SHARE: IBM talks up Tivoli System z9

IBM Corp. gave users an early look at its Tivoli System z9 systems management software Tuesday. The software is due to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, according to an IBM executive.

“We’re stepping up to a whole new level of integration,” said Al Zollar, general manager of Tivoli Software at IBM, in an interview at the Share user group conference taking place in Boston through Friday.

The intention of Tivoli System z9 is to provide users with “an end-to-end view” of their systems from their zSeries mainframes to their distributed platforms built around the Tivoli Enterprise Portal, he added.

IBM’s major systems management software competitors — BMC Software Inc., Computer Associates International Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. — tend to either ignore or isolate the mainframe in their rival products, