IBM intros midrange mainframe

IBM last week announced a new midrange mainframe server for organization in industries such as healthcare, retail, travel or government that need to safeguard data.

The z9 Business Class mainframe starts at about $100,000 and is designed to be used in service-oriented architecture-based transactions.

It operates at 80% to 100% capacity and is able to virtualize workloads, making it easier to consolidate x86 or Itanium server platforms.

The z9 Business Class is a member of the z9 mainframe family, which also includes the z9 Enterprise Class mainframe. The latest mainframe server will be able to run the System z9 Integrated Information Processor, which runs database workloads and frees up computing capacity for business intelligence, ERP and CRM applications.

The z9 Business Class is an upgrade to the z890 and has according to IBM’s claims, 75% more processing power. It supports seven processors and has double the memory of the z890. It supports up to 64GB of memory per processor and operates at 26 million instructions per second (MIPS).

The z9 can also attach to IBM storage-area networks and disk with 4Gbps FICON technology. It can also attach to the IBM System Storage TS1120 Tape Drive.

Analysts are impressed with the z9 Business Class.

“With its startling starting price, the z9 Business Class offers the most affordable entry cost of any IBM mainframe solution, but with more than double the capacity settings of the z890 organizations can choose and implement z9 Business Class systems closely attuned to their specific business, IT, and financial requirements,” says Charles King, senior analyst for Pund-IT Research.

IBM would not say when the z9 Business Class is expected to be available.