IBM announces its latest z System, the IBM z13s, with some good news. They have 50 net-new clients, a 35% year-over-year revenue increase and a 36% increase in MIPS shipped. All clear evidence of continuing mainframe market momentum. To continue the trend, IBM is targeting specific markets and attracting developers to write z System apps via innovative tie-ins with firms like Rocket Software. First, the IBM z13s.
The IBM z13s
addresses a growing mid-sized market demand for integrated, affordable security.
IBM’s Center for Applied Insights reported in Feb. 2016 that: “70% of front
runners say that their hybrid cloud environment is causing them greater
security concerns.” Further documentation
comes from on-going reports of data/security breaches and hacks of on-premise
and off-premise systems. Data vulnerability, with the need to secure and assure
its integrity, is of increasing concern. Further aggravating the problem is the
easy creation of API-driven apps with ever more integrated services.
Security has
been a mainframe strong-point since its earliest days. It remains the
gold-standard benchmark for secure operations. But, the growth of cloud changed
the nature of a secure environment. Types of attacks, data breaches and
potential opportunities for security failure have grown along with style, speed
and transaction volumes.
The z13s
delivers new, enhanced security features optimized for hybrid clouds. These range
from hardware-implemented advanced, platform-optimized[1]
cryptography to sophisticated, intelligent security services, such as z Systems
Cyber Security Analytics to warn of malicious activity, and IBM Security
QRadar® to separate event anomalies from potential threats. While designed for
hybrid cloud environments, some services extend to the end-points as they
operate across private and public platforms.
Network
vulnerabilities, attacks on data integrity, the growth of APIs, microservices
and adoption of different hybrid cloud architectures add to the difficulty and
complexity of providing all the solutions and services necessary to secure the
operating environment. The combined result is a profusion of increasingly sophisticated
industry-specific attacks. Addressing all of these in a timely manner exceeds the
resources of any single company. Therefore, to complement and augment its own
ongoing development efforts, IBM is cultivating and working with a growing
ecosystem of leading edge industry partners and collaborators. Three[2]
mentioned in the announcement are:
- BlackRidge Technology – that extends security out to the network edge to authenticate a user BEFORE a connection is made.
- Forcepoint’s Trusted Thin Client – that secures data at the endpoint, its most vulnerable point.
- RSM Partners – provides a view of the organizations overall mainframe security with penetration testing, security reviews, dashboards, etc.
More information
appears in the announcement press release, such as implementation details on
integrated hybrid-cloud focused security enhancements. You can read the full announcement
here[3].
But, there is more important news.
More good news missing
in the Press Release!
The release doesn’t discuss IBM efforts “to bring IBM z to
the forefront of innovation.” These are efforts to make it easier for
developers (especially non-mainframe experts) to access z System capabilities
and assets. Three tactics apply:
- Leveraging APIs as the common language in a diversified world.
- Delivering federated analysis via a hybrid cloud.
- Leveraging cloud to become a managed service provider.
IBM is
exposing z capabilities as APIs and microservices using a common API bus (IBM
Strongloop, API Connect). Connecting the systems allows developers to leverage
the strengths of Systems of Engagement (SoE – distributed, Linux on z[4])
and Systems of Record (SoR) environments. Having single channel API
connectivity to all system types allows for application development without
requiring z specific skills. Add existing open source capabilities, analytics, MobileFirst
along to Cloudant NoSQL, etc. for node.js development, and the attraction of Linux
on z as a SoE becomes obvious.
Development
and testing are simplified, benefiting IT. Mobile apps more easily access SoR.
Hybrid cloud applications are easier to build and deploy. APIs make it easier
to leverage z scalability, reliability and availability. Having the full-range
of Spark capabilities on z/OS allows sophisticated, real-time analytics as data
remains in-place on its system of origin. This applies across platforms,
operating environments and data types. Faster node.js runtime environment performance
benefits developers. IBM quotes some users: “My run time got reduced from 20
sec down to 80-120 ms”. And, “With the simplicity to setup and the cheap cost,
how could you not consider using it:”
Business
benefit with reduced time-to-market. DevOps skills are more efficiently applied
and effective due to transparent access across platforms. New revenue streams in
response to business opportunities are developed faster. Speedy data access and
intelligent analytics accelerates creation of new services using current data.
To attract
those unfamiliar with the mainframe, IBM introduced something completely new.
In an agreement with Rocket Software, every z13 now includes an entitlement to a
non-production Rocket
Data Virtualization[5] license. Developers get unrestricted
development and testing capabilities to access and unlock mainframe data via
modern APIs; again, no z Systems skills required.
We could continue.
But, our point is that IBM provides a range of capabilities that make the
mainframe more attractive and easier to use in today’s dynamic, highly
competitive environment. It delivers on its commitment to support new services
and capabilities on both z/OS and Linux. Its API oriented, hybrid cloud-focused
strategy significantly lowers barriers to entry for developers and IT staff
unfamiliar with mainframe specifics. Cloud-based services and access to
mainframe capabilities dramatically lowers the cost of learning about and
experimenting with the mainframe. A
winning strategy to attract a variety of customers.
All this is included
in an entry-level priced IBM z13s with planned availability in March, 2016. If this sounds good to you, find out more
about the IBM z Systems family at http://www.ibm.com/systems/z/
and about IBM Security at http://www.ibm.com/security.
[1]
Including hardware–accelerated cryptographic coprocessor cards with faster
processors and more memory to process more transactions faster thereby lowering
costs.
[4]
For example: mixed workload z13s configurations running SOE apps on Linux on z,
where the client can take advantage of hypersockets and colocation with z/OS.