Johannesburg, 27 Oct 2006
The Linux Competency Centres (LCCs) that IBM SA established last year, to help local businesses and developers test Linux-based applications and projects, are bearing fruit, it says.
Joe Ruthven, IBM SA`s business development manager: Linux, open standards and SOA, says a variety of customers across the spectrum of vertical markets have tested applications and solutions in both centres.
"A number of these initiatives have resulted in significant contracts, where we have managed to displace competitors and convert the customer onto IBM hardware running Linux," Ruthven says. "Particular success has been achieved in the healthcare and banking industries, where a number of proofs of concept have been done, and ISV solutions tested.
"These organisations have benefited from the opportunity to test their mission-critical applications without disrupting their production environments or incurring costs. The hardware, software and resources are available at the centre, and it`s an isolated environment, so there`s no impact. When the objective has been achieved, it`s simple to replicate the exercise back in the live environment."
The Johannesburg facility is housed in the Jo`burg Centre of Software Engineering (JCSE), at the University of the Witwatersrand, and consists of a comprehensive laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, says IBM. Co-sponsored by the City of Jo`burg, Wits University and other industry players, the JCSE`s objective is to create software engineering business partners in SA.
"Part of our agreement in partnering with Wits University, the JCSE and City of Jo`burg in establishing the Linux Competency Centre was that students would be able to use the hardware for research and academic purposes. This is already starting to bear fruit," Ruthven adds.
Prof Rex van Olst, JCSE chief executive, says the Linux Competency Centre has been of great benefit to the JCSE. "The centre has not only been an important resource for JCSE members wanting to run proof of concept projects, but will also host key research and training activities being conducted by Wits academics."
In Cape Town, the Competency Centre is based in the Computer Science faculty of the University of Cape Town, where IBM says there is a strong capability around high-performance and grid computing. This facility is able to perform test pilots and tests to establish how Linux and open source applications will behave when running in these environments. The two Linux Competency Centres are linked via the Tenet higher education network.
"Many of our customers are serious about Linux, but they don`t always have the resources to get going with Linux-related projects," adds Ruthven. "These centres offer customers a physical environment populated with a comprehensive variety of IBM hardware and software platforms on which they can run performance checks, proofs of concepts, and any other tests necessary before embarking on a project."
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