Subject: Intelligent Automation February 2026 Newsletter

For intelligent automaters

February 2026

In this issue...

  • Featured: Don't Bet Against AI in Legacy Modernization: What History Teaches Us About "Impossible" - CM First

  • Article: AI agent governance is the new resilience mandate - Silicon Angle

  • Watch: Inside the Secretive World of America's AI Data Centers - Business Insider

  • CA 2E/Plex Conference: Watch AI Day at the 14th CA 2E Plex Worldwide Developer Conference

  • Webinar - NexGen Pair Programming: AI Collaboration on IBM i and IBM z Systems - CM First Group

  • Intelligence: Intelligent automation news on the greater web

Featured

Why Betting Against AI Is a Strategic Mistake


Some developers still insist AI can’t understand decades-old COBOL systems or solve the thorniest problems in legacy modernization.


But history tells a different story: technologies once dismissed as “impossible” often reshape entire industries when applied intelligently. In legacy modernization, AI-powered analysis tools are already cutting discovery time dramatically and revealing insights once thought unreachable.


What if the real risk isn’t using AI, but dismissing it too soon?


Read our full article →

Announcing CM evolveIT 11.7


Available for Streaming: Join us for informative, hands-on sessions focused on the new CM evolveIT 11.7 release. 


Tailored for future-minded developers, these sessions showcase groundbreaking enhancements aimed at revolutionizing your code analysis and transformation workflows. Expect hands-on demonstrations that you can take to your development workflows right away.

Watch one of these two webinars now...

Mainframe

Latest Advances in Mainframe COBOL Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn about cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools that promise streamlined analysis and transformation processes, automated tools that convert legacy COBOL code to Java, and advanced code slicing.


Watch Now

IBM i

Latest Advances in IBM i Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn how to cut your analysis costs by up to 80% with new capabilities. We'll demo new CA 2E (Synon) and CA Plex superpowers, AI and Code slicing innovations, and improved support for DB2 and COBOL and more.


Watch Now

Heads Up

AI agent governance is the new resilience mandate


For years, resilience meant protecting people, endpoints, and servers.


Now there’s a new “entity” inside the enterprise: autonomous AI agents making decisions, executing tasks, and interacting across systems—often with privileged access.


This piece unpacks how the rise of AI agents is reshaping risk models. A compromised or misconfigured agent doesn’t just fail quietly, but can amplify impact at scale.


That’s why forward-thinking organizations are shifting from basic AI enablement to structured governance frameworks focused on oversight, auditability, and containment.


Read the full article on Silicon Angle →

Watch

Inside the secretive world of America's AI data centers


In quiet towns from Virginia to Arizona, massive AI data centers hum 24/7, consuming millions of gallons of water and staggering amounts of electricity to keep their servers cool.


Reporters Robert Leslie, Hannah Beckler, and Dakin Campbell went on the ground to reveal the humans, companies, and communities behind these secretive facilities—from Virginia’s internet backbone hubs to Arizona’s drought-stricken landscapes.


Their investigation uncovers how these invisible digital fortresses shape local economies, strain utilities, and push carbon emissions higher, all while fueling the AI revolution.


Jump to the full video →

 CA Plex/2E Worldwide Developer Conference 

Watch: AI Day at the CA 2E CA Plex Conference


Watch keynote addresses from IBM and Microsoft that cover the powerful role AI plays in modern application development, with a focus on IBM i. These streamable keynotes were delivered by experts with deep experience leveraging the mighty power of AI for developers ready to dive headfirst into the future! Watch these streamable keynotes any time.


Video Vault

Next-Gen Pair Programming: AI Collaboration on IBM i and IBM z Systems


Join us for a cutting-edge webinar that merges the art of pair programming with the innovation of AI for IBM i and IBM z systems. This session is dedicated to COBOL developers working on IBM's midrange and mainframe platforms and offers a deep dive into how AI can amplify coding collaboration and efficiency.


In this webinar:

  • Discuss the integration of AI-driven pair programming in IBM i and IBM z COBOL development.

  • Address the unique challenges of maintaining and evolving COBOL applications with AI support.

  • Showcase a live demonstration of AI tools tailored to IBM i and IBM z developers.

  • Share actionable strategies for embedding AI into the pair programming workflow on both platforms.

Whether you're involved in IBM i or IBM z development, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge to leverage AI for better code quality, faster problem-solving, and more productive pair programming sessions. Take the first step towards a smarter, AI-assisted development future.


Watch →

Are you tired of time-consuming manual testing software applications? Fortra's Automate Plus RPA is here to help. Join us for a webinar where we review the features of this powerful tool and show you how it can revolutionize your software testing processes, making it better, more accurate, and quicker to get results.


Watch →

Frightened about the prospect of your legacy IBM i and z application developers leaving? We have a solution that can put your fears to rest. In this webinar, we demonstrate how you can “refactor” your legacy app developed in COBOL, RPG, or CA 2E (Synon) directly to maintainable runtime-free Java and JS.


Watch →

 Broadcom Support 


Many enterprises struggle with obtaining Broadcom support for their CA 2E (Synon, COOL:2E) or CA Plex systems


If you're working with an older unsupported release, upgrading your IBM OS, or otherwise under the shadow of lapsed maintenance, we can get you back on Broadcom support based on your unique situation. We specialize in all sizes of customers.


Fill out our 2 minute form and schedule a no-commitment fifteen minute conversation with a CM First Group technical rep.

Get rock solid Broadcom support

CM First Support

Current CM First Group customers can access tutorials and submit support tickets at support.cmfirstgroup.com.

Current Releases


CM WebClient 1.8.7 (with nightly builds) For details, go here.

CM Matchpoint ALM 7.0 Build 004. For details, go here.

CM evolveIT 11.7, last supported 10.6
CM M3 2023 Edition
CA Plex 7.2.1 SP005, last supported 7.2.1 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
CA 2E 8.7.3, last supported 8.7 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
Contact CM First to learn more: info@cmfirstgroup.com

Intelligence

CM First Group, 7000 North Mopac Expressway Suite #200, 78731, Austin, United States

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