A Legacy of Securing Data on the Mainframe

PKWARE created the globally adopted ZIP file format, building a proud legacy of securing and compressing data on IBM Z.

Years ago, organizations copied mainframe data to magnetic tape and mailed it to business partners for sharing. The destination mainframe restored, and voila! Data transfer complete.

With the internet and dedicated lines, businesses started using PKZIP to compress and send data quickly to other systems. Zip files traveled faster than physical tapes and allowed earlier processing.

IBM Z customers began embedding PKZIP in batch jobs in 1995. PKZIP soon defined enterprise data compression standards, saving organizations time and cost on every transfer.

As customer needs evolved, PKWARE advanced too.

The internet and ZIP files solved big challenges but exposed massive new risks – vulnerable data during transfers. Physically shipping tapes had fewer attack surfaces.

By 2004, e-commerce had surged with nearly one billion internet users sending financial and personal data across insecure networks. PKWARE launched AES 256 encryption, password and certificate-based protection, and OpenPGP support to defend sensitive information.

Data on IBM Z stays compressed and secure on DASD. Copying it before transfer removes that compression and protection. PKWARE introduced PK Encrypt to compress and encrypt data before transfer, maintaining complete protection wherever the data travels. Even if intercepted, encrypted ZIP files stay unreadable.

Hybrid cloud and post-quantum crypto support extends the value that compression and security provide. PK Encrypt reduces transmission costs and applies impenetrable layers of protection to commercial data.

For 30 years, PKWARE has embedded its software in batch jobs and APIs on IBM Zs across the globe. PK Encrypt creates encrypted ZIP files that run across all platforms using NIST FIPS and OpenPGP standards for open compatibility.

Seamlessly integrated with IBM® Pervasive Encryption, PK Encrypt leverages the CPACF engines and ICSF APIs for optimal performance. This is data-centric security—protection that travels with the data wherever it goes, stays, or runs. Security remains persistent and tamper-proof, even outside the mainframe.

IBM customers now turn to PKWARE for advanced mainframe data protection.

PK Protect for the mainframe enables PII discovery, data de-identification, and encryption. It protects DB2, unstructured files, and operational application datasets across environments.

The platform supports compliance through automated discovery, encryption, reporting, and SBOM generation.

For over three decades, PKWARE has partnered with IBM Z customers to solve critical business challenges and advance mainframe security.

Together, we’ve built innovation, reliability, and trust into every PKWARE solution—delivering secure, high-performance data protection worldwide.