Johannesburg, 20 Apr 2012
IBM is going to market with a new line of integrated systems in an attempt to offer an alternative to current enterprise computing models.
The new computing category, called PureSystems, integrates several components of the traditional data centre into one box, with a single management stream, says IBM. It's part of a drive to address the increasing complexity faced by IT departments, as well as lengthy implementation cycles.
Speaking at a media event, in Rivonia, this week, GM of IBM SA, Oliver Fortuin, said the acceleration of change, complexity and uncertainty is the new norm for business, and companies are spending the bulk of their resources simply keeping up.
“Companies spend 70% or more of their IT budget to keep business-as-usual systems running - that leaves very little to invest in innovation.”
Fortuin added that the reality for IT is that everything takes time - it can take months to design, procure, integrate and deploy solutions, and the subsequent customisation, scaling, and maintenance can extend time lines even further. According to a recent IBM study, two-thirds of corporate IT projects are delivered over budget and behind schedule.
“This era of computing is not the answer. We need new learning systems that are more cognitive in nature,” said Fortuin. “A Web application typically takes six to 12 weeks to deploy; what if you could do that in days?”
The family of integrated systems incorporates three features IBM believes mark a transition in the IT industry: scale-in system design, which integrates all the data centre components (server, storage, networking) into one machine; patterns of expertise, whereby IBM embeds operational know-how into software, so systems automatically handle basic tasks; and cloud integration.
PureSystems is the result of four years' of acquisitions and $2 billion in R&D, says IBM. The initial two systems comprise an infrastructure offering (PureFlex) and an applications platform (PureApplications). PureFlex combines servers, storage, networking, software, virtualisation, and management resources into a single structure with one management console. PureApplications provides a set of software, middleware and virtual system resources integrated with the PureFlex system.
Also speaking at the event, Robert Garnero, VP of power systems software technical professionals at IBM, said today's companies needed solutions that could be up and running in hours, not weeks. “Business is demanding that IT cut costs, while also driving innovation. It's all about simplicity.”
Ravi Bhat, director of IBM SA's software group, said the time-consuming nature of traditional IT processes like procurement and configuration can become self-fulfilling prophecies. “As a community, we are feeding the beast. We're so busy just managing and keeping things running that we don't have time to reflect or regroup. But organisations that fail to renew themselves will go out of fashion.”
Bhat added that in a market like SA, where IT skills are thin on the ground, implementing systems to do mundane tasks can free up valuable skills for business innovation. “Instead of using skilled people to do maintenance, you can redeploy these resources into keeping the company competitive.”
IBM is offering the PureSystems line to select customers on a “try and buy” basis. The PureFlex solution will be available end May while PureApplication is due in July, with more systems arriving late in the third quarter.
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