IBM Releases Flurry of Initiatives Around System z Mainframe

05/08/2006

IBM today announced new software and initiatives seeking help companies handle the explosion of business processes and applications that are turning IBM System z mainframe into a global hub of Internet-based computing.

ebizQ was provided with the following release:

IBM estimates that this trend -- propelled by the rising tide of services oriented architecture (SOA) -- will cause transactions running on mainframes to easily double before 2010.

IBM is announcing:

-- Software tools that make the creation of "services-ready" mainframe applications by Java, VisualBasic, COBOL and PL/1 developers as easy as mastering an advanced video game after only a short time.

-- An initiative to expand the base of independent software developers using the System z platform. IBM will encourage new ISVs to develop their applications for the System z through technical, sales and marketing support, no-cost access to IBM IT architects, advertising discounts and customer lead generation tools.

-- New IBM middleware to secure and integrate the hundreds of applications and petabytes of data running through IBM System z and other computers in an IT infrastructure.

-- New university courseware and a global "Master the Mainframe" student contest to reach the next generation of mainframe developers around the world.

The Internet is creating an explosion of interconnected business processes -- such as cross-checking inventory and shipping across retailers, wholesalers and suppliers -- that flow through interconnected applications. More IT infrastructures are relying on modular code, or "services," to string together the ever-increasing number of applications between different types of computers in an automated way, based on open standards.

Since services are placing new demands on network performance and security, more companies are turning to IBM System z as the nexus for SOA. According to a survey of U.S. and European companies by Forrester Research, nearly 70% of SOA users say they will increase their use of SOA, and 62 percent of organizations with more than 20,000 employees are currently using or plan to use SOAs in the next 12 months. Forty-six percent large enterprises that deploy SOAs are using it for strategic business transformation.1

"Mainframes -- which process much of the world's most strategic information and applications -- are now finding second careers as the hub for SOA," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Software Group. "Customers today are just beginning to scratch the surface of what a services-oriented approach to software can do to make businesses more responsive and opportunistic. By using mainframes to free up, connect and use information that's stored in applications, companies can bring products to market faster, make quicker connections with global business partners, deliver better service to customers and streamline their IT operations."

According to John Campbell, senior vice president and CIO of American Modern Insurance Group, "The mainframe is a platform for the future, and enabling our development teams to create SOA-enabled mainframe applications is important. We expect SOA technologies to deliver business solutions quickly and provide more flexibility when offering services to business partners across a wide range of technologies."

Today, more than 60 percent of IBM's mainframe revenue comes from new workloads driven by IT trends such as Linux, virtualization, Java and SOA. In fact, System z -- which is the flagship member of IBM’s Virtualization Engine hardware and software portfolio -- can run an SOA involving many hundreds of applications. Linux makes a mainframe even more versatile by enabling it to create thousands of "images," or views, of virtualized data; more than 1,700 customers are running Linux on IBM System z mainframes.

IBM System z’s automated management sets the pace for today's emerging breed of self-managing computing technologies. Mainframes take up to 60 percent fewer IT specialists than it takes to manage UNIX servers running a comparable workload. Vexing IT processes, such as patching security holes or updating applications, can be automatically handled as services across mainframes and other computers in an infrastructure.

New Tools and Initiative to Promote Application Development on System z

The surge of services running on the IBM System z mainframe requires "services-ready" software and the right tools for developers. IBM is announcing new, easy-to-use software tools that will help meet the demand for more programmers writing mainframe applications for an SOA environment. IBM Rational COBOL Generation tools are based on new technology created at IBM's Software Development Lab in Raleigh, North Carolina. Developers using Java, VisualBasic, PL/1 and COBOL can create SOA-enabled mainframe applications to tap into customer and financial data contained in the $1 trillion worth of mainframe applications written in the COBOL programming language.

