Ruth Bonser

For most of the past five years, Ruth has worked on IBM z/OS® Connect. She explains that IBM z/OS Connect is the product that translates data between non-mainframe and mainframe infrastructure. “I think my interests are often drawn to the integration between the technology on and off the mainframe platform, like z/OS Connect enabling the modern API to connect with a CICS® (Customer Information Control System) program or sending mainframe metrics to observability tooling to analyze our mainframe infrastructure activity in near real time,” states Ruth.

She elaborates that in her role, she appreciates the ability to get everything and everyone working in harmony together. “I lead and manage a team that looks after a variety of mainframe services like risk, platform services, resiliency, disaster recovery, and managing software currency. The team collaborates closely with all the mainframe technical and operational subject matter experts, so we need to look at the platform holistically, which I really enjoy,” shares Ruth.

The heart of the matter

“I think of the mainframe as being the heart of the bank, where payments are processed and recorded, and supporting that is a critical role for the business.” Ruth explains that every payment, every transaction, every time a customer is doing something that has to do with the bank, it's going to come through the mainframe.

Ruth adds that “regular IT is really about a bunch of separate things that happen to work by connecting to each other. Whereas conceptually, your mainframe is one place where everybody is together and has to work in partnership. It's an inherently collaborative environment in a technological sense.”

New to Z

“Another responsibility I have is the development program for new mainframe team members from all sorts of entry points. This is something I have a passion for. I’m still considered new to IBM Z® myself,” notes Ruth.

Her colleagues were a big help as Ruth started her new role. “The people are so passionate about what they work on and have been consistently keen to teach and support others. This is not just a job, this is a community and a career, and they want to see the next generation of mainframers bringing the same approach and care.”

For those interested in exploring a mainframe career, Ruth shares that “if you love learning and you’re interested in a technical role, you should consider mainframe. There’s so much to learn, that it’s a lifelong opportunity to learn more. What inspires me is feeling like I'm good at my job and having those that I look up to value what I’m doing and recognize it and celebrate it.”

Bringing mainframe home

As an active member of the New to IBM Z User Group, Ruth learned there were local chapters established around the world, but not in Australia yet. So, Ruth and a few like-minded individuals launched a New to Z combined chapter for members in Australia and New Zealand. Because of the distances involved, this large chapter hosts in-person events that take place simultaneously across nine different cities in Australia and New Zealand. The highly inclusive regional chapter meetups have been well-received and are valued by members for the local networking, peer-to-peer support, and strong technical content.

Ruth is also a passionate advocate and prominent industry influencer for the mainframe. “I think advocacy is about sharing your excitement, helping each other, and building that support together. For me, one of the big outcomes of advocacy is that as you help the person next to you, they’ll turn around and do the same for you later on.”