WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rocket Software, a global technology leader in IT modernization, today announced Rocket z/Assurance, a unified portfolio for managing risk and compliance across mission-critical IBM Z environments. Combining purpose-built capabilities with Rocket Software’s deep mainframe expertise, Rocket z/Assurance helps organizations identify vulnerability and security exposures, validate security controls, monitor compliance readiness, prioritize remediation and gain real-time visibility into risk. This enables leaders to modernize critical systems with greater confidence, without compromising security or governance.
For the 99% of enterprises operating hybrid environments that include mainframes, security controls alone are no longer enough. AI is accelerating the speed and scale at which vulnerabilities can be discovered and exploited, while increasingly interconnected environments create more paths for risk to reach critical systems. Leaders need evidence that current security controls are continuously effective. Researchscape, in a report commissioned by Rocket Software, found that only 24% of IT leaders are extremely confident in their organization’s ability to address mainframe vulnerabilities over the next year. As threats, compliance obligations and modernization requirements evolve, organizations need continuous visibility into where meaningful risk exists and evidence that protection of critical environments remains effective.
“Modernization decisions increasingly depend on an organization’s ability to understand and manage risk across its most critical systems,” said Phil Buckellew, President of Infrastructure Modernization at Rocket Software. “When leaders have clear visibility into where risk exists and confidence that their IBM Z environments remain protected, security becomes an enabler of innovation and modernization rather than a barrier to progress. It allows organizations to move faster, make informed decisions, and focus resources where they can have the greatest impact.”
Key Rocket z/Assurance portfolio capabilities include:
- Identify code-level and integrity exposures: Rocket® z/Assure® Vulnerability Analysis Program identifies vulnerabilities and integrity exposures that traditional configuration scans may miss, helping teams reduce exploitable mainframe risk.
- Monitor emerging exposures continuously: Rocket® z/Assure® Continuous Vulnerability Monitor monitors emerging exposures as the IBM Z estate changes, helping teams shorten the period in which new risk may go undetected.
- Improve security patch visibility: Rocket® z/Assure® Patch provides visibility into missing security patches and related exposure across critical IBM Z environments.
- Validate controls and strengthen compliance evidence: Rocket® z/Assure® Compliance automates security policy adherence and control validation to support audit readiness.
- Prepare for evolving cryptographic risk: Rocket® z/Assure® Quantum assesses cryptographic inventories and quantum-related exposure across z/OS®, z/VM®, and Linux® on Z.
- Accelerate remediation and prioritization through AI-driven assistance: Expected agentic AI capabilities will help teams interpret findings, prioritize fixes and access plain-language remediation guidance, reducing the operational complexity of responding to emerging risks with agility.
Rocket z/Assurance helps organizations connect technical findings to business-relevant risk, strengthen evidence for security and compliance decisions, and prioritize remediation across critical IBM Z environments.
Rocket z/Assurance applies Rocket Software’s deep mainframe expertise to help organizations turn technical findings into business-relevant risk insight and prioritize action. As organizations evolve their IBM Z environments and adopt new technologies, this purpose-built approach helps ensure security and governance advance alongside modernization.
Learn more about Rocket z/Assurance and Rocket Software’s mainframe security and compliance capabilities at RocketSoftware.com.
About Rocket Software
Rocket Software is a global technology leader in modernization and a partner of choice that empowers the world's leading businesses on their IT and mainframe modernization journeys, spanning core systems to the cloud. Trusted by more than 13,500 customers and 850 partners, and with more than 3,000 global employees, Rocket Software enables customers to maximize their data, applications, and infrastructure to deliver critical services that power our modern world.
Rocket Software is a privately held U.S. corporation headquartered in the Boston area with centers of excellence strategically located throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Rocket Software is a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity.
Follow Rocket Software on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X or visit www.RocketSoftware.com.
For media inquiries:
Lacey Darrow
ldarrow@rocketsoftware.com
IBM Z, z/OS, z/VM are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rocket z/Assurance?
Rocket z/Assurance is Rocket Software's unified risk and compliance portfolio for IBM Z environments. It combines purpose-built capabilities that help organizations identify vulnerabilities and security exposures, validate security controls, monitor compliance readiness, prioritize remediation efforts, and gain real-time visibility into risk across mission-critical systems.
