IBM Boosts zEnterprise Mainframe Portfolio to Help Clients Build Better Customer Experiences

ARMONK, N.Y., July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on decades of technology leadership in enterprise computing, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled its new zEnterprise BC12 (zBC12) mainframe designed for the latest in analytics, cloud, and mobile computing. Starting at USD $75,000, IBM is making one of the most secure and technologically advanced enterprise servers attractive to organizations of all sizes.¹

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With this news, IBM also adds new industry solutions and enhanced software and operating systems across its zEnterprise portfolio to help clients better serve their customers.  These innovations are designed to allow banks to deliver new mobile banking services, insurance companies can prevent payment of fraudulent claims, and government agencies to interact and serve citizens using new applications in the cloud. 

"Analytics, cloud and mobile computing are changing the way businesses in all industries engage with their customers," said Patrick Toole, general manager, IBM System z. "IBM's zEnterprise technologies address these challenges by providing clients with a powerful and highly secure platform to manage new and emerging workloads, helping speed time to market, reduce costs and stimulate business growth by making stronger connections with customers."

Introducing IBM zBC12        
The new zBC12 provides clients with superior levels of performance, flexibility and scale. Compared to its predecessor, the z114, it boasts a faster processor at 4.2 GHz and two times the available memory; and, it allows clients to grow into their system with a pay-as-you-grow approach.

When integrated with IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator, the zBC12 can perform business analytics workloads with response times up to nine times faster, 10 times better price performance, and 14 percent lower total cost of acquisition than the closest competitor.²

For cloud computing, the zBC12 can consolidate up to 40 virtual servers per core or up to 520 in a single footprint for as low as $1.00 per day, per virtual server. A single zBC12 can save clients up to 55 percent over x86 distributed environments.³

Enterprise Linux Server for First-Time zEnterprise Clients       
IBM is delivering a new Linux-only based version of the zBC12, the Enterprise Linux Server (ELS), to help clients that are rapidly growing their businesses, especially in growth markets. The ELS includes hardware, a z/VM Hypervisor and three years of maintenance. The system can run a portfolio of over 3,000 Linux applications, and clients can extend it with two new solutions, ELS for Analytics and Cloud-Ready for Linux on System z, as an on-ramp for analytics and cloud computing.

"ABK chose to consolidate our business systems onto the zBC12 -- all of our servers from Intel to Sun -- in order to bring our development and production to a new level," said Armin Gerhardt, CEO, ABK Systeme GmbH. "Our client work requires us to run several systems simultaneously and securely in order to keep projects moving forward while ensuring all the newest regulations are being observed. What convinced us was the ability the zBC12 had to react quickly, to implement new requirements rapidly and, above all, use tools that are common."

New innovations for the latest zBC12 and zEC12           
New hardware functions provide CPU and storage savings by compressing data on the server.  For example, there is a new high speed, low latency I/O connection for enabling up to an 80 percent reduction in network latency.  Also, with z/OS 2.1, IBM delivers not only performance and scale but simplified management with z/OSMF. There is also a new 2:1 ratio for zIIP and zAAP special purpose engines for improved workload economics. And with z/VM 6.3, clients can now consolidate up to 520 virtual servers in a single footprint with the increase in real memory and the new HiperDispatch function. 

In the areas of solutions and software,  IBM is providing new solutions in the areas of analytics and fraud for banking and tax using the new software updates in analytic software such as Cognos, SPSS, and DB2. New cloud and mobile solutions include updates for better integration and security in Tivoli, CICS and DB2.

Software and Operating Systems Enhancements for zEnterprise         
IBM continues to build on its full range of analytics, cloud, mobile, and security capabilities in zEnterprise with new software. For analytics the new IBM zEnterprise Analytics System 9710 now includes zBC12 and DB2 10 for z/OS VUE providing a foundation to deliver a cost effective analytics deployment.

For cloud, IBM enhanced the IBM OMEGAMON for z/OS family to detect performance problems in the cloud and minimize impact to the business and increase analytics visibility.

IBM continues to help clients bridge the gap between mobile devices and enterprise data and services with native JSON support and conversion between JSON and data structures with the new CICS Transaction Server Feature Pack for Mobile Extensions V1.0 and DB2 11 for z/OS (ESP).

The new z/VM (v6.3) operating system builds on top of Live Guest Relocation and now supports up to one terabyte of real memory, enabling support for more virtual servers than any other platform in a single footprint. It leverages HiperDispatch technology for improved system performance and is enabled for OpenStack for advanced enterprise-wide service management.

The new z/OS 2.1 operating system enables the latest zEnterprise hardware features (zEDC and SMC-R),  includes many performance and scalability enhancements for data serving workloads, and a new capability, "Crypto as a Service" enables Linux on System z applications to use z/OS services to encrypt data - providing more secure encryption. Additionally, enhancements to z/OS Management Facility improves start up times and provides services for automating workflow, further reducing costs.

IBM Global Financing can help credit-qualified clients acquire the new zBC12 for as low as USD $1,965 per month.⁴ IBM finance offerings can help clients lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) and accelerate ROI to keep pace with innovation and grow their businesses.

About IBM             
For more information on IBM System z, go to http://bit.ly/ibmsystemz and follow us on twitter @IBM_System_z.

1 Outside the US, prices will be comparable to its predecessor, the entry-level z114 ($75,000 in the US).

2 Source: Customer Study on 10TB BIDAY data running 161,166 concurrent reports. Intermediate and complex reports automatically redirected to IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator for z/OS. Results may vary based on customer workload profiles/characteristics.

3 Dependent on workload and customer configuration. Values derived from customer real use data, with extrapolation to zBC12.

4 Monthly payment is based on a 36-month fair market value lease from IBM Global Financing for a well qualified lessee. Payment includes Entry Model zBC12-A01 hardware only, US pricing. IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government clients. Rates are based on a client's credit rating, financing terms, offering type, equipment type and options, and may vary by country. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or withdrawal without notice.

Media Contact:     
Allyson McKenney    
IBM External Relations    
Systems & Technology Group    
914-766-4182    
[email protected]

SOURCE IBM