To help independent software vendors (ISVs) develop and market new mainframe software applications, IBM is announcing Systems z for ISVs, a new worldwide initiative that provides software vendors with technical, sales and marketing resources to build applications that run on IBM middleware and System z. The initiative offered through IBM's PartnerWorld Industry Networks, starts by providing ISVs with no-cost consulting sessions with IBM IT architects. IBM then creates a customized online environment where vendors can develop, port and test applications on System z, with IBM consultants supporting the ISVs throughout development and porting.

Going one step further, IBM consultants will work alongside ISVs during their first client installations, ensuring that applications run properly in a real-world environment. ISVs can also access IBM Sales Connections for System z, where IBM sales experts in 50 countries for hardware, software and services connect ISVs to sales opportunities -- which can shorten the sales cycle, in some instances, from nine months to 90 days. IBM will also help ISVs increase their visibility in the marketplace with advertising discounts, lead generation tools and direct mail campaign support. Software vendors using IBM's marketing resources have reported lead generation rates of as much as four times the industry average.

IBM is also reaching out to the next generation of mainframe developers with new computer courseware via the IBM Academic Initiative, which works to increase the use of open standards technologies by university faculty and students. Nearly 300 universities worldwide have adopted IBM's mainframe courseware and resources to build enterprise computing skills in the classrooms. In addition, IBM recently sponsored a global "Master the Mainframe" contest, where more than 700 students from 85 colleges and universities raced to complete realistic large-systems computing challenges, such as connecting data in a business process for a transportation company and its trading partners. The next IBM "Master the Mainframe" competition will occur later this year.

To help customers integrate mainframe data via SOAs, IBM is also announcing the following software:

-- WebSphere Process Server for z connects mainframe data to complex business processes via an SOA, such as an online credit card purchase that requires checking inventory levels and shipping status. In addition, WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) for IBM System z integrates applications and services as part of an SOA running on System z.

-- IBM WebSphere Portal for z/OS combines different applications in an SOA environment and customizes the information for computer users, such as a sales manager who can see deal status, revenues and product information all on one screen.

-- The upcoming DB2 Viper for z/OS data server will unleash the goldmine of "unstructured" data -- such as email, videos, audio, images, RFID-generated data -- together with “relational" information in databases. It will support IBM's System z9 Integrated Information Processor (zIIP), designed to help free-up computing capacity and lower IT costs.

-- The upcoming Tivoli Federated Identity Manager for z/OS, which secures transactions across mainframe and distributed computers using SOA and Web services technology. Its identity management capabilities and built-in compliance tools enhance System z’s inherent master encryption and intrusion detection features.

Mainframe Meets Challenges Posed by Growth and Unpredictability of Transactions

Day-to-day business relies on the smooth flow of data and processes spanning many different types of computers to accomplish complex tasks, such as meeting unpredictable buying patterns during peak holiday seasons. More companies are turning to services that can use data to link applications in real time – cutting the time it takes to carry out a business process by two-thirds or more, sparing waiting time for frustrated customers.

Meanwhile, each piece of data traveling through an SOA is identified, or "tagged," with Web services standards. While standards allow for interoperability between different types of computer systems, they require network capacity and storage that take ample computing power to process. Consumer thirst for instant information also places greater strains on computer networks; rather than check their account balance once a week, people want to watch funds transferred as they happen -- which strains network processing power.

The kinetic flow of services between trading partners can also introduce security risks, such as infected software or unauthorized users. Increased workloads can contribute to management headaches. In fact, IT management costs often account for up to 70 percent of a CIO's budget, up from 50 percent in the late '90s, according to IBM customer statistics.

IBM System z is poised to handle the challenges posed by the growing adoption of SOAs. It already supports the world's largest banks, retailers and manufacturers -- each day handling more than 80 billion transactions and $4 trillion worth of credit card purchases, bank deposits and other financial exchanges. Mainframes already host more than 80 percent of the world's information, which can be exchanged and analyzed to enable banks to seamlessly serve customers via ATMs, call centers, and the Internet.

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