IBM Launches 'Destination Z'

ARMONK, N.Y. -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a set of consolidation and security software solutions designed to make the System z mainframe easier to use as the strategic platform of choice for running modern applications. IBM also announced an online meeting place to enable the mainframe community to interact and quickly gain access to industry information and solutions.

These developments announced at IBM’s System z Summit symposium in New York City – are part of IBM’s five-year, $100 million mainframe simplification investment to help small- and medium-sized companies run modern business applications on System z using in-house expertise. The announcements help demonstrate how System z can deliver superior benefits over distributed systems.

IBM Destination z

To help businesses adopt, manage and migrate to the mainframe, IBM launched a strategic program, dubbed as IBM Destination z. As one of its initial services, it provides an online meeting place (available at www.ibm.com/systems/destinationz/) for customers, systems integrators, IBM Business Partners, software vendors and academic institutions to connect with each other and with mainframe experts, access development tools and the latest mainframe solutions. IBM Destination z provides links to platform economics – such as total cost of ownership tools – and case histories that reveal financial and business benefits. For administrators, it provides technical guidance from top systems integrators, workload management tools and academic resources to make mainframe migration faster and easier using standards-based code, such as Java* and C++, or popular Web services capabilities such as IBM DB2® and WebSphere®.

In addition, IBM is launching a System z program for systems integrators to drive business development and provide a broad spectrum of technical resources. More than 20 IBM Business Partners and leading systems integrators, such as France-based information technology services company Sogeti, have already joined IBM Destination z.

“The mainframe is stronger than ever. With the popularity of a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), we’re seeing a rebirth for the mainframe,” said Jean-Marc Gaultier, vice president of Sogeti. “Sogeti is seeing a lot of client interest in the mainframe. In fact, to support our clients in this area, the company is launching a Mainframe Academy in Europe to train and introduce college graduates to mainframe technology. Sogeti has almost 40 years of experience in providing mainframe services to clients, and we see this as an area of continued growth for the Sogeti Group.”

IBM Corp.