IBM's System z mainframe progresses on its journey toward a hybrid 'system of systems'

IBM's System z mainframe progresses on its journey toward a hybrid 'system of systems':

"At one time, IBM's multiplatform strategy was considered a disadvantage when compared with other systems companies with less 'legacy' baggage. But as HP and Oracle/Sun increasingly lead with the x86 option, Big Blue is looking more differentiated – it can offer 'fit for purpose' systems from x86/distributed through to proprietary Unix, mainframes or integrated systems. Of course, updating the mainframe is more about retaining its current user base then acquiring new customers, but for the first time in many years new mainframe users are emerging. Given the right use cases, mainframes can work out to be cheaper than distributed systems. IBM claims the average cost of a distributed system is 2.2 times greater than System z – mainframe hardware costs are higher, but the software costs (excluding migration) are much lower."

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System z is making a comeback — The mainframe is dead, long live the mainframeThe Info-Tech Research Blog | The Info-Tech Research Blog

System z is making a comeback — The mainframe is dead, long live the mainframeThe Info-Tech Research Blog | The Info-Tech Research Blog:

"To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the mainframe’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Not only is the mainframe not going away, there are early signs of a resurgence:

80 new mainframe clients between July 2010 and October 2011.
86% year-over-year MIPS growth reported in 2011 Q2.
The majority of organizations are adding capacity to their mainframes, not reducing capacity.
So what has sparked this comeback?"

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Getting Past the Word “Mainframe” | Smarter Computing Blog

Getting Past the Word “Mainframe” | Smarter Computing Blog:

 "double your data center capacity for tomorrow with the same budget you have today?
lower your monthly cost by 50%?
lower the acquisition costs of hardware and software by up to 60%?
reduce floor space by up to 90%?
reduce labor costs by up to 70%?"

'via Blog this'

11 Reasons IBM Mainframe Integration With Windows (and Linux) Is a Big Deal - IT Infrastructure - News & Reviews - eWeek.com

11 Reasons IBM Mainframe Integration With Windows (and Linux) Is a Big Deal - IT Infrastructure - News & Reviews - eWeek.com:

 " As of Dec. 16, this new technology enabling zEnterprise System users to integrate Windows applications into the mainframe environment will become available. The new capability allows enterprises with multi-tier applications—for example, Windows applications connected to mainframe data—to be integrated and consolidated on the same system."

'via Blog this'

Dell IT Delivers More With Virtualization | TechRepublic

Dell IT Delivers More With Virtualization | TechRepublic: "As the company grew and globalized, the 45-day window each new deployment took was simply too long to keep up with the speed of the business. Add to that a data center that was running out of space and straining the limits of power and cooling capacity, and Dell engineers knew they needed a better solution. Read this case study to learn how Dell IT group virtualized more than 5,000 servers to save the company over US $29 millio"

'via Blog this'

Mainframe to remain critical platform for evolving hybrid data centre: BMC - Computer Business Review

Mainframe to remain critical platform for evolving hybrid data centre: BMC - Computer Business Review: "The survey found 93% of respondents at large companies expect mainframe capacity to grow or remain steady, while 62%, compared to 56% last year, expect to grow overall capacity.

While 47% of respondents said new workloads and new business applications are contributing to their capacity growth, 60% of respondents said the top IT priority is keeping costs down, the survey said."

NEON Settles Mainframe Software Lawsuit with IBM - IT Infrastructure - News & Reviews - eWeek.com

NEON Settles Mainframe Software Lawsuit with IBM - IT Infrastructure - News & Reviews - eWeek.com:

 "In the May 31 announcement, NEON said that pursuant to the terms of a permanent injunction, NEON and its distribution partners and affiliates will no longer market, sell, license--including any renewal or extension of any existing license, install, distribute, export, import, offer to sell, offer to license, offer to install, offer to distribute, offer to export or offer to import zPrime."

Mainframe of the Future Looks Like A Cloud, IBM Chief Systems Engineer Guru Rao Says - Bank Technology News

Mainframe of the Future Looks Like A Cloud, IBM Chief Systems Engineer Guru Rao Says - Bank Technology News:

 "over the past year I've spoken to many bankers at institutions of all sizes, from Citi to State Street to Highland Banks in Maple Grove, Minn., who are making substantial investments in mainframes.
Rao, who dropped by our office last week, says that both mainframe sales and the capacity of existing mainframes are growing.
'The installed inventory of mainframe capacity has been steadily growing ever since we started keeping records way back in the early 2000s,' Rao says. 'This is an indication that people are moving more work to it. We also know the work that's being done is a combination of traditional work and new workloads, for instance Linux-based based computing and transaction processing.' The reason IBM knows this is because its latest mainframe model, the System z, offers specialty engines for Linux workloads (Integrated Facility for Linux), database work and Java-based application serving work. 'By knowing how many of these things customers are using and buying, we have a handle on what mainframes' traditional workload capacity is versus the new workloads,' Rao says. 'The mainframe is alive and well and accepting new workloads.'"

IBM rolls out DataPower blades for zEnterprise mainframe - Techworld.com

IBM rolls out DataPower blades for zEnterprise mainframe - Techworld.com

Mainframe Events, Why Attend?

Mainframe Events, Why Attend? - EXEC I/O Mainframe Blog - CA Technologies

Arcati Mainframe Yearbook 2011

Arcati Mainframe Yearbook 2011

Intel previews next Itanium mainframe chip | ZDNet

Intel previews next Itanium mainframe chip | ZDNet

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