Introducing Connect/MP Suite:
A New Era for ZIP/390 MP
Published: October 1, 2025
By the Data 21 Product Team
We're excited to announce the official rebranding of ZIP/390 MP to the new Connect/MP Suite, a transformation that reflects the product's broader capabilities beyond compression and signals a new chapter in mainframe-centric modernization and integration.
✅ Why the Change?
The name ZIP/390 MP has long been synonymous with trusted ZIP compression for the IBM Z platform. However, over time, the product has evolved into something much more powerful - serving as a multi-purpose connectivity and modernization suite that supports today's hybrid IT environments.
To align our branding with this expanded functionality, we've renamed the suite to:
Connect/MP Suite
A unified platform for compression, web integration, and cross-platform connectivity.
🔍 What's Included in Connect/MP Suite?
The Connect/MP Suite consists of three core components, each designed to address key enterprise IT challenges:
📦 Connect/ZIP (formerly ZIP/390)
- Industry-proven high-performance ZIP compression for z/OS
- Seamless integration with z/OS, USS, JES and batch workflows
- High-Performance compression and decompression with support for ZIP64, zEDC and zIIP
- Now optimized for hybrid environments and automation frameworks
🌐 Connect/WEB (New)
- Modernize legacy mainframe applications for the web and API economy
- Enable RESTful web services, JSON/XML data formatting, and cloud integration
- Expose mainframe data and applications as secure, scalable services using out-of-the-box classic and modern scripting languages (eg REXX, Java, PHP and Python)
🔄 Connect/Hybrid (Cross-Platform Services)
- High-speed file transfer across mainframe, distributed, and cloud systems
- Cross-platform application-to-application integration
- Scriptable interface for automating data and job flows
🚀 What This Means for You
If you're an existing ZIP/390 MP customer:
- No functionality has been removed - only expanded.
- You'll now recieve updates and support under the Connect/MP Suite brand.
For new customers:
- Connect/MP Suite offers a modern, modular approach to mainframe modernization.
- Deploy only the components you need, and scale as your infrastructure evolves.
📞 What's Next?
We're here to support your transition and help you unlock the full potential of Connect/MP Suite. Over time you'll see updates to:
- Documentation and user guides
- Product downloads and installation media
- Customer portal and support resources
✅ Summary
| Old Name | New Name | Functionality Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| ZIP/390 MP | Connect/MP Suite | Unified modernization and integration suite |
| ZIP/390 | Connect/ZIP | High-performance compression for IBM Z |
| (New) | Connect/WEB | RESTful web services and legacy system modernization |
| Connect Edition | Connect/Hybrid | File transfer and cross-platform app integration |
💬 Learn More or Schedule a Presentation
Visit our Connect/MP Suite product page or contact your Data 21 account representative to schedule a personalized presentation.
Data 21 remains committed to helping enterprises evolve their mainframe strategies while preserving the power and performance they rely on. With Connect/MP Suite, we're delivering the tools to make the transformation smoother, faster, and smarter.