Name: How to build a mainframe modernization strategy: AI, risk, and incremental transformation
Start: 2025-07-17T10:20:00Z
End: 2025-07-17T10:21:00.000Z
Location: BrightTALK

We are a global technology consultancy that delivers extraordinary impact by blending design, engineering and AI expertise. 

Our commitment to design-led thinking, engineering excellence and innovation means we prioritize people, build teams with strong technical foundations and embed AI into every step of the process – not just as a tool, but as a mindset. It’s this approach that sets us apart, sparks bold ideas and empowers us to drive real, lasting innovation.

We’re not preparing for the future – we’re defining it.

Thoughtworks' VP of Cloud, Brian Blanchard, and AWS experts Ahmed Raafat and Mevlit Mustafa deliver a critical 5-minute debrief from AWS re:Invent 2025. We break down the practical implications of the biggest announcements shaping enterprise architecture, cloud networking, and AI strategy in 2026.

In this recap, we cover:

- Generative AI trust and production readiness: A closer look at Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and the new frontier agents, including Kiro, AWS Security, and AWS DevOps, designed to help organizations move from AI experimentation to secure, production-ready deployments.

- Advanced connectivity for hybrid and multi-cloud: Key implications of AWS Interconnect, including Multi-Cloud Interconnect and last-mile connectivity, along with AWS Cloud WAN advanced routing for resilient, secure, and simplified network architectures.

- Actionable strategy: What these announcements mean for modernization, data, and AI at scale, and how enterprises can apply these capabilities today to reduce complexity, improve governance, and accelerate outcomes across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

AWS re:Invent 2025: Practical implications of AgentCore, Kiro and Multi-cloud networking

Dive into the key findings of the 2025 DORA Report: State of AI-Assisted Software Development. Discover what sets high-performing software teams apart as AI reshapes the industry. Featuring Nathen Harvey, DORA author, and Thoughtworks' Chris Westerhold, with moderation by Ashley Dye, this session delivers actionable insights on AI adoption, engineering effectiveness, and organizational success.

Leading organizations are leveraging AI-assisted software development to transform engineering practices, enhance software delivery performance, and strengthen team outcomes. How? Find out by watching this session to see how foundational capabilities, platform readiness, and organizational systems support high-quality engineering work.

What you’ll take away:

- Understand the AI amplifier effect and how it magnifies strengths and weaknesses in engineering systems.
- Dive into the DORA AI capabilities model and uncover seven key practices that improve team performance, code quality, and software delivery.
- Learn to navigate the paradox of higher throughput with rising software delivery instability and address systemic bottlenecks.
- See why strong internal platforms, healthy data ecosystems, and fast feedback loops are critical for scaling AI across the SDLC.
- Gain insights on building AI literacy, fostering experimentation, and reducing friction to achieve sustained engineering improvements.

This session equips technology leaders with the tools to translate research into effective, systemic strategies for success.

Insights to impact with Google and Thoughtworks

Patient data volume and diversity are exploding. The shift from reactive care to true preventive healthcare requires a new way to manage the complete patient view.
This talk explores the evolution of the longitudinal health record (LHR). 

Thoughtworks expert Ammara Gafoor guides you through the transition from a simple linear history to a complex, multi-dimensional view. This view encompasses patient, payer, and provider data. You will discover how data mesh principles solve critical challenges like fragmentation and slow access.

Key discussion points here are: 
- Redefining the patient view
- Understanding how the traditional patient data model has expanded. It now includes wearables, smart devices, and social activity. This creates a true "Patient 360" perspective.
- Reactive versus preventive models
- Learn the fundamental differences between reactive and preventive healthcare models. Explore the new data ownership landscape dominated by big tech and digital health startups.
- Transforming data ecosystems
- Discover recommended changes to your data ecosystem. Move away from centralized data lakes toward a cluster of reusable data products.
- Accelerating innovation in healthcare

See why a use-case-first, domain-driven approach is key. Align data products with patient, payer, and provider needs to speed up business outcomes.

Who should watch?
This talk is a masterclass for digital transformation leaders in healthcare. It is also essential for those building the next generation of patient-centric applications. You will learn to leverage data architecture to move beyond knowing "who you are." Instead, you will become a trusted partner that supports patients in taking charge of their health.

Innovating Patient 360: The Power of Data Products in Shaping Next-Generation Healthcare

Mainframe modernization goes beyond the technical — it’s a human challenge. CIOs and CTOs must balance innovation and stability, manage stakeholder resistance, ease board skepticism and address talent shortages, all while planning for an AI-driven future.

