authentication to verify the identity of users before granting privileged access. MFA adds an extra layer of security beyond traditional password-based authentication methods.

Access Control Policies: Administrators can define granular access control policies to restrict privileged access based on roles, responsibilities, and business requirements. This helps enforce the principle of least privilege and minimize the attack surface.

Compliance and Reporting: IBM PAM provides built-in reporting and analytics capabilities to help organizations demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements, such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and HIPAA. It generates comprehensive audit reports for privileged access activities.

Integration with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: IBM PAM can integrate with SIEM solutions to correlate privileged access events with other security events and alerts. This enhances threat detection and incident response capabilities.

Question 41

Terraform

Answer 41

ATL demo: talking about day 1
day 2 Ansible

Question 42

CDE

Answer 42

CDE (Card Data Environment) exposure refers to the potential risk or vulnerability associated with the handling, processing, storing, or transmitting of cardholder data within an organization’s network and systems. CDE is a critical component in the context of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance, which aims to protect cardholder data and reduce the risk of data breaches and fraud.

Question 43

Bastion

Answer 43

Bastion Host is a special-purpose server that is designed and configured to act as a gateway between a trusted internal network and an external, less trusted network, such as the internet. It is typically used to provide secure access to a private network or to critical resources that are behind a firewall, often in cloud or hybrid cloud environments

Question 44

vCPU (Virtual CPU)

Answer 44

vCPU (Virtual CPU):
Definition: A virtual CPU (vCPU) is a portion of a physical CPU (or multiple CPU cores) allocated to a virtual machine or container. In cloud environments, vCPUs are virtualized CPU cores that allow virtual machines to share the physical CPU resources of the host machine.
Purpose: vCPUs handle the execution of instructions, processing of data, and all computational tasks. More vCPUs generally mean more compute power, which allows for better performance, especially for CPU-intensive tasks like data processing, machine learning, or video rendering.

Question 45

Image

Answer 45

image refers to a template or blueprint that contains all the necessary software, configuration, and dependencies required to create a virtual machine (VM) or container.

Question 46

Image

Answer 46

Definition of an Image:
An image is a pre-configured, read-only snapshot that includes an operating system, application code, libraries, and configuration files. It acts as the base or starting point for launching instances, virtual machines, or containers.

Types of Images:
Virtual Machine Image:
A virtual machine image is a complete operating system along with any additional software that has been packaged together. This image can be used to launch virtual machines on platforms like VMware, Hyper-V, or cloud environments (e.g., AWS EC2, Google Cloud Compute Engine).
Example: An image might include Ubuntu Linux, along with a web server and a database pre-installed. When launched, it creates a new virtual machine instance that runs this configuration.
Container Image:
A container image is a lightweight, stand-alone package that includes everything needed to run a specific application, but without a full operating system. Container images are often used in platforms like Docker or Kubernetes.
Example: A container image might include a web application written in Python, along with all the necessary Python libraries, ready to run in an isolated environment.
Key Components of an Image:
Operating System: For VM images, this includes the base operating system (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows). For container images, this often includes a minimal OS layer or runtime environment.
Application Code: The software or service you intend to run (e.g., a web server, database, or custom application).
Dependencies: Required libraries, binaries, and configuration files that the application or system needs to function properly.
Configuration: Any pre-configured settings or environment variables, such as network settings, user accounts, or application parameters.
Why Use Images?
Portability: Images allow you to package applications with all their dependencies, making them easily portable across different environments (development, testing, production).
Consistency: Using the same image ensures that the application behaves the same way across multiple environments, reducing the likelihood of errors due to configuration mismatches.
Efficiency: Images enable rapid deployment. Rather than manually setting up a virtual machine or container, you can launch an instance from a pre-built image in seconds.
Scalability: Images allow you to easily scale out your infrastructure by spinning up multiple identical instances based on the same image.
Image Repositories:
Docker Hub, Amazon ECR, Google Container Registry are examples of repositories where container images are stored and can be pulled to launch containers.
VM Image Repositories are provided by cloud platforms like AWS (Amazon Machine Images - AMI), Azure (Azure VM Images), or Google Cloud (GCE Images) for launching virtual machines.
Example in Practice:
VM Image Example: An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) might include Ubuntu 20.04 with Apache installed and configured. When you launch an EC2 instance from this image, it boots up as a virtual machine with Ubuntu and Apache already running.
Container Image Example: A Docker image might include a Node.js application along with Node.js runtime and all required dependencies. When you run the container from this image, it starts the Node.js application inside an isolated environment.

Question 47

Namespace

Answer 47

namespace is a way to organize and manage resources in various computing environments, especially in cloud platforms and container orchestration systems like Kubernetes. It provides a mechanism to isolate and group resources, allowing for better control, scalability, and resource management

Question 48

Twistlock and Black Duck

Answer 48

Twistlock and Black Duck refer to security tools used to scan container images for vulnerabilities and manage security risks.

Question 49

PV and PVC

Answer 49

Persistent Volumes (PVs) and Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs) are key components in Kubernetes that enable stateful workloads by providing persistent storage for containers. Since Kubernetes pods are ephemeral (i.e., they are temporary and can be created and destroyed easily), PVs and PVCs ensure that data can persist even when the pods themselves do not.

Question 50

Netezza

Answer 50

Netezza is a cloud data warehouse service that empowers data engineers, data scientists, and data analysts to run complex workloads without additional ETL or data movement. It supports open formats such as Parquet and Apache Iceberg, and integrates with IBM’s watsonx.data lakehouse. Netezza offers a fully managed SaaS deployment on AWS with risk-free, frictionless upgrades.

Question 51

Apache Spark:

Answer 51

Apache Spark is an open-source, distributed computing system designed for big data processing. It enables the processing of large datasets across multiple machines and provides a unified analytics engine for tasks like batch processing, streaming, and machine learning.
2.

Question 52

IBM Spectrum LSF

Answer 52

IBM Spectrum LSF (Load Sharing Facility):
IBM Spectrum LSF is a workload management platform that helps in distributing, scheduling, and managing high-performance computing (HPC) workloads across a cluster of machines. It is commonly used in environments where there are intensive computational tasks, and it optimizes resource usage, job scheduling, and load balancing.

Question 53

IBM Netcool

Answer 53

IBM Netcool is a network management system that provides real-time monitoring and management of IT infrastructure and applications. It helps organizations to quickly identify and resolve network issues, reducing downtime and improving overall network performance.

Question 54

BigPanda

Answer 54

BigPanda is an AI-driven IT operations platform designed to help organizations manage and automate incident response, reduce alert noise, and improve the efficiency of their IT operations teams. It specializes in event correlation and incident management by aggregating and analyzing large volumes of alerts from various monitoring, change, and topology tools, making it easier for IT teams to identify, investigate, and resolve incidents in complex IT environments.