What does SMS Workbench do?
SMS Workbench is a development environment designed to aid in the creation and management of SMS Automatic Class Selection (ACS) routines on z/OS mainframe systems. It provides tools and interfaces to simplify the process of defining storage classes, management classes, and data classes, which are essential for automated storage management. The product helps optimize storage utilization and enforce storage policies.
Is this a system, application, or tool?
SMS Workbench is primarily a toolset designed to enhance the development and management of SMS ACS routines. It is not a complete system or application in itself, but rather a set of utilities that integrate with the z/OS storage management subsystem. It provides a framework for creating, testing, and deploying ACS routines.
What types of organizations use this?
Organizations that rely on z/OS mainframe systems for critical data processing and storage management are the primary users of SMS Workbench. These typically include large enterprises in industries such as banking, finance, insurance, and government. Any organization that needs to automate and optimize its storage management policies on z/OS can benefit from this product.
When should we consider SMS Workbench?
A company should consider using SMS Workbench when they need to streamline the development and maintenance of their SMS ACS routines. This is particularly relevant when dealing with complex storage requirements, evolving business needs, or the need to enforce consistent storage policies across the enterprise. It is also useful when organizations want to reduce the risk of errors in ACS routine development.
What are the alternatives to SMS Workbench?
Alternatives to SMS Workbench include manual coding and testing of ACS routines, or using other third-party tools that provide similar functionality. Some organizations may also develop their own in-house tools for managing ACS routines. Competing products include BMC AMI Storage solutions and other storage management tools available for z/OS.