In case you wondered if IBM is seriously committed to both mainframe Linux and cloud computing on the System z platform you need only look at the June 2 announcement that the company is opening the first dedicated System z Linux and cloud computing competency center in Beijing. According to the announcement, the new center is specifically intended to help organizations there take advantage of Linux and cloud computing solutions on the mainframe, and help accelerate adoption of Linux on System z in China.
This is just the most recent of a number of developments that boosted the System z profile. Even at the recent IBM Edge 2014 conference, which was not about the System z at all (a System z and Power conference, Enterprise 2014, is coming up in October) still managed to slip in some System z sessions and content, including one about protecting DB2 data on z/OS using tape and other sessions that included the System z and Power enterprise servers in discussions on various aspects of cloud computing or the use of flash.
Following the Mainframe50 announcement earlier in the spring, IBM introduced more System z enhancements including the IBM Enterprise Cloud System, an OpenStack-based converged offering that includes compute, storage, software, and services and built around the zBC12; IBM Wave for z/VM, which simplifies z/VM virtualization management and expedites an organization’s path to the cloud; and a new IBM Cloud Management Suite for System z, which handles dynamic provisioning and performance monitoring.
An interesting aspect of this announcement is the IBM’s focus on Linux. It has taken a decade for Linux to gain traction in System z data centers but patience is finally paying off. Linux has proven instrumental in bringing new mainframe users to the platform (DancingDinosuar previously reported on Algar, a Brazilian telco) ; according to IBM, more than 50% of all new mainframe accounts since 2010 run Linux. To that end, DancingDinosaur has long recommended the Enterprise Linux Server Solution Edition program, a deeply discounted package hardware, middleware, and software. It represents the best and maybe the only bargain IBM regularly offers.
Linux itself has proven remarkably robust and has achieved widespread acceptance among enterprises running a variety of platforms. According to the IDC, Linux server demand is rising due to demand from cloud infrastructure deployments. The researcher expects that demand to continue into the future. In the first quarter of 2014, Linux server revenue accounted for 30 percent of overall server revenue, an increase of 15.4 percent.
Along with cloud computing, collaborative development appears to be contributing to the continued growth and adoption of Linux. According to the Linux Foundation, a new business model has emerged in which companies are joining together across industries to share development resources and build common open source code bases on which they can differentiate their own products and services. This collaborative approach promises to transform a number of industries, especially those involved with cloud computing, social and mobile. Apparently it provides a fast way to create the next generation of technology products.
In its latest survey, the Linux Foundation identified three drivers or the recent Linux growth:
- Collaborative software development—ninety-one percent of business managers and executives surveyed ruled collaborative software development somewhat to very important to their business while nearly 80 percent say collaborative development practices have been seen as more strategic to their organization over the past three years.
- Growing investments in collaborative software development—44 percent of business managers said they would increase their investments in collaborative software development in the next six months
- The benefits of collaboration—more than 77 percent of managers said collaborative development practices have benefited their organizations through a shorter product development cycle/faster time to market.
The bulk of the world’s critical transaction processing and production data continue to reside on the mainframe, around 70 percent, according to IBM. Similarly, 71% of all Fortune 500 companies have their core businesses on a mainframe. And this has remained remarkably steady over the past decade despite the rise of cloud computing. Of course, all these organizations have extensive multi-platform data centers and are adding growing numbers of on-premise and increasingly hybrid cloud systems.
Far from relying on its core production processing to carry the mainframe forever, the new Beijing mainframe Linux-cloud center demonstrates IBM’s intent to advance the mainframe platform in new markets. It is opening the mainframe up in a variety of ways; from z/OS in the cloud to Hadoop for z to new cloud-like pay-for-use pricing models. Watch DancingDinosaur for an upcoming post on the new pricing discounts for mobile transactions on z/OS.
DancingDinosaur is Alan Radding and can be followed on Twitter, @mainframeblog
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