IBM unveils new computing category

IBM SA has announced a new category of computing in which it will take its experiences learned over the years, turn them into software and include them with a new family of computing systems called PureSystems.

IBM South Africa will actively go to market with the new category of “expert integrated systems‚ announced yesterday, with the intent of simplifying enterprise computing.

According to Oliver Fortuin Country General Manger for IBM South Africa, the new expert integrated systems family – PureSystems ‚ is the first with built-in expertise based on IBM’s experience of running IT operations for tens of thousands of clients in 170 countries.

‚The pressures on enterprise IT, in light of broader business demands and growing consumerisation of IT, leaves a significant gap between process computing and info-centric computing. Today, significant time and investment needs to go in to IT maintenance ‚ and we believe that the PureSystems family will tackle these and other key challenges facing most South African companies today.‚

According to the IDC, 70 percent or more of IT budgets are spent on simple operations and maintenance, leaving little to invest in innovation.

Two-thirds of corporate IT projects are delivered over budget and behind schedule, according to a recent study by IBM, which also found that only one in five corporate IT departments are able to spend the majority of their IT budget on innovation.

‚This is technology that is designed to allow businesses to slash the high costs and nagging complexity associated with managing information technology,‚ says Fortuin.

‚We believe we can provide a simplified IT experience.‚

With the introduction of the new PureSystems family, IBM has unveiled three major advances that provide the foundation to new era of computing.

¬∑ ‚Scale-In‚ System Design: With PureSystems, IBM is introducing a new concept in system design that integrates the server, storage, and networking into a highly automated, simple-to-manage machine. Scale-in design provides for increased density ‚ PureSystems can handle twice as many applications compared to some IBM systems, doubling the computing power per square foot of data centre space.

· Patterns of Expertise: For the first time, IBM is embedding technology and industry expertise through first-of-a-kind software that allows the systems to automatically handle basic, time-consuming tasks such as configuration, upgrades, and application requirements.

· Cloud Ready integration: Out of the box, all PureSystems family members are built for the cloud, enabling corporations to quickly create private, self-service cloud offerings that can scale up and down automatically.

Pricing and Availability

The first two models of the PureSystems family ‚ PureFlex System and PureApplication System – start shipping to customers this quarter. PureSystems support POWER processors and Intel processors.

Credit-qualified clients that elect financing can see immediate benefits with PureSystems while deferring their first payment for 90 days. Flexible financing options provided by IBM Global Financing make it simple for clients to acquire PureSystems, while enabling them to manage budgets more easily with predictable payments. IBM Global Asset Recovery Services can buy back servers, including those made by HP and Oracle, for clients migrating to IBM PureSystem.

* “