mainframe

IBM is today announcing the latest successor to what it has called its "business-class" system, the zEnterprise 114, with a starting price of $75,000 -- 25% lower than the previous system in this category.

Even mainframe sales leaped more than at any other time since IDC's been counting. Unix sales stayed flat.

Big iron isn’t going away anytime soon, say mainframe users polled by BMC. In fact, 84% of mainframe shops expect to see growing or steady MIPS usage on the platform.

Master the mainframe by coding for 'droid, dude.

Network management vendor William Data Systems says it has created an iPhone app that lets users manage IBM's z/OS mainframe environment.

IBM's new mainframe is on display at this week's SHARE conference in Boston, a testament to the relevancy of the big iron in today's enterprise IT environments. Amid the excitement over IBM's mainframe makeover, however, IT pros are concerned about the availability of skilled professionals who know how to run it.

Launched in 2005, zNextGen is devoted to recruiting and retaining young mainframe professionals. The volunteer group is celebrating its fifth anniversary at the SHARE conference in Boston.

IBM's zEnterprise system has an expansive yet still limited role. This "system of systems," as the company calls it, is still operating in a mainframe-centric universe, although a larger one.

IBM announced the availability of an appliance that de-duplicates data being backed up for mainframes, offering as much as a 25:1 data reduction ratio.

IBM's mainframe division finished a disappointing 2009 with a 27% Q4 revenue decline, but Big Blue is hoping the next generation of its mainframe computer will boost sales in 2010.

IBM is offering discounted Linux-focused mainframe bundles to shore up falling revenue.