eBook

Enforceable Standards Reduce IBM Z Storage Management Risks

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EBOOKEnforceable Standards Reduce IBM Z Storage Management Risks

Efficiency and reliability are the twin pillars of mainframe computing. And when it comes to storage, both depend on having clear standards in place—and enforcing them.

This eBook explores why storage allocation control matters, what can go wrong without enforceable standards, and how you can protect your environment with the right tools.

Why storage standards matter

Not long ago, users of Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Maps, and more—basically, most of the internet—lost access for about 45 minutes.

The culprit? An identity management system ran out of storage space and couldn’t authenticate user logins. Even Google’s internal employees were locked out of their own tools until the issue was fixed.

Now, Google doesn’t run on mainframes, but the lesson applies everywhere: storage mismanagement can bring business to a halt.

On the mainframe, storage is the backbone of every application. Without it, apps can’t run. If storage isn’t available, performance slows or applications fail outright. In the worst cases, poor storage management can even cause permanent data loss.

And even if your outages don’t make global headlines, they’re still disruptive. Downtime frustrates your customers, puts your team under pressure, and costs your business time and money.

That’s why setting and enforcing clear storage standards is so important.

The Risks of unmanaged storage

When standards are poorly defined, or not enforced, problems can creep in slowly and silently:

Inconsistent dataset creation

If naming conventions or allocation rules aren’t followed, datasets become harder to manage, track, and secure.

Performance bottlenecks

Outdated buffering settings or inefficient I/O can cause jobs to take hours longer than they should, driving up CPU costs.

Risky deletions

An improperly coded delete command can lock up system resources or remove critical data.

GDG sprawl

Without rules in place, generation data groups can waste space, increase errors, and reduce system efficiency.

Compliance gaps

Regulatory requirements often mandate proper data retention and disposal. Manual enforcement leaves you exposed to errors and audit risk.

Each of these risks adds up. Storage mismanagement doesn’t just cause downtime—it eats into your team’s productivity and your organization’s bottom line.

Enter Syncsort™ ACC: Standards made simple

That’s where Precisely’s Syncsort™ Allocation Control Center (ACC) comes in.

ACC gives you centralized, rule-based management for your mainframe storage. Instead of writing standards and hoping everyone follows them, ACC enforces your policies automatically across test and production environments.

From dataset creation to disposal, ACC ensures everything runs the way it should. You get fewer errors, better performance, and the confidence that comes from knowing storage is handled correctly every time.

Let’s break down how ACC helps

1. Boost I/O Performance Automatically

CPU consumption is always a focus, but I/O performance is just as critical.

In many data centers, jobs still rely on settings that made sense in the 1970s but slow things down today. For example, buffering values often go untouched because no one wants to risk manual changes to JCL.

ACC helps here by adjusting buffering values automatically—without requiring JCL changes.

For non-VSAM datasets, simply increasing BUFNO can deliver a significant performance boost.
For VSAM, ACC applies system-managed values such as ACCBIAS and SMBVSB across the board.

The result: faster jobs, reduced CPU time, and smoother operations—all without the risk of touching production JCL.

Case in point: One financial services firm used ACC’s performance buffering to cut batch processing time by 20%. That translated into several hours saved every day and thousands of dollars in CPU cost reductions each month.

2. Control How Datasets Are Created

Every dataset starts with a set of attributes. If those are wrong or inconsistent, you’ll face problems down the line with issues like poor performance, wasted space, or access errors.

ACC enforces your standards the moment datasets are created. It validates key allocation variables such as:

Volume serial numbers
DD names
Dataset names
Data Control Block (DCB) attributes
Space characteristics (including RLSE)

If something doesn’t match policy, ACC automatically adjusts it. That means every dataset starts off right eliminating inconsistencies and preventing small errors from snowballing into bigger issues.

3. Make Dataset Deletion Safer and Smarter

Deleting datasets sounds simple, but it can be risky. A poorly coded delete can eat up CPU and I/O, create backlogs, or even remove critical datasets.

ACC enforces standards that make deletion safe and compliant.

It validates who’s deleting the dataset.
It checks the type of dataset being deleted.
It applies your organization’s rules for ERASE, DELETE, or PURGE.

For example, at one financial institution, a developer accidentally coded ERASE for a massive dataset. The result? A twenty-minute backlog that delayed multiple production jobs and cost the business both time and money. ACC prevents these mistakes by applying enforceable rules automatically.

4. Simplify GDG Processing

Generation Data Groups (GDGs) are powerful but easy to mismanage. Without rules, they can sprawl, waste storage space, and bog down performance.

ACC helps by enforcing consistent GDG policies:

How many generations to keep
Roll-off rules (FIFO vs LIFO)
Standardizing all new GDGs as extended GDGs (GDGEs) with up to 999 generations

This eliminates manual cleanup, reduces wasted space, and ensures predictable performance.

5. Enforce Policies Consistently

The hardest part of storage management isn’t defining policies, it’s making sure they’re followed.

ACC applies your standards consistently, every time:

Dataset creation → validated and corrected automatically
I/O buffering → optimized without JCL edits
Dataset deletion → safe, compliant, and efficient
GDG processing → standardized and predictable

With ACC, you spend less time chasing errors, fewer nights worrying about production failures, and more time focusing on higher-value work.

The business impact: Why this matters

Let’s zoom out for a moment. Why should enforceable storage standards be at the top of your priority list?

Cost Savings

Inefficient jobs drive up CPU costs.
Manual fixes waste staff time.
ACC helps reduce both, saving money every single day.

Reduced Risk

Errors in production are costly and disruptive.
Automatic enforcement prevents risky mistakes.

Improved Compliance

Consistent dataset lifecycle management supports regulatory requirements.
Audit trails from ACC provide evidence of compliance.

Team Productivity

Instead of firefighting storage issues, your staff can focus on innovation.
Automation frees up hours every week.

The bottom line: Confidence through control

Mainframe environments thrive on consistency. When your storage standards are enforced automatically, you don’t just reduce errors, you gain peace of mind.

That’s what ACC is really about: giving you back time and control. Instead of firefighting storage issues, you can focus on keeping your systems efficient, resilient, and ready for what’s next.

Storage isn’t just about where data lives, it’s about how confidently you can run the business on top of it. With enforceable standards in place, you’ll know your applications are performing at their best, your risks are under control, and your team has the breathing room to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

What’s Next?

Storage standards don’t enforce themselves and trying to do it manually drains time and energy.

That’s exactly why ACC was built: to give you a smarter, automated way to keep your mainframe running efficiently and securely.

ACC applies your policies consistently, protects you from costly errors, and makes sure every dataset is managed the right way from start to finish. It’s the easiest step you can take to get more reliability, more performance, and more peace of mind from your IBM Z environment.

Ready to put enforceable standards to work for you?

Get in touch