CIOIN

The vast interconnection of devices is creating newer and more complex workloads not a single system can process, so the need for "smarter systems" becomes ever more apparent, an executive from IT giant IBM remarked recently.

Having "smarter" systems is all about doing more with less resources, by handling larger volumes with fewer systems, and getting better information with one's own data, explained Abraham Thomas, vice president for sales, growth markets unit, systems and technology group, IBM.

"You need different types of systems for different types of workloads," Thomas noted, adding that "no one size fits all" in terms of systems because different workloads have different requirements.

This is the philosophy behind IBM's systems approach, Thomas said, which takes into account the entire system needed by an organization, instead of focusing on simply offering servers, storages, applications, databases, among others.

"Because of this approach, IBM is able to build systems that meet the requirements of our clients," he added.

This is especially beneficial for customers beset with the need to address operational challenges through powerful systems, but lack the funds to execute it. "We have services available to help them migrate from their present systems to ours," Thomas shared, adding that this paves the way for them to help clients make their "smarter planet" dreams a reality.

Taking a "systems approach," however, doesn't necessarily translate to vendor lock-in, Thomas clarified. "The choice still remains with the customers. What we're saying is that we don't build systems by piece parts," he added.

Having a systems approach to data center implementations makes management easy, Thomas said, because there exist interfaces among all the parts of the system which aids in visibly managing all of them.

In order to address such challenges, IBM recently unveiled its new range of Power7 servers for the high-end and low-end spectrum.

IBM announced earlier this year the introduction of its mid-range Power 7 servers. The new additions include the new high-end IBM Power 795 system; four entry-level POWER7 processor-based servers designed specifically for mid-market clients; and a POWER7 processor-based workload-optimized Smart Analytics System that helps business draw real-time information from massive amounts of data.

The new POWER7 technology supports four times as many processors as prior systems, and uses the latest PowerVM virtualization software to enable customers to run over 1,000 virtual machines on a single physical system.