Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast - Episode 161

Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast - Episode 161

From Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast by Enterprise Management Associates

June 12, 2026 · 15 min · Episode 161

About this episode

The episode discusses the relevance and capabilities of mainframe computing in modern technology environments.

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore the often-misunderstood world of mainframe computing. Despite the pervasive narrative that mainframes are "antiquated" technology, the hosts argue that they remain the gold standard for availability, integrity, and resilience in high-stakes environments like banking, healthcare, and government. The discussion clears up common misconceptions, noting that modern mainframes are not just running legacy code like COBOL, but are fully capable of integrating with modern development tools and languages. Steffen and Buckler highlight that while the cloud offers flexibility, it lacks the sheer stability and performance consistency of the mainframe. For security professionals, the episode serves as a powerful reminder that "older" doesn't mean "insecure." In many cases, these systems provide a level of physical and logical isolation that modern, network-dependent architectures struggle to match. Ultimately, the hosts invite listeners to rethink the mainframe's role in the modern stack, proving it remains the undisputed champion of mission-critical compute.

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris Steffen, Ken Buckler

Topics covered

  • mainframe computing
  • cybersecurity
  • technology misconceptions
  • cloud vs mainframe
  • mission-critical systems

Keywords

  • mainframe
  • cybersecurity
  • cloud computing
  • COBOL
  • technology
  • banking
  • healthcare
  • government

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Enterprise Management Associates

Products: COBOL

Places: banking, healthcare, government

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