RRMac Associates, LLC and IKAN Development Collaborate to Accelerate DevOps Modernization on IBM Z
October 1, 2026
This collaboration combines RRMac’s established IBM Z expertise with IKAN Development’s IBM-recognized Kobee technology to help enterprises modernize software delivery while building on their existing IBM investments.
RRMac Associates, LLC, a 22 year veteran in the field of mainframe modernization, and IKAN Development, the company behind Kobee, are pleased to announce an expanded collaboration focused on helping enterprises accelerate DevOps modernization on IBM Z.
The collaboration brings together two organizations with established relationships and deep roots in the IBM Z ecosystem: RRMac’s decades of mainframe expertise, services, and customer implementation experience, and IKAN Development’s Kobee DevOps orchestration technology.
Together, RRMac and IKAN aim to provide organizations with a pragmatic path toward modern IBM Z DevOps—combining proven mainframe expertise with Git-based development, IBM’s evolving DevOps technologies, CI/CD automation and end-to-end lifecycle orchestration.
Building on the IBM Z Ecosystem
The central principle of the RRMac–IKAN collaboration is that modernization should build on customers’ technology investments rather than introduce unnecessary disruption.
IBM continues to provide technologies for modern development, build, testing and deployment on IBM Z. Kobee complements these capabilities by providing an orchestration and governance layer across the DevOps lifecycle. RRMac seamlessly weaves these aspects together through their own proprietary software and skillset, creating an end-to-end, securely automated pipeline for the customer.
For IBM Z environments, Kobee can integrate technologies including IBM Developer for z/OS, IBM Dependency Based Build, IBM Test Accelerator for Z and IBM Wazi Deploy, alongside Git and other enterprise development tools.
By coordinating these technologies within governed workflows, Kobee can turn code changes into automated build, test, approval and deployment processes while maintaining lifecycle visibility, traceability and control.
RRMac brings the IBM Z expertise, consulting, integration, migration and implementation experience and automation software required to translate these capabilities into solutions for complex enterprise environments.
The proposition is therefore deliberately complementary:
- IBM Z provides the enterprise platform and an evolving portfolio of development and DevOps technologies.
- Kobee provides orchestration, automation and governance across the software delivery lifecycle.
- RRMac provides the IBM Z expertise, integration and implementation capabilities to bring the complete solution together for the customer.
Modernization Without Unnecessary Disruption
For many IBM Z organizations, modernization does not mean replacing the mainframe. It means modernizing how applications running on the mainframe are developed, built, tested and delivered.
RRMac and IKAN will help organizations progressively introduce Git-based development, modern IDEs, automated CI/CD and centralized lifecycle governance while continuing to benefit from the reliability, scalability, security and operational strengths of IBM Z.
This approach allows enterprises to modernize incrementally and at a pace appropriate to their organization. Existing IBM technologies and investments can remain an integral part of the architecture, while Kobee connects the components of the DevOps toolchain and RRMac provides the expertise required to design, integrate and implement the resulting environment.
Combining Experience with IBM-recognized Innovation
The collaboration combines RRMac’s long-standing experience in IBM Z modernization with IKAN Development’s recognized innovation in mainframe DevOps orchestration.
RRMac has helped organizations move from traditional mainframe development and SCM environments toward modern DevOps ecosystems, including integrations and migrations involving Git, GitHub, GitLab, IBM Developer for z/OS, IBM Dependency Based Build, IBM Engineering Workflow Management and IBM UrbanCode technologies.
IKAN Development brings Kobee, an enterprise DevOps orchestration platform designed to automate and govern development and release processes across IBM Z and distributed environments. In 2024, Kobee’s approach was recognized at IBM TechXchange with the Excellence in Mainframe Innovation Award. The award recognized Kobee for out-of-the-box CI/CD and toolchain orchestration for z/OS, including the integration of Git with IBM technologies such as DBB and Wazi Deploy.
This combination gives customers access to both the technology and the practical mainframe expertise required to implement it successfully.
From Strategy to Implementation
The RRMac–IKAN collaboration extends beyond software. RRMac’s experience in IBM Z, SCM modernization, migrations and enterprise transformation combine with IKAN’s Kobee technology and DevOps expertise to create an end-to-end approach. Together, the companies can support organizations throughout their modernization journey—from assessment of the existing SCM and development environment through architecture, proof of concept, migration, implementation and ongoing optimization.
The objective is straightforward: help customers get more value from IBM Z and IBM’s modern DevOps technologies by connecting them within a controlled, automated and auditable software delivery lifecycle.
Executive Perspectives
Robin R. Macfarlane, President and CEO, RRMac Associates, LLC
“RRMac has spent decades helping organizations manage and modernize mission-critical IBM Z environments. Our collaboration with IKAN builds on that experience. Kobee gives us an orchestration platform that works with IBM’s evolving DevOps technologies, allowing us to help customers introduce modern development practices while protecting the investments, governance, and reliability they already have in place.”
René De Vleeschauwer, CEO, IKAN Development
“IBM z continues to evolve, and IBM is providing powerful technologies for modern development, build, testing and deployment. Kobee’s role is to bring those capabilities together into a governed and automated DevOps lifecycle. Combining Kobee with RRMac’s extensive IBM Z knowledge and implementation experience gives customers a practical route from their existing environment toward modern enterprise DevOps.”
About RRMac Associates, LLC
RRMac Associates is an established provider of software, solutions and services for business-critical applications on the IBM Z enterprise platform. Founded in 2005 and backed by decades of mainframe and software change management experience, RRMac specializes in enterprise SCM, DevOps transformation, implementations, integrations, and migrations. RRMac has successfully transitioned more than 300 customers worldwide from traditional mainframe development environments toward modern DevOps ecosystems, while maintaining the governance, integrity and security required for mission-critical IBM Z applications.
Although RRMac remains vendor agnostic, the company has worked closely with IBM technologies throughout the evolution of modern IBM Z development and was one of the IBM partner companies selected to participate in the original Engineering Workflow Management (RTC) and Dependency Based Build (DBB) beta programs. Its IBM Z expertise includes technologies such as IBM Developer for z/OS, IBM Dependency Based Build, IBM Engineering Workflow Management ,IBM Wazi Deploy, IBM UrbanCode, IBM zAppBuild, and IBM zBuilder.
RRMac Associates is part of the IBM Z and LinuxONE Partner Network, is recognized as an Independent Software Vendor (ISV), and is an IBM Silver Service Partner.
About IKAN Development and Kobee
IKAN Development is a Belgian software company and the company behind Kobee, an enterprise DevOps orchestration platform for distributed and IBM Z environments. With development of its CI/CD framework IKAN has extensive experience helping enterprises automate, govern and standardize complex software delivery processes.
IKAN Development is part of the IBM Z and LinuxONE Partner Network and is recognized as an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) and IBM Technology Partner. Kobee for z/OS is listed in the IBM Partner Plus solutions directory and integrates with IBM technologies including IBM Dependency Based Build, IBM Wazi Deploy and IBM Wazi as a Service, providing orchestration, automation, traceability and governance across the DevOps lifecycle.
In 2024, Kobee’s approach to mainframe DevOps was recognized with the IBM TechXchange Excellence in Mainframe Innovation Award for its out-of-the-box CI/CD and toolchain.
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