I am a Mainframer: Niall on Mainframe Security, Learning by Doing, and the Future of z/OS
Join host Steven Dickens in this episode of I am a Mainframer featuring Niall from Vitality, a mainframe security consultant building his career across RACF administration, security engineering, ESM migrations, and system programming.Niall shares how he entered the mainframe industry through BMC Software’s Mainframe in Training program before joining Vitality, where he supports major retailers, insurance companies, and banks. He discusses his journey from discovering the mainframe to developing a broad range of skills across security, consulting, documentation, and system programming.The conversation covers RACF, ACF2, Top Secret, ESM migrations, security assessments, runbooks, and the importance of hands-on experience in mission-critical environments. Niall explains why mainframe professionals should continue expanding their knowledge instead of limiting themselves to a single speciality.Niall also offers a thoughtful perspective on AI. While he is cautious about relying on AI for learning and technical answers, he recognises its value for everyday tasks and programming support. He highlights the need for more visual mainframe education that shows how tools such as RACF and zSecure work in practice.Looking ahead, Niall discusses the future of mainframe computing, the growing power of modern systems, the possible convergence of mainframes and supercomputers, quantum computing, and how hardware limitations can inspire creative innovation.Subscribe for more conversations from Mainframe Connect and the I am a Mainframer series.#IAmAMainframer #MainframeConnect #OpenMainframeProject #MainframeSecurity #RACF #zOS #Vitality #AI #TechCareers #MainframeModernization