This webinar, moderated by transformation expert and author Leda Glyptis and featuring Thoughtworks, Google and Mechanical Orchard, delves into empathetic insights, real-world stories and strategies for leaders facing these pressures. 

Key Takeaways:
Understand the psychology of modernization leadership, from decision fatigue to managing high-stakes organizational change.
Learn how to engage and convince non-technical board members with narratives that connect technical realities to business outcomes.
Explore strategies for earning trust across teams, inspiring momentum and addressing resistance at every level of the organization.
Gain practical insights on leveraging AI tools like Imogen and CodeConcise, not just for technical ease, but as enablers of clarity and confidence.
Hear firsthand how leaders in complex environments achieved success by aligning innovation with manageable, incremental roadmaps.

This session goes beyond the technology to focus on the people behind modernization, offering senior IT leaders the knowledge and tools to lead their organizations through transformation with empathy, courage and actionable insights.

From Resistance to Readiness: Cracking the Human Code of Modernization

Customer loyalty is no longer just about points—it’s about creating emotional connections, fostering community, and aligning with values. In this insightful webinar, Thoughtworks’ Chris Ford is joined by industry leaders from Tesco, Henkel, and Marie Curie to explore how brands are reshaping loyalty strategies in today’s digital-first world.

Discover how data-driven personalization and AI are transforming customer engagement, moving beyond transactions to build trust and relevance. Learn why Gen Z prioritizes community and values over traditional rewards, and how brands can avoid the pitfalls of "creepy" personalization while driving lifetime value.

Key takeaways include:

- The shift from transactional to experiential loyalty through ecosystems and AI-driven personalization.
- Real-world examples of conscious AI use in loyalty programs and how to maintain trust.
- Practical strategies for building transparent, customer-first programs that resonate with today’s consumers.
- Whether you’re in retail, FMCG, or digital strategy, this session offers actionable insights to help you win the loyalty game—ethically, intelligently, and sustainably.

Watch now to learn how to create deeper, lasting relationships with your customers through data-driven loyalty strategies.

Winning the loyalty game: how data-driven personalization is reshaping customer connections

Platform engineering offers its greatest value as the foundation for driving the future of AI in the enterprise. This executive roundtable explores how platforms act as the essential layer for successful AI initiatives, especially when building for scalable AI adoption and operationalizing AI in complex environments.

Featuring Kaspar von Grünberg, CEO at Humanitec, Rickey Zachary, Global Engineering Platforms Lead at Thoughtworks, and Eric Maxwell, DORA report writer and Practice Lead at Google, this discussion brings together a select group of practitioners to discuss key trends in cloud-native technology and the expanding role of AI in platform engineering.

You will learn about
- What the latest DORA report reveals about AI usage and value.
- The crucial symbiotic relationship between AI and platform engineering.
- Strategies for scalable AI adoption and how to operationalize AI across your organization.

Key takeaways from top-performing organizations on getting real value from AI.

This discussion is essential for practitioners and leaders seeking to integrate AI in platform engineering while establishing the foundations for scalable and effective AI initiatives. Watch the full roundtable to gain key insights from industry experts.

How platforms are foundational to AI: Platform engineering exec roundtable

Generative AI in software development is revolutionizing the way we create, design, and interact with technology. As AI coding assistants and autonomous agents reshape workflows and accelerate innovation, the future of software itself is being redefined. But what does this mean for developers, businesses, and the apps we rely on?

In this virtual briefing, hosted by WIRED and Thoughtworks, industry leaders—including Thoughtworks' Chief AI Officer, Mike Mason, and Global Head of AI for Software Delivery, Birgitta Böckeler dive into the transformative impact of generative AI on modern software development. Discover how AI is enhancing productivity, challenging traditional development practices, and raising critical questions about creativity, ownership, and ethics in tech.

Key takeaways include:

- How generative AI is reshaping software development and developer workflows.
- The rise of AI coding assistants and their dual impact on productivity and code quality.
- The future of apps in an AI-first world and the role of general-purpose AI assistants.
- Strategies for leveraging AI while mitigating risks and maintaining engineering rigor.
- Ethical considerations and opportunities in human–AI collaboration.

This session is a must-watch for technologists, engineering leaders, and digital innovators looking to navigate the evolving AI landscape and prepare for the next era of software creation.

Will AI kill the App?

Join experts from Google, Sixt, and Thoughtworks for a practical discussion on metrics that matter for platform engineering. Anchored in the latest DORA Report, this webinar explores how to connect engineering metrics with business outcomes, measure ROI, and define success for platform teams.

