IBM announced workload-optimized systems to help companies manage a range of more demanding data center workloads. The new systems include a new offering for the zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX); IBM Storwize Rapid Application Storage (RAS) solution; and System x products. The offerings span IBM's systems portfolio.
zBX, BM's systems design that allows workloads on mainframe servers and other select systems to share resources and be managed as a single, virtualized system, now includes support for IBM WebSphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50 for zEnterprise. The DataPower XI50z is a workload-optimized appliance that helps data and applications on different servers to communicate regardless of the type of platform. When integrated with zBX, it can be managed as a single system with in the zEnterprise System. The appliance complements other supported zBX systems, such as select POWER7 Blades and IBM Smart Analytics Optimizer.
For storage needs, the new IBM Storwize RAS solution combines the recently introduced IBM Storwize V7000 with Tivoli Storage Productivity Center and Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager. The integrated offering can help improve storage efficiency, simplifying administrative tasks such as setup and management.
The new Workload Optimized Blade for Database is designed to help companies take the guesswork and hassle out of configuring systems for database-intensive workloads in healthcare and financial services, where companies are grappling to manage growing amounts of "big data."
For system networking, IBM also announced offerings from Blade Network Technologies (BNT), the company that IBM acquired in October 2010 that specializes in Ethernet switches and software that route data and transactions to and from servers, storage and networks. The offerings include two top-of-rack Ethernet switches that will be closely integrated with IBM servers and storage to support dynamic workloads that require high-speed and low-latency performance, such as cloud computing, business analytics and high performance computing (HPC).
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