Big Blue rebrands its server range

IBM is launching a new mainframe and rebranding its entire server range to simplify how it sells ebusiness to its customers.

The new system, previously codenamed Freeway, is the eServer z900, which replaces the existing S/390. It is IBM's first 64-bit mainframe architecture, and runs a newly-named operating system called zOS, formerly OS/390.

IBM is also renaming the RS/6000, AS/400 and Netfinity systems under the common brand of eServers). This is the fruit of a three-year company-wide project called Mach 1, designed to consolidate server manufacturing and sales into a standard business model to better support ebusiness infrastructures.

"There is a new computing model required to ensure availability in the ebusiness world. Segmentation by operating system is becoming irrelevant," said Stephen Murdoch, European vice president of IBM's enterprise systems group.

In the past, users had to deal with different sales representatives for each product, with different contractual terms and conditions, complicating projects to create a multi-server implementation.

IBM claims that bringing the servers under a common brand will allow it to introduce new products and services across all the range, helping companies focus on their total infrastructure requirements, rather than individual servers.

For example, users will be able to obtain multiple eServers on a capacity-on-demand basis, where extra servers or additional processors within servers can be installed but will only be paid for when switched on.

IBM hopes it will be able to compete more effectively against rivals such as Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems.

Last year IBM saw its overall server sales plunge 18 per cent to $8.72 billion, and in the first half of this year they fell 11 per cent to $5.2 billion.

"I think IBM has realised how its customers actually use systems now," said Ray Titcombe, chairman of the IBM Computer Users Association. "Nobody really cares what box an application is running on as long as it is doing its job.

"However, I do have some concern for the AS/400 customer base, which has always had a very distinct identity. There may be some loss of focus with this new model."