IBM delivers sweeping IT infrastructure initiative for new world

It’s the largest information infrastructure launch ever from the company that invented the disk drive and relational database, with more than 30 new and upgraded information infrastructure technologies and services, involving a $2 billion investment, three years and more than 2,500 IBM researchers and developers from nine countries. Big Blue says its new offerings are designed to enable businesses to transform static data currently managed in silos into dynamic information, accessible by individuals wherever they go in a cloud computing environment. It’s launches are predicated on the observation that today’s infrastructure is not designed to efficiently manage the estimated two billion people who will be on the Web by 201, nor the expected one trillion connected objects – cars, appliances, cameras, roadways, pipelines – comprising ‘the Internet of things.’ Cost-effective, scale-out technologies are needed, says IBM, as an essential element of companies’ information infrastructures to enable Internet scale and speed with vast amounts of online information. “Businesses must be prepared for this new phase of cloud computing, giving consumers access to data and systems remotely, from any device, anywhere,” says the firm. Among highlights are: a new highly scalable disk storage system designed to handle today’s diverse mix of information, from Web 2.0 to traditional applications such as financial services; new storage virtualisation software aimed at helping users to manage and consolidate volumes of business data, and improve utilisation rates, energy efficiency, availability, and scalability; new data de-duplication software and hardware from IBM’s Diligent Technologies acquisition in April; and onsite and remote data protection offerings through its acquisition of Arsenal. “The world is re-tooling its underlying IT infrastructure in a dramatic shift away from a decades-old client-server model to a radically more efficient Internet-style architecture,” says Andy Monshaw, general manager, IBM System Storage. “This requires different thinking and new capabilities, which we are addressing in this information infrastructure launch. “There is no bigger opportunity for our clients than to unlock the value they have in their data centres and help them create smart, innovative offerings for their end users – the consumer. IBM is the only company in the world – not HP, not EMC, not Sun – with decades of research, industry knowledge, market leadership and the end-to-end capabilities to make this a reality for our clients.”