Unisys and Intel Join Forces on Breakthrough Secure Computing Platform for Cloud Computing, Big Data and RISC Migration

BLUE BELL, Pa., Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that it is partnering with Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) to bring to market a breakthrough secure computing platform designed to handle the most demanding requirements of mission-critical cloud and big data workloads, while offering Unix clients a cost-effective path off legacy RISC-based platforms onto an Intel-based environment.

The new platform, to be released later in 2013, will build on the unmatched security Unisys delivers in mission-critical computing.¹  It will combine Unisys' advanced secure partitioning (s-Par®) technology with the innovative computing and security features of Intel® Xeon® family processors, providing  an extremely flexible and powerful environment.

The platform will support a range of Intel's high-performance, availability and security innovations for the Xeon processor family.

As a leading Intel enterprise partner, Unisys believes that the platform will be the first architecture based on Intel Xeon processors to bring enterprise-level security, availability, scalability and predictable performance to the three key IT challenges facing enterprises today:

• Harnessing the power of the cloud. The Unisys-Intel platform will enable organizations to host Linux, Windows and migrated Unix application workloads on the same platform and provision them across all delivery models – from high-availability mission-critical environments to public clouds – with levels of security and performance required for each workload.
• Applying big data to real-world applications.  The platform will provide extraordinary scalability for big data solutions. It can run open-source Hadoop queries in a single secure partition, adding virtual machines as necessary to solve complex problems in real time.
• Migrating from Unix-RISC systems. By bringing partitioning and other mission-critical attributes of RISC systems to an Intel x86 platform, the platform will provide a cost-efficient migration path from RISC systems running Unix applications without diminishing system performance.

Leading industry analysts estimate that segments of the cloud computing, big data and Unix-RISC migration markets represent an aggregate market in excess of $23 billion, opening potential joint growth opportunities for Unisys and Intel over the next several years.

According to Forrester Research, the private-cloud segment of the cloud computing market alone will grow to $9.8 billion by 2014.² IDC forecasts that the big-data infrastructure market will reach $6.4 billion in the same time period.³ In addition, the mid-range and high-end server market, dominated by systems running Unix on RISC platforms, is currently valued at nearly $7 billion.⁴ Gartner, Inc. projects that by 2017, enterprise users will migrate 65 percent of Unix applications to the Intel x86 platform.⁵

"Unisys has two decades of experience in bringing the power of industry-standard Intel technologies to the high-end server market," said Ed Coleman, Unisys chairman and CEO. "Now we are combining recent innovations from the two companies to provide a powerful, compelling and cost-efficient server platform able to handle today's most demanding applications while delivering the security, reliability, predictability and other attributes that organizations have come to expect from true mission-critical systems. It's a powerful combination that we believe will reignite the enterprise computing market."

"Intel and Unisys have a joint vision for bringing greater flexibility, simplicity and predictability to the portion of the enterprise computing segment that still uses legacy RISC-based systems today," said Shannon Poulin, vice president of marketing, Datacenter and Connected Solutions Group at Intel Corporation. "This innovative platform capitalizes on Intel Xeon® Processor® breakthroughs and the largest software ecosystem advancements to give organizations a powerful new alternative away from costly, outmoded RISC systems."

Unisys will incorporate the following Intel Xeon processor family innovations into the new platform:

• Intel Integrated I/O to increase input/output speed and provide greater bandwidth using PCI Express Generation 3 (PCIe 3.0).
• New Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, which uses advanced algorithms to deliver increased performance with greatest power efficiency.
• Intel Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES NI) for faster, more efficient high-volume encryption.

Unisys and Intel will continue to collaborate on integrating additional Intel innovations into the platform.

Unisys said it plans to provide more details on the new environment at the company's Universe client-centered event on September 9 – 11 in Chicago, Illinois.

Note to Editors

¹ Based on Unisys' comparative analysis of data in the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology National Vulnerability Database.

² "Sizing the Cloud," Stefan Ried, PhD, Holger Kisker, PhD et al, Forrester Research, April 2011.

³ "Worldwide Big Data Technology and Services 2012-2016 Forecast," IDC, December 2012.

⁴ Based on Unisys analysis of data from "U.S. and Worldwide Annual Enterprise Server Shipments and Installed Base," IDC, November 2012.

⁵ "Unix Against Linux: Survival of the Fittest," Andrew Butler, George Weiss, Gartner, Inc., December 2012.

About Unisys

Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialize in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilization of their data centers, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernize their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 22,500 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

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Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. Intel and the Intel logo Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.  Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

SOURCE Unisys Corporation