IBM merges server and software to create data-virtualization offering

IBM is merging its server blade and data-integration software technologies to create a data-virtualization offering that is supposed to consolidate and move massive amounts of data and make it easier for users to find, the company said Monday.

The IBM Information Server Blade contains two pre-existing technologies: IBM blade hardware and Information Server data-integration software. Together, they provide customers with data virtualization, which lets users access various sources of disparately situated data without knowing where the data is stored.

“Unlike traditional approaches to large-scale data-integration projects that typically consume significant system resources, require multiple software programs and countless hours of processing time, the IBM Information Server Blade supports rapid data movement to deliver a consolidated, enterprisewide view of information. Information can be delivered on demand to any person, application or business process,” IBM states in a press release.

The offering will be available in October. Pricing starts at $330,000, including a base hardware configuration, Information Server software and implementation services.

IBM says the product is energy efficient, using less power and requiring less cooling than larger systems. It runs on Red Hat Linux and is built on IBM Blade servers with dual-core Intel Xeon processors.