Monthly News International
Resurgence of the Mainframe
Client Challenges: CFOs and IT executives are rethinking their server platform strategies in light of the current trends toward cloud computing and highly virtualized servers. Not long ago it was thought the best strategy was to divest data centers of mainframes and move to distributed servers, specifically Intel Corp.'s x86-architected servers. However, IBM Corp.'s mainframe technology, enhanced by the advancements provided by its new zEnterprise servers and ecosystem, is getting a number of executives to reconsider their target system architectures. Clients have asked Experton Group to shed light on the various rationales for consolidating applications onto zEnterprise platforms.
Observations: Almost unnoticed, and certainly underreported, has been the unprecedented growth of mainframe MIPS and revenues over the past year since IBM introduced its new zEnterprise z196 mainframe servers. Since the July 2010 zEnterprise launch, IBM has seen very strong double digit growths in MIPS and revenues in each of the four subsequent quarters. In fact, the System z installed capacity has grown linearly year over year since 2001 as its share of the $250K+ server market has increased while most other high end servers have lost market share.
Summary: The data center transformational shift from scale-out to scale-up architectures has IT executives and architects rethinking the choice of target server platforms. Because of the predominance of x86 servers and the desire to build using the existing base, most companies will simply alter their plans by scaling up their Intel-architected servers. However, IT executives willing to evaluate all of the platform options will find that the optimum solution for the majority of their applications will be the mainframe server platform.
The Bottom Line: Experton Group believes the zEnterprise architecture and platforms are disruptive, transformative technologies and will have a major impact on data center architectures within the next three to five years. ZEnterprise solutions will not only drive down the cost of computing but, as databases move back to the mainframe, will dramatically slow the growth of storage and cut infrastructure costs. IT executives looking to create low-cost private clouds and business services should evaluate the zEnterprise platforms to determine where and how the various processor types can be employed to optimize overall system utilization, accelerate agility, reduce complexity, and minimize operational costs.
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