What metrics truly matter for platform engineering? In this session, panelists will unpack key insights from the 2025 DORA Report and share how leaders can move beyond the basics to measure the real impact of their platforms. This discussion covers:

- How DORA and emerging frameworks like EEBO help connect platform work to business outcomes
- Practical approaches for measuring ROI and justifying platform investment
- Which metrics help platform teams demonstrate success and drive developer productivity

Who should watch: This webinar is ideal for platform engineers, engineering leaders, and decision-makers looking to align platform efforts with business goals and maximize ROI.

 Watch the full webinar to gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your platform engineering practices.

Beyond DORA: Metrics, AI and the future of platform engineering

Struggling to keep up with evolving customer expectations? Discover how AI is enabling organizations to meet customer demands and reshape their product offerings while delivering measurable business results.

Join leaders from Thoughtworks, SEEK, Piramal Finance, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) as they share perspectives from across the Asia Pacific region on the impact of AI on customer experience (CX). The panel dives into the organizational and technical challenges of moving AI-powered solutions to production while addressing essential ethical considerations and guardrails.

This discussion offers valuable insights on:
- The current landscape of AI's impact on CX across industries, including employment marketplaces and financial services.
- How to adopt an AI-first mindset and prioritize use cases by tying initiatives back to core business problems.
- Leveraging AI to drive hyper-personalization in customer journeys, from discovery and onboarding to servicing.
- The transformation in communication modes, including the use of voice and video experiences powered by Generative AI.
- Strategies for measuring the Return on Investment (ROI) for AI initiatives and identifying critical metrics.
- Best practices for organizing AI capabilities and embedding them sustainably within the business structure.

To learn more about what it takes to create next-level digital products and experiences, watch the full discussion.

Redefining CX: How AI Is Transforming Product Strategy

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of preclinical research and drug discovery. In this exclusive on-demand webinar, learn how industry leaders are leveraging AI-powered research assistants to accelerate innovation.

Join experts from Bayer, Pfizer, and Thoughtworks as they explore how a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) methodology transforms knowledge management and research workflows. 

The Head of Pharmacology & Safety IT at Bayer AG and the Director of Data Science & Machine Learning at Pfizer will share their insights from real-world applications of AI for drug discovery.

Key topics covered include:
- Challenges and opportunities in optimizing knowledge retrieval, interpretation, and creation in preclinical R&D.
- The technology and methodology behind AI-powered research assistants, including how RAG enables superior data-driven decisions.
- Real-world case studies demonstrating how Bayer and Pfizer implemented these systems to address inefficiencies.
- Practical applications of AI and RAG-based assistants to enhance collaboration and productivity within research teams.

This session provides essential information for pharmaceutical R&D leaders, data scientists, and innovation strategists seeking to harness the capabilities of AI in preclinical research with AI.

Watch now to understand how leading organizations are utilizing advanced AI to define the future of drug discovery.

AI in preclinical research: How Bayer and Pfizer transform drug discovery

Smart. Connected. Autonomous. Software is driving the evolution of products and services, empowering enterprises to foster dynamic customer engagement through relevant, personalized experiences that blend the physical and digital worlds. And while designing the right software is challenging in and of itself, layering software on hardware introduces an additional complexity. 

Only 24 percent of products make it to launch, according to a recent Forbes Insights survey. That’s why today’s product and technology giants are turning lessons from past failures into the foundations for future success, underscoring the importance of building to learn.

In this panel, we dive into the product engineering strategies and practices used by industry leaders, including:

• The product thinking approach to building software-powered products and how this approach has underpinned the critical importance of product engineers 

• Building to learn, including rapid experimentation to assess technical feasibility and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to optimize design, prototyping, and testing processes

• Balancing recurring cloud costs, one-time BoM costs, and variable network costs to decide where a feature lives

This session is designed for product managers, engineers, and technology leaders seeking to bring complex, software-powered products to market faster and with greater confidence. Whether you work in consumer electronics, automotive, industrial systems, or connected devices, you’ll gain strategies to balance innovation with execution while aligning cross-functional teams.

Watch now to explore how integrated software and hardware practices can help your organization launch products that stand out in today’s competitive, connected world.

Spark the extraordinary potential of software-hardware integration

Platform engineering has undergone significant transformation since Evan Bottcher's foundational 2018 article. What began as “a foundation of self-service APIs, tools, services, knowledge, and support” has evolved into a distinct discipline focused on enhancing developer experience and delivering measurable outcomes. 

This talk explores the pivotal shifts in platform engineering over seven years, contrasting the 2018 landscape with today’s mature ecosystem. It examines how developer experience has emerged as a central goal, replacing the earlier focus on reducing “backlog coupling.” Bottcher shares insights from implementing platform transformations at global enterprises, including a case study of restructuring a fintech’s approach with dedicated developer success teams. 

Whether building your first platform or evolving an existing one, attendees will gain practical strategies to navigate common anti-patterns such as “Field of Dreams” platforms and overengineered workflows. Join this session to explore how platform engineering has matured from an emerging concept to an essential practice driving organizational success through enhanced developer experience.

From DevOps to platform engineering: Product thinking, self-service, and operating models

Is your data driving innovation or holding you back? Uncover how leading organizations tackle the complexities of data modernization to unlock its full potential.

In this executive webinar, Thoughtworks partners with leaders from Parkland Corporation to explore the realities, challenges, and actionable strategies for successful data modernization. Gain insights from a leading international fuel distributor, marketer, and convenience retailer as they share their journey to modernize data practices and accelerate business outcomes.

What You’ll Learn:

- Proven methods to demonstrate ROI and sustain momentum in long-term data initiatives through incremental value delivery and use case-driven approaches.
- How treating data as a product can break down silos, enhance data quality, and prepare your organization for AI and GenAI opportunities.
- Practical solutions to address technical debt and data quality challenges, building a foundation of trusted, reliable data.
- The pivotal role of leadership and culture in adopting modern data practices and scaling with cloud-based platforms.

Join this session to discover how data modernization strategies can empower your organization to deliver trusted data and drive impactful, data-informed decisions.

Data modernization strategies unleashed: Drive innovation and make smarter decisions

What is the aviation industry could follow eCommerce's lead? Today, the aviation customer experience is held back by fragmented data, legacy systems, and disconnected handoffs. Retail and eCommerce have redefined customer engagement with personalization, loyalty innovations, and dynamic pricing. Should the world of aviation CX follow suit?

In this webinar, Thoughtworks experts explore how airlines can reimagine the passenger journey by learning from retail’s transformation playbook. You’ll see how frameworks for data governance, personalization, and loyalty programs can help airlines overcome silos and create seamless, customer-first experiences.

Key takeaways include:
- Why fragmented data undermines aviation customer experience — and how governance frameworks can help.
- How to leverage personalization to create tailored passenger interactions.
- What aviation can learn from retail loyalty models that build emotional, not just transactional, connections.
- Practical strategies for bridging legacy challenges with modern, data-driven approaches.

Who should watch?
- Airline and aviation leaders seeking to modernize customer experience.
- CX, digital, and data executives evaluating strategies for personalization and loyalty.
- Decision-makers exploring data governance and transformation frameworks in aviation.

At Thoughtworks, we’ve partnered with industries from retail to aviation to bridge strategy and execution. Drawing on proven cross-industry lessons, we help organizations drive data excellence, unlock personalization at scale, and build loyalty programs that matter.

Watch this webinar to reimagine passenger experience, customer experience management, and more.

Reimagine customer experience in aviation: lessons from retail

Join this interactive session to explore how meaningful metrics can drive significant outcomes in software engineering. The conversation will focus on how to move beyond vanity metrics, align measurements with specific roles and goals across an organization, and turn data into actionable insights. Discover why metrics should be tailored to various stakeholders, how to avoid common pitfalls in metric strategies, and ways to interpret metrics for better decision-making.

You will learn:
-> The importance of tailoring metrics to align with the expectations of engineers, leadership, and CxOs.
-> Strategies to convert metrics into actionable insights that align with organizational goals.
-> How to spot and avoid vanity metrics and the unintended consequences of misplaced metrics.
-> Real-world examples of metric misuse, including the risks of focusing too narrowly on certain metrics.

This session offers invaluable insights for engineering teams, leaders, and decision-makers who aspire to achieve engineering excellence.

Software engineering metrics that matter

Are your IT operations driving real business value or just keeping the lights on?

This executive-level session brings together experts from Thoughtworks and AWS to explore a smarter IT modernization strategy - one that continuously modernizes legacy systems, reduces technical debt, and leverages emerging technologies like AI and cloud to build modern IT environments.

Rather than relying on disruptive, periodic overhauls, this conversation introduces a shift toward proactive, engineering-led operations where modernization is treated as an ongoing process, not a project. With artificial intelligence, AIOps, and automated workload management tools, organizations can enhance productivity, improve code quality, accelerate incident response, and reduce security vulnerabilities. All while aligning with business outcomes and overall modernization strategies.

The key topics in this IT modernization strategy includes: 

- Why traditional managed services are no longer fit for purpose in today’s rapidly changing business demands

- How tech debt quietly drains 20–40% of IT’s value—and how to reverse it through a sustainable modernization process

- The difference between continuous modernization and legacy break-fix approaches

- How AI, cloud services, and modern tooling improve operational stability, scalability, and cost savings

- What a modern IT operations culture looks like in practice—from cloud-based operating models to cross-team collaboration

Whether you're a CIO, enterprise architect, or IT operations leader, this session offers actionable insights to help you move beyond outdated systems, unlock operational efficiency, and accelerate your technology modernization journey. At the same time keeping your business objectives and business strategy front and center.

You’re invited to watch and explore how to streamline operations and reimagine your IT environment for long-term success.

IT modernization strategies: reducing tech debt, powering Ops with AI, and scaling for growth

Digital and AI readiness isn’t just a goal; it’s the competitive edge your business can’t afford to miss. Are you positioned to win, or will you lag behind?

Join us as we dive into insights from the new Digital and AI Readiness Index, a unified framework designed to help organizations benchmark capabilities, align leadership and accelerate AI adoption responsibly and effectively.

You’ll learn:

- What the Digital and AI Readiness Index is, and how it helps organizations identify capability gaps and areas for investment in digital and AI preparedness.
- Why digital modernization and AI adoption must go hand in hand for scalable, value-driven transformation.
- The Five Pillars of Readiness that drive successful AI-first organizations: technology, operations, data, skills and leadership.
- How improving your readiness score can enhance innovation velocity, reduce risk and strengthen competitive advantage in AI-first industries.
- Practical steps to bridge leadership perception gaps and avoid stalled AI initiatives.

This conversation is essential for digital leaders, CIOs, CTOS, technology executives and innovation strategists focused on achieving AI readiness and building future-proof organizations.

Watch the related session on AI scaling and AI readiness here: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/20835/647538 

Download the Digital and AI Readiness report: https://ter.li/sv56ya

Digital and AI readiness in 2025: What tech leaders must know to drive enterprise change

Join experts from Thoughtworks and AWS as they delve into the dynamic world of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV). This session explores the key findings from the SDV Pulse report, a joint publication that maps the technologies and trends shaping the future of mobility. 

Drawing inspiration from the renowned Thoughtworks Technology Radar, the SDV Pulse provides a snapshot of what’s to come in the automotive industry, categorizing 40 essential topics by maturity from concept to mass adoption. Our panelists navigate through this landscape, offering their unique perspectives on the profound shifts underway. 

Viewers will gain valuable insights into the ongoing transition to the SDV era. This discussion is designed for leaders and practitioners in the automotive and technology sectors who are looking to stay ahead of the curve.


Key takeaways include understanding:
* The foundational role of centralized architectures and virtual ECUs (vECUs) in modern vehicle development. 
* How to foster a vibrant ecosystem through developer portals for vehicle APIs and principles like data mesh. 
* The evolution of development practices with concepts like software-first ECU development, AI-assisted delivery, and continuous compliance. 
* The organizational and cultural shifts required to accelerate innovation and deliver value to the end-user effectively.

Inside the SDV revolution: Unveiling key technologies and trends around software-defined vehicles

Learn how industry leaders from Thoughtworks, Mechanical Orchard, and Google are shaping the future of mainframe modernization in this insightful webinar. With a focus on transforming legacy systems and driving business transformation, this session offers actionable strategies for navigating the challenges of mainframe migration while ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.

Key topics you'll learn:

- Incremental modernization: Move beyond the "big bang" approach with step-by-step strategies to create a modernized mainframe that drives agility and growth.
- AI-powered transformation: Discover how artificial intelligence and advanced tools can rewrite and optimize legacy mainframe systems for long-term success.
- Derisking migration: Uncover strategies like dual-run capabilities to seamlessly migrate critical systems with confidence.
- Addressing talent gaps: Learn how to tackle the shortage of mainframe experts through modern application development practices and scalable solutions.

This webinar is ideal for business leaders, IT professionals, and enterprise architects seeking strategies to modernize legacy systems, optimize mainframe operations, and drive successful digital transformation.

Whether you're planning your next modernization strategy or exploring pathways to integrate cloud environments, this session sheds light on the benefits of mainframe modernization and how to align IT with business priorities.

Watch now to unlock actionable insights and start your organization's digital transformation with confidence.

How to build a mainframe modernization strategy: AI, risk, and incremental transformation

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How to build a mainframe modernization strategy: AI, risk, and incremental transformation

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