Rocket z/Assurance helps organizations move beyond implementing security controls to continuously prove those controls are working, helping customers demonstrate that their critical systems are secure, compliant, and modernization-ready.
Who is Rocket z/Assurance for?
Rocket z/Assurance is designed for organizations that rely on IBM Z systems as part of their hybrid IT environments. It is particularly valuable for:
- Security and risk leaders seeking better visibility into mainframe risk
- Compliance and audit teams responsible for demonstrating control effectiveness and audit readiness
- IT operations and infrastructure teams managing IBM Z environments
- Modernization leaders looking to advance transformation initiatives without compromising security or governance
Organizations facing increasing regulatory requirements, evolving cyber threats, and modernization pressures can use Rocket z/Assurance to better understand and manage risk across their most critical systems.
How is Rocket z/Assurance different from general enterprise security tooling?
Many enterprise security tools focus on broad IT environments and may lack the specialized visibility required for IBM Z systems. Rocket z/Assurance is purpose-built for IBM Z, combining security, risk, compliance, and remediation capabilities with Rocket Software's deep mainframe expertise.
The portfolio goes beyond security monitoring by helping organizations:
- Identify code-level and integrity exposures
- Continuously monitor emerging vulnerabilities
- Validate security controls and policy adherence
- Assess cryptographic readiness for future threats
- Connect technical findings to business-relevant risk
- Prioritize remediation efforts across critical IBM Z environments
This specialized approach helps organizations gain greater confidence in the security, compliance, and modernization readiness of their IBM Z systems.
Why Does This Matter?
The security landscape is changing rapidly. AI is accelerating the speed at which vulnerabilities can be identified and exploited, hybrid environments continue to expand the attack surface, and organizations are beginning to prepare for the long-term impact of quantum computing on cryptography and data protection. At the same time, regulatory and compliance expectations continue to increase. As a result, security leaders need more than periodic audits and documented controls. They need continuous visibility into risk and ongoing evidence that protections are working as intended.
The market is shifting from security controls to continuous assurance. Organizations need confidence that critical systems are protected, compliant, and ready for modernization, AI adoption, and future innovation.
How does Rocket z/Assurance support compliance with requirements such as DORA, PCI DSS, and NYDFS?
Rocket z/Assurance helps organizations strengthen compliance readiness by providing continuous visibility into security controls, compliance posture, and risk exposure across IBM Z environments.
Through capabilities such as Rocket z/Assure Compliance, organizations can:
- Automate security policy adherence monitoring
- Validate security controls
- Generate evidence to support audits and compliance reviews
- Identify gaps that may require remediation
- Demonstrate ongoing governance and control effectiveness
While compliance requirements vary by framework, Rocket z/Assurance helps provide the visibility, control validation, and audit readiness organizations need to support regulatory and industry obligations.
What products are included in the Rocket z/Assurance portfolio?
The Rocket z/Assurance portfolio includes:
- Rocket z/Assure Vulnerability Analysis Program
Identifies vulnerabilities and integrity exposures that traditional configuration scans may miss. - Rocket z/Assure Continuous Vulnerability Monitor
Continuously monitors emerging exposures as IBM Z environments change. - Rocket z/Assure Patch
Provides visibility into missing security patches and related exposure across IBM Z environments. - Rocket z/Assure Compliance
Automates security policy adherence and validates controls to support audit readiness. - Rocket z/Assure Quantum
Assesses cryptographic inventories and quantum-related exposure across z/OS, z/VM, and Linux on Z.
In addition, Rocket Software expects to introduce agentic AI capabilities to help teams interpret findings, prioritize actions, and access remediation guidance more efficiently.
How does Rocket z/Assurance support IBM Z modernization initiatives?
Rocket z/Assurance helps organizations modernize IBM Z environments with greater confidence by ensuring security, risk management, and governance advance alongside modernization efforts.
The portfolio provides visibility into vulnerabilities, control effectiveness, compliance readiness, and emerging risks, helping leaders make informed modernization decisions. By connecting technical findings to business-relevant risk and prioritizing remediation efforts, Rocket z/Assurance enables organizations to move modernization initiatives forward while maintaining strong security and governance practices.
As Phil Buckellew noted, when organizations have clear evidence of where risk exists and confidence in their protections, security can become an enabler of innovation and modernization rather than a barrier to progress.
