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New IBM configurations designed for flexibility, sustainability and security within the data center.

Phoenix Software International Brings JES3^plus® and (E)JES^® to New IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 Single Frame and Rack Mount Options

New IBM configurations designed for flexibility, sustainability and security within the data center

By: Donna Hudi, Chief Marketing Officer, Phoenix Software International

We are excited to collaborate with IBM as the company today unveils its new IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 single frame and rack mount options available globally on May 17, 2023. Powered by the IBM Telum processor, these new configurations are designed for highly efficient data centers with sustainability in mind. This can help Phoenix Software clients make more effective use of their data center space while remaining resilient in the midst of ongoing global uncertainty.

Since its introduction with the IBM z15, System Recovery Boost (SRB) has been enabling customers to improve availability by accelerating their recovery time using all available processor resources during system shutdown and restart. This feature has been extremely useful to us here at Phoenix Software International (PSI) and our CTO Ed Jaffe featured SRB as part of his "z/OS V2R5 User Experiences" presentation given last year at SHARE in Columbus, OH. This presentation was voted "Best of the Best" user session by the SHARE membership. https://bcert.me/bc/html/show-badge.html?b=apaarsjs

With the introduction of the IBM z16 in April 2022, SRB acceleration was extended to include between-IPL middleware restarts, providing a valuable benefit to critical-infrastructure products like PSI's JES3^plus -- a licensed, derivative work of IBM z/OS JES3.

IBM Announcement Letter 123-002 (April 4, 2023) further enhances customer options by removing the 2:1 ratio of zIIPs to CPs limitation for IBM z16 configurations. We expect that allowing significantly more zIIP usage by IBM's customers will make zIIP-enabled products from IBM and ISVs, including PSI's (E)JES and Java-based (E)JES Web, even more attractive than before.

Lastly, PSI applauds IBM's decision to deliver a rack-mountable version of the single-frame IBM z16. We believe this decision could help make IBM z16 the most flexible and affordable mainframe yet for IBM's smaller customers.

Addressing today’s changing IT landscape

Every day, clients face challenges in delivering integrated digital services. According to IBM’s recent IBM Transformation Index report, security, managing complex environments, and regulatory compliance were cited as challenges to integrating workloads in a hybrid cloud. In today’s evolving IT landscape, it can be difficult for clients to meet business objectives while adhering to environmental regulations and increasing costs.

The new rack mount option is designed with the same reliability standards as all IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 systems and is for client-owned data center racks and power distribution units. This footprint is architected to let companies co-locate the latest zSystem and LinuxONE technology with distributed infrastructure and opens opportunities to include storage, SAN, and switches in one frame, designed to optimize both data center planning and latency for specific computing projects. Installing these systems in the data center can help create a new class of use cases, including data center design, optimized edge computing, and data sovereignty for regulated industries.

Securing data on a highly available system

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach report, conducted independently by Ponemon Institute, and sponsored, analyzed and published by IBM Security, surveyed organizations with a hybrid cloud model had lower average data breach costs, about $3.8 million, compared to public or private cloud models. IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 systems help support a secured, available hybrid IT environment critical to customer outcomes for essential industries like healthcare, financial services, government, and insurance.

More sophisticated cyber threats require new standards of protection. IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 provide high levels of resiliency offering support for mission-critical workloads. These high availability levels help consumers maintain access to data from their bank accounts, medical records, and other personal information whenever they need it. IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 single frame and rack mount options offer a broad range of security capabilities, including confidential computing, centralized key management, and quantum-safe cryptography.

Optimizing flexibility and sustainability

The new IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 options are built to help maximize flexibility and sustainability in data centers. With a new partition-level power monitoring capability and additional environmental metrics, these single frame systems are dedicated to helping clients reach their sustainability goals, reducing data center space and energy consumption. These key advantages distinguish IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 for sustainability in the data center, especially when consolidating workloads from x86 servers.

As a part of the IBM Ecosystem, Phoenix Software is helping companies unlock the value of their infrastructure investments by implementing the tools and technologies designed to help them succeed in a hybrid cloud world. We are excited to be working closely with the IBM Ecosystem to bring new innovations to our clients.

Additional information:

• Read IBM’s press release
• Learn more about Phoenix Software International
• Learn more about IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4