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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Can anyone catch NetSuite in cloud ERP?

Can anyone catch NetSuite in cloud ERP?:

"As companies like SAP have taken their time introducing fully cloud-enabled platforms to the market, with other SaaS players vying for SMBs, one thing has become clear: In the cloud ERP space, this should be NetSuite's market to lose. While we believe that NetSuite has the most sophisticated cloud ERP solution, its refocused enterprise play means it has to do battle in areas where SaaS and cloud are not the driving forces behind a decision, but NetSuite's more methodical approach to attacking vertical industries could pay off. It has not simply thrown these offerings together; rather, it has spent years developing faster-to-deploy industry packages. Also, in a world that is increasingly comfortable with SaaS and cloud apps, NetSuite's OneWorld offering could be highly attractive to any large company dealing with many global subsidiaries, or companies with many acquired divisions using outdated ERP tools."

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MainframeZone.com - IT Management: Business Perspective: How Cross-Platform Workload Automation Can Help Your...

MainframeZone.com - IT Management: Business Perspective: How Cross-Platform Workload Automation Can Help Your Business

Soar

"To understand what a cross-platform tool can do for workload scheduling, think in terms of the challenges an air traffic controller faces. Imagine a controller who is trying to direct flights to different terminals but can only see the schedule of one airline and one terminal—Terminal A. So, if conditions change and it’s no longer practical for the controller to direct flights to Terminal A, the logical approach would be to have the planes land at another terminal. But without visibility into the traffic at Terminals B, C, and D, the options are limited. The planes might have to keep flying in circles until it’s safe to land. Planes that need to take off from Terminal A may be delayed on the ground. This lack of visibility impacts the flight schedule, costs, and, perhaps most important, customer satisfaction.

When you apply that same analogy to managing workloads in your business, it’s easy to see why having an enterprisewide view of the different jobs that are scheduled and how they work together is essential for meeting business needs"

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BlueStripe News

BlueStripe News:

"Research Triangle Park, NC – February 1, 2012 – BlueStripe Software, a leader in application transaction management solutions, put the finishing touches on a profitable year, achieving revenues in 2011 that were 700% of the 2010 numbers. BlueStripe more than doubled its customer base, including new customers Bank of America, Russell Investments, Principal Financial, Cigna, Bechtel, and Jackson-Hewitt.

A key factor to BlueStripe’s 2011 success is FactFinder, the company’s flagship transaction monitoring solution. During the year, BlueStripe made several major announcements centered around powerful capabilities in transaction performance and availability management. The October release included a revolutionary way to visualize transactions as they cross the infrastructure called the Cross Machine Transaction Viewer. Other new transaction specific capabilities were announced in 2011 including transaction-specific service level dashboards and a problem-solving workbench that isolates specific transactions and the systems they rely on"

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The Keys to The Cloud: Unlock the Value of Cloud C

The Keys to The Cloud: Unlock the Value of Cloud C:

"To reap the benefits of cloud – on-demand self-service, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service, business continuity and resilience, etc. – you need the right tools to effectively manage the cloud's seemingly unlimited computing capacity. In fact, you need to seamlessly manage workloads operating in the cloud with the same ease, agility, compliance and control as with your own on-premise resources. This requires taking workload automation to the next level, using the next generation of cloud-enabled and aware automation tools to maximize efficiency and minimize cost. These tools are the missing key for many organizations, and without them, many promising cloud computing initiatives in 2012 will turn out to be nonstarters"

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Workload Automation Trends and Predictions for 2012 « Torsten Volk

Workload Automation Trends and Predictions for 2012 « Torsten Volk:

"Business service management (BSM) solutions are key to tying the health of your company’s IT services to the corresponding business requirements. Without including workload automation performance, BSM dashboards often get blindsided by sudden failures, due to workload problems. Therefore, in 2012 we will see a growing trend toward integrating workload automation solutions with BSM dashboards, as well as with configuration management systems and IT process automation implementations

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Microsoft's Windows 8 prioritizes wireless networks

Microsoft's Windows 8 prioritizes wireless networks: "

In Windows 8, Microsoft is aiming to connect to wireless networks instantaneously. Windows 8 will prioritize networks based on cost and network performance, but new priorities will be learned based on a user's behavior."

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