Analyst(s): Steven Dickens
Publication Date: October 17, 2024
BMC is advancing AI-driven IT management with innovations such as HelixGPT, Control-M Data Assurance, and the AMI Assistant to modernize operations from cloud to mainframe environments. At BMC Connect, executives highlighted the company’s focus on improving agility, productivity, and resilience through automation and data orchestration. The company also announced plans to split into two distinct businesses, BMC and BMC Helix, to better align with emerging market needs.
What is Covered in this Article:
- BMC’s Split into Two Businesses: Overview of BMC’s decision to divide into BMC and BMC Helix, focusing on distinct growth areas.
- AI-Driven IT Operations: Insights into BMC Helix’s agentic AI and the role of HelixGPT in transforming enterprise IT management.
- Data Assurance with Control-M: Introduction of BMC Helix Control-M Data Assurance (Beta) for enhancing data pipeline reliability and quality.
- Mainframe Modernization with AI: Discussion on BMC AMI Assistant’s role in optimizing mainframe systems and reducing complexity.
- Unified Workflow Orchestration: BMC Helix Control-M Unified View and Helix Edge as innovations for simplifying orchestration across hybrid IT environments.
The News: At BMC Connect, BMC announced its plan to split into two separate businesses: BMC and BMC Helix. The company also announced a slew of AI announcements across the company’s core solution areas.
Is BMC’s Big AI Push a Game Changer or Just More Hype in IT Automation?
Analyst Take: At BMC Connect in Las Vegas, Ayman Sayed, BMC’s CEO, and the rest of his senior leadership presented a compelling vision for the future of IT operations and digital transformation. For me, the event was marked by a series of discussions that highlighted BMC’s deep commitment to leveraging AI and automation in critical systems, across cloud, mainframe, and edge environments. My conversations with the leadership provided insight into how BMC is navigating the increasingly complex demands on IT infrastructure while preparing to split into two distinct businesses: BMC and BMC Helix.
This organizational shift marks a significant development for BMC and I covered this in depth in a separate note. The TL;DR of that note is that the company aims to focus its traditional business, particularly mainframe optimization and digital business automation, under the BMC umbrella, while BMC Helix will become a separate entity dedicated to service and operations management, driven by AI and automation. This division reflects BMC’s recognition of the distinct growth opportunities in these areas and will likely unlock greater agility for both segments in some form of liquidity event in the future.
AI-Driven Transformation at the Forefront
One of the most striking themes of Connect was BMC’s focused approach to integrating generative AI (GenAI) into its solutions. During briefings with the executive team, there was a clear emphasis on how BMC’s Helix platform has evolved to not only incorporate AI but to enable what they termed “agentic AI.” This new capability and focus is not just about automating routine tasks but creating autonomous agents that actively collaborate with human operators, enhancing decision-making in real time. For instance, BMC HelixGPT, the backbone of this agentic AI, allows for highly flexible deployments across SaaS, on-premises, hybrid cloud, and on the near-term horizon, Snowflake’s data cloud.
The discussions reinforced that the AI market is rapidly shifting toward more autonomous, AI-driven systems, and BMC sees itself at the vanguard of this change. This is much on trend right now and bodes well for the prospects of the company. BMC’s leadership explained how these autonomous agents will revolutionize enterprise IT, shifting from reactive to proactive management. This kind of transformation is especially relevant as organizations deal with an ever-growing volume of data and increasingly complex IT environments. The alert and operational fatigue is real. HelixGPT was presented as a key differentiator, extending beyond traditional IT service management (ITSM) to become a flexible, multi-cloud platform capable of supporting diverse infrastructure needs.
Tackling Data Assurance with Control-M
Another significant announcement that stood out was the introduction of BMC Helix Control-M Data Assurance, which is currently in beta. This new service extends BMC’s well-established Control-M capabilities into the realm of data quality and governance, addressing a pressing challenge for many enterprises. A key BMC focus is to ensure the integrity of data as it moves across complex workflows. This is top of mind for many enterprises as they look to adopt AI.
What I found particularly intriguing was how BMC is positioning Control-M Data Assurance as an essential tool for organizations reliant on data-driven operations. The service allows users to define a range of data quality metrics and monitor data in motion, pinpointing potential issues before they cascade into downstream systems. This capability is becoming indispensable as companies deal with increasing regulatory pressures and the need to ensure real-time, accurate data flows.
Speaking with BMC executives, it became clear that this isn’t just about preventing data errors. It’s about building trust in data pipelines, ensuring that mission-critical operations remain resilient and compliant. This may sound like low-level plumbing, but it is a key barrier to adoption for the ‘flashy’ headline grabbing AI projects. This focus on proactive data management, rather than reactive troubleshooting, underscores BMC’s ambition to help enterprises not only manage but also truly harness the power of their data.
Mainframe Modernization Through AI
As part of BMC’s broader strategy, the role of AI in modernizing mainframe environments was a key topic of discussion and I recorded numerous Six Five videos with the AMI team. The introduction of the GenAI-powered BMC AMI Assistant is a pivotal component in this effort and builds on the announcements from July that I covered in depth here. During the briefings, BMC executives described how this assistant integrates seamlessly into existing BMC AMI solutions, offering actionable recommendations for system optimization, anomaly detection, and even complex code analysis.
This emphasis on mainframe modernization is timely. Many large enterprises, particularly in sectors such as finance and government, continue to rely heavily on mainframes. However, there is growing pressure to modernize these systems while maintaining their reliability and performance. The AMI Assistant addresses this by making mainframe operations more accessible to newer generations of IT professionals, effectively bridging the skills gap that has long been a concern in this space. Put simply, we need to grow skilled mainframes in two years, not five.
The ability to demystify complex code, a feature of BMC AMI DevX Code Insights, is particularly impactful, especially in the mainframe space. In discussions with the BMC team, it became clear that this capability is designed to reduce the fear traditionally associated with modifying legacy mainframe applications. Developers can now make changes with greater confidence, knowing that they have an AI-powered tool to assist them in understanding and maintaining critical codebases. The other thing that came across in my discussion was the focus beyond COBOL to the likes of PL/1, REXX, and JCL.
The Road Ahead for BMC Helix
The announcements around BMC Helix Control-M Unified View further reinforced the company’s ambition to simplify IT orchestration. This newly announced hybrid architecture allows organizations to manage workflows across both on-premises and cloud environments through a single, unified interface. My takeaway was that this approach strives to eliminate the silos that have historically plagued IT operations and are potentially enabling a more agile and efficient approach to managing complex data pipelines and application workflows.
The executive team was particularly enthusiastic about innovation in this space. The team highlighted how Helix empowers enterprises to evolve their orchestration strategies dynamically. With the ability to adapt to new workloads and environments, this unified view is poised to play a critical role in future-proofing IT operations for the next wave of digital transformation.
BMC Helix Edge was another standout announcement. This AI-driven orchestration solution extends BMC’s reach to the edge, automating the management of physical devices and analyzing data in real time. Edge computing becomes more central to business strategies, and frankly explodes, particularly in industries such as retail, manufacturing, and logistics. In summary, the Helix Edge offers a compelling solution for managing distributed, data-rich environments and will get more focus in the new business structure.
Conclusion
BMC Connect provided a valuable glimpse into BMC’s strategic direction, particularly as it prepares to split into two distinct businesses. BMC needs to be more vocal around its ambitions and this event was a good start. Personally, the executive briefings were insightful, revealing how BMC is positioning itself to lead in AI-driven IT operations, mainframe modernization, and data orchestration. From the introduction of agentic AI to the launch of Control-M Data Assurance and Helix Edge, BMC is clearly focused on driving innovation across the enterprise IT landscape.
This new direction signals BMC’s understanding that to thrive in a rapidly evolving market, agility and adaptability are crucial. By separating its core offerings into BMC and BMC Helix, the company is positioning itself to better address the unique needs of its customers, ensuring that both businesses can focus on their strengths in the years ahead.
What to Watch:
- Track how BMC Helix’s agentic AI adoption impacts IT service management efficiency.
- Monitor the performance of BMC Helix Control-M Data Assurance as it moves from beta to full release.
- Keep an eye on the mainframe market’s response to BMC AMI Assistant’s GenAI-powered features, specifically in the AIOps space.
- The wider market will be watching for the business impact of BMC’s split into two entities, especially in cloud and AI innovation.
See the complete blog from Ali Siddiqui, the Chief Product Officer here, for more details.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other insights from The Futurum Group:
BMC and AI: Enhancing Mainframe Productivity and Innovation
BMC Splits Into Two Companies: A Bold Move or Market Necessity?
BMC Acquires Netreo for Big Buy in IT Monitoring & Management
Author Information
Regarded as a luminary at the intersection of technology and business transformation, Steven Dickens is the Vice President and Practice Leader for Hybrid Cloud, Infrastructure, and Operations at The Futurum Group. With a distinguished track record as a Forbes contributor and a ranking among the Top 10 Analysts by ARInsights, Steven's unique vantage point enables him to chart the nexus between emergent technologies and disruptive innovation, offering unparalleled insights for global enterprises.
Steven's expertise spans a broad spectrum of technologies that drive modern enterprises. Notable among these are open source, hybrid cloud, mission-critical infrastructure, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and FinTech innovation. His work is foundational in aligning the strategic imperatives of C-suite executives with the practical needs of end users and technology practitioners, serving as a catalyst for optimizing the return on technology investments.
Over the years, Steven has been an integral part of industry behemoths including Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and IBM. His exceptional ability to pioneer multi-hundred-million-dollar products and to lead global sales teams with revenues in the same echelon has consistently demonstrated his capability for high-impact leadership.
Steven serves as a thought leader in various technology consortiums. He was a founding board member and former Chairperson of the Open Mainframe Project, under the aegis of the Linux Foundation. His role as a Board Advisor continues to shape the advocacy for open source implementations of mainframe technologies.