Mainframe Modernization Takes Center Stage: CSI International Heads to GSE 2026

The mainframe has never stood still.

With each new generation of IBM® mainframe technology comes greater processing power, new capabilities, and new opportunities for organizations running some of the world’s most critical workloads. But realizing the full value of that investment requires more than new hardware. The software running on it must evolve as well.

That conversation will be at the center of CSI International’s participation in the 20th International GSE Conference for VSE, Linux, Virtualization, AI and Hybrid Cloud on IBM Z & IBM LinuxONE, taking place September 28–30, 2026, in Leipzig, Germany.

As a Strategic Partner of GSE, CSI International is looking forward to once again joining customers, partners, and members of the international mainframe community to exchange ideas and explore what comes next for the platform.

This year, CSI will present two sessions focused on a question that has long shaped our development philosophy: How can organizations get more from the mainframe investments they already depend on?

Modernization Means More Than Replacing What Works

Mainframe modernization does not necessarily mean abandoning established technologies. In many cases, the greater opportunity is to modernize the tools surrounding those technologies so organizations can take advantage of new hardware, new capabilities, and new ways of working without sacrificing the reliability that made the mainframe indispensable in the first place.

That philosophy is reflected across CSI International’s ongoing development efforts.

At GSE 2026, Barry Boyer of CSI International will provide an update on several of those initiatives during:

Mainframe Modernization with CSI International: z/ What You Can Do

Monday, September 28, 2026 | 12:00–12:30

The session will explore CSI’s latest development work and continued investment in modernization across the mainframe environment.

Among the technologies featured will be z/Cobol®, CSI International’s new COBOL compiler, specifically designed to embrace the power of IBM’s current mainframe.

The session will also examine enhancements to CSI’s TCP/IP solutions, including stronger support for security and TLS and more dynamic responses to Internet-based attacks, as well as DataMiner-Dash™, CSI’s approach to helping organizations examine data and produce reports without the complexity and cost associated with many traditional reporting solutions.

Together, these developments represent a common objective: helping organizations extend the value of their mainframe environment while addressing the demands of modern computing.

Giving COBOL Modern Muscle

On Tuesday, CSI will turn the spotlight specifically to COBOL.

For decades, COBOL has remained central to mission-critical computing. The continued importance of the language, however, does not mean that the tools used to compile and extend it should remain frozen in time.

That distinction is at the heart of CSI International’s second GSE presentation:

Modernizing the Mainframe with the Modern Muscle of z/Cobol®

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 11:45–12:30
Presenter: David McGuire, CSI International

z/Cobol® is a new COBOL compiler specifically designed to embrace the power of IBM’s current mainframe.

The goal is not simply to compile existing COBOL differently. It is to give organizations a path for bringing COBOL applications into today's computing environment while continuing to benefit from the stability and reliability that have made COBOL such an enduring part of enterprise computing.

During the session, David McGuire will explore both the performance potential of z/Cobol® and the modern capabilities that can be brought into COBOL applications.

The presentation will examine opportunities to connect COBOL with technologies and functions that increasingly matter to today's enterprises, including JSON-based communication, AI, modern customer interactions, emerging IBM mainframe capabilities, and other technologies that allow established applications to participate in a rapidly changing digital environment.

The underlying premise is straightforward: modernization does not have to mean leaving COBOL behind.

It can mean giving COBOL better tools.

Getting More From the Modern Mainframe

IBM has continued to advance the mainframe platform, creating increasingly powerful infrastructure for organizations whose workloads demand exceptional performance, security, availability, and scale.

For organizations investing in that infrastructure, the next question becomes how effectively their software can use it.

That is where CSI sees an important opportunity.

Modernization can occur at multiple layers of the mainframe environment: improving how applications are compiled, strengthening network security, making data easier to access and analyze, integrating established systems with modern technologies, and developing software that better takes advantage of contemporary hardware.

These improvements do not require organizations to disregard decades of investment or replace reliable systems simply because they are established.

Instead, they offer another path: build forward from what already works.

Join CSI International in Leipzig

The International GSE Conference has long provided an important forum for users, vendors, developers, and technology leaders to share knowledge about the evolving mainframe ecosystem.

CSI International is proud to be a Strategic Partner of GSE and to continue supporting the community and the conversations that move the platform forward.

If you are attending the 20th International GSE Conference in Leipzig, we invite you to join Barry Boyer and David McGuire for their sessions, connect with the CSI team, and talk with us about where your own modernization efforts are headed.

20th International GSE Conference
September 28–30, 2026
The Westin Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany

CSI International Presentations

Monday, September 28 | 12:00–12:30
Mainframe Modernization with CSI International: z/ What You Can Do
Presenter: Barry Boyer

Tuesday, September 29 | 11:45–12:30
Modernizing the Mainframe with the Modern Muscle of z/Cobol®
Presenter: David McGuire

We look forward to seeing you in Leipzig.