For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Peer Adoption: The State Of Server Virtualization  (471 KB PPT)

by Christopher Voce, November 20, 2009

This data chart examines the usage and trends of server virtualization in enterprises today as well as the motivations that drive adoption.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Microsoft Ups The ALM Ante With Its Bet On Teamprise

Expect VS 2010 To Accelerate The Shakeout In The Application Life-Cycle Management Market

by Jeffrey S. Hammond, November 16, 2009

Microsoft's Team Foundation Server (TFS) has proven very popular with .NET developers but not so much with Eclipse developers. This presents a problem for Microsoft, because many of its largest customers develop for both .NET and Java and want a consolidated . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: New Workload Adoption On System z Mainframe

Why Linux, Why Mainframe, What "Best Fit" Workloads?

by Brad Day, November 13, 2009

Over the past six quarters, IBM has been very busy turning out a raft of customer case studies on new workload adoption on its System z mainframe, letting customers tell their feature/function/benefit impetus for deciding on the System z mainframe as . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: The New Math For New Mainframe Workloads

Can IBM's Solution Edition Series Get You To A Beer Budget?

by Brad Day, November 12, 2009

Justifying the transitioning of a wide variety of application types to a mainframe environment requires substantial upfront investigation. Migrating to a mainframe has become increasingly cost-effective thanks to the refresh to IBM's new quad-core System . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Virtual Machine Consolidation Ratio Benchmark, 2009

How Many Virtual Machines Can Enterprises Fit On A Single Physical Server?

by Rachel A. Dines, Galen Schreck, October 23, 2009

According to a recent Forrester survey, the physical to virtual consolidation ratio of server virtualization users varies significantly by company and industry. If your organization has implemented server virtualization but not realized the expected cost . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Decoding Mainframe Pricing Mechanics And Metrics

by Brad Day, June 10, 2009

Unraveling the complex pricing metrics and mechanics of IBM System z hardware and software requires tapping your most investigative infrastructure, operations, and procurement specialists. The first order of business is to understand the performance metrics . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Oracle's Sun Acquisition Is A Game Changer

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., Holger Kisker, Ph.D., April 22, 2009

Oracle has pulled off a series of aggressive acquisitions over the past five years, establishing a comprehensive portfolio of packaged business apps and middleware infrastructure. The pending acquisition of Sun Microsystems not only complements Oracle's . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: Consolidating Linux Workloads On System Z

Best Fits For Making The Technology And Business Case

by Brad Day, April 21, 2009

Transitioning Linux workloads to run on a System Z footprint will first require your chief information officer's (CIO) sponsorship — as any step away from convention would entail. Take the shortcut on this assignment by asking him three simple questions: . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Are Open Source Hypervisors Viable For You?

Red Hat And Citrix Ratchet Up Open Source Virtualization Relevancy

by James Staten, April 14, 2009

The open source hypervisor landscape has become much more interesting following the latest announcements from Red Hat and Citrix Systems. Both announcements were clearly aimed at virtualization juggernaut VMware, but Red Hat's move may only further fragment . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

IBM's Bid For Sun Is About More Than Just Solaris And Java

Sun's Innovations Can Improve IBM's Prospects Outside Enterprise Markets

by Frank E. Gillett, March 24, 2009

Vendor strategists are calling Forrester asking what we make of the possibility of IBM buying Sun Microsystems. The conventional wisdom is that IBM wants to capture the Solaris/SPARC customer base to boost the AIX/Power business and own Java to protect . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: Choosing IBM's System z10 BC Mainframe

What Selection Criteria Should Make Your Shortlist?

by Brad Day, February 17, 2009

IBM System z10 Business Class (BC) introduced significant functionality improvements over its predecessor generation, the zSeries 890/990 or System z9 BC. Most importantly, IBM preserved all of the big iron functionality introduced from the quad-core . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Should Your Windows Apps Move To The Cloud?

New Cloud Computing Options Are Worth Your Consideration

by James Staten, December 10, 2008

With the announcement of the Azure Services Platform at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference, new attention has been focused on Windows and its fit with cloud computing. But this interest may be misdirected, as Azure is more interesting today . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: SharePoint's Licensing Complexities

Licensing SharePoint, And How Federation And Virtualization Play A Role

by Christopher Voce, November 10, 2008

Microsoft's SharePoint continues to spread like wildfire, making it difficult for IT to respond with efficient ways to deploy and manage it. SharePoint is a component in Microsoft's broader infrastructure and collaboration offerings and carries complex . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Ten Common Questions About x86 Server Virtualization

It's As Much A Process Change As It Is A Technology Shift

by James Staten, June 17, 2008

Virtualization on x86-based server hardware is moving from early adopters to more mainstream adoption. However, there remain questions about the technology and its implications for the current IT environment and processes that make its implementation . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Untangling Windows Server Licensing Issues

by Christopher Voce, May 14, 2008

Windows Server 2008, formerly code-named Longhorn, is finally out in the wild. The new version delivers enhancements in virtualization, manageability, and security that will entice firms to the new edition — but Microsoft's server virtualization solution, . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

IBM's Server Appliance Will Change The Market For Small Business Computing

Lotus Foundations Server Adds Credibility To The Product Category

by Michael Speyer, May 8, 2008

Small businesses want sophisticated IT functionality, but their lack of IT resources requires that IT is delivered in a highly reliable no-touch manner. Linux-based server appliances have emerged to satisfy these requirements, but IBM's recent announcement . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Can Specialty Engines Save The Mainframe?

Deploying New Workloads On System z

by Brad Day, April 29, 2008

System z specialty engines are specifically designed to make IBM's System z more attractive for the optimization of new workloads, while helping to significantly lower the life-cycle cost of running those workloads on a System z server. Specialty engines, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Why Consolidate Linux On IBM System P?

by Brad Day, April 25, 2008

With the evolution of IBM's Power Systems server (formerly known as System p), the core differentiation of its feature/functionality has first and foremost centered on its sustained advantage in scaleable availability and scaleable performance versus . . .

For CIOs

Academic Programs Are Beginning To Offset Anticipated Mainframe Talent Shortages

by Phil Murphy, March 19, 2008

CIOs who question whether a lack of younger workers with mainframe skills will influence their hardware platform choices are asking the wrong question. At issue isn't the viability of the zSeries platform, but how CIOs can offset any anticipated shortage . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Virtualization Trends On IBM's System P

Unraveling The Benefits In IBM's PowerVM

by Brad Day, February 5, 2008

IBM's PowerVM (formerly Advanced POWER Virtualization) technology has catalyzed the consolidation of server systems resources and a variety of applications workload types — both AIX- and Linux-led — as virtualized on more powerful multi-core System p . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

IBM System z: Trends And Drivers Catalyzing The Next Generation Midframe

by Brad Day, November 14, 2007

IBM's System z9 stands at a crossroads. Some IT folks believe System z remains challenged, constrained by a lack of available programming and administrators' skills, legacy application re-use, and perceived higher software license and support costs. Yet . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

What OSes Are North American Enterprises Using For Their Key Databases?

Windows Server Leads For Databases But Not As Strongly As For Apps

by Frank E. Gillett, November 12, 2007

Server and independent software vendor (ISV) marketers often debate what operating systems (OSes) are best or most popular for running databases; so, we surveyed North American IT decision makers to find out what's out there. Software decision-makers . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

What Are The Preferred OSes For Critical Apps?

Windows Server Dominates, But Linux Is The Top Choice For Switchers

by Frank E. Gillett, September 14, 2007

Windows Server is the most popular choice for the most important packaged applications at North American enterprises — but the market is not settled by any means. Firms name a wide variety of operating systems (OSes) that they use for critical apps, and . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

What Does Windows Server 2008 Mean To My Organization?

by Christopher Voce, August 1, 2007

Microsoft's server operating systems hold a majority stake in enterprise data centers. According to Forrester's Business Technographics® May 2006 North American And European Enterprise Infrastructure And Data Center Survey, 80% of the 767 surveyed . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Best Practices: Server Operating System Security

Consistency Is The Key To Success

by Jennifer Albornoz Mulligan, July 12, 2007

Security managers are at their wits' ends trying to keep their servers secure from the deluge of new vulnerabilities across all operating systems. Why? Because as systems grow more complex, it becomes more difficult to maintain proper access controls . . .