Introduces new iSeries Servers to the Middle East market, new capabilities and dramatic price improvements


Dubai-UAE, 2nd February 2003- In response to customer demand for easy-to-deploy and flexible e-business solutions, IBM Middle East announced today the broadest transformation of its IBM eServer iSeries in more than a decade, delivering pre-packaged software, On/Off Capacity Upgrade on Demand by the day, and price/performance improvements of up to 80% for mid-market customers in the region.
 
The re-launch is part of a two-year global $500 million initiative to re-energize one of the industry's most popular servers. Used by more than 200,000 customers around the world, IBM eServer iSeries is one of the industry's customer satisfaction leaders, according to IBM surveys. New IBM eServer iSeries models feature IBM's lineup of state-of-the-art e-business software, allowing customers to add capacity on the fly, and run up to 10 Linux partitions on a single processor for server consolidation.
 
"This is the most comprehensive reinvention of the product line since its inception more than a decade ago.  The IBM eServer iSeries tightly integrates hardware, software, middleware and the operating system, which provides self-managing capabilities that make it incredibly straight-forward for our customers to install and run,” said Murad Zuhni, enterprise server group manager, IBM Middle East.  “The new capabilities and options in the iSeries family provide outstanding flexibility and price performance for our customers in this region, making it the only truly integrated system on the market.”
 
New Servers & Technology

IBM announces the creation of four powerful new servers tailored to the specific needs of customers of all sizes:

  • Up to 32-way, POWER4-based enterprise servers -- The new IBM eServer iSeries 825 and IBM eServer iSeries 870 join the IBM eServer iSeries 890 at the high-end of the iSeries family. These servers feature IBM's game-changing POWER4 chip. IBM's POWER family of microprocessors can be found in Nintendo game consoles, Apple computers and some of the world's most powerful supercomputers and storage systems. All three models are capable of running OS/400, Linux in a logical partition, and Windows on the Integrated xSeries Server.
  • On/Off Capacity Upgrade on Demand -- Available on the i825, i870 and i890, this new technology allows customers to activate processors when they need them, and turn them off when they don't. Customers can now choose from Temporary or Permanent Capacity Upgrade on Demand options, offering the ultimate flexibility to meet the changing needs of their businesses.

 
  • New servers for small to medium businesses -- The 1- and 2-way IBM eServer iSeries 800 and IBM eServer iSeries 810 are the new low-end additions to the iSeries family. The iSeries 800 is a new single processor model for customers seeking exceptional value in an integrated, e-business server. Both models are capable of running OS/400, Linux in a logical partition, and Windows on the Integrated xSeries Server.

New Workloads

Among the advanced features of the new iSeries, IBM introduces:
  • WebSphere Application Server - Express -- IBM's industry-leading middleware to help small and medium businesses build and manage dynamic Websites is now supported on all iSeries models. WebSphere - Express features autonomic, self-configuring "install wizards," available only on iSeries

 
  • Linux -- iSeries offers mid-market customers advanced Linux virtualization capabilities and the ability to run up to 10 Linux partitions on a single processor.
  • Windows -- With iSeries, customers can centrally manage their Windows applications using IBM's integrated xSeries technology.
  • Transaction Processing -- With the enterprise edition software option, iSeries customers running traditional On-line Transaction Processing (OLTP) workloads now have access to the entire processing power of the server, eliminating OLTP interactive limits and levels and delivering outstanding price performance. In addition, for traditional applications modernized for the Web with the IBM WebFacing Tool of WebSphere Development Studio Client, interactive performance charges are eliminated on the new models and enhanced i890.

iSeries Standard/Enterprise Edition Software
IBM introduces simplified packaging and software options targeted specifically for the unique demands of e-business:
  • The standard edition supports e-business applications and includes the capability to run multiple operating systems, Capacity Upgrade on Demand and dynamic logical partitioning.
  • The enterprise edition supports e-business and traditional applications and includes IBM Lotus QuickPlace and Sametime, WebSphere - Express, Tivoli, and DB2 database software, as well as education and services for rapid deployment of e-business solutions. The package also includes a processor activation for Linux on the iSeries 870 and iSeries 890, and an Integrated xSeries Server for Windows integration.

 
IBM's storage portfolio complements the iSeries. For those situations that require external storage, IBM's Enterprise Storage Server (code-named "Shark") offers 24x7 reliability, cross platform support, manageability and return on investment.
 
  In addition, flexible financing from IBM Global Financing can further reduce up-front costs and help customers match expenses to solution benefits by spreading payments across the life of an iSeries implementation.
 
About IBM
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate.  IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable telecommunications service providers and equipment suppliers to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. IBM Global Services is the world’s largest information technology services provider, with 2001 revenues of more than $35 billion. Services is the fastest growing part of IBM, with nearly 150,000 professionals serving customers in 160 countries. IBM Global Services has about 150 data centres around the world keeping thousands of businesses running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information on IBM, visit www.ibm.com.
 
 


© Press Release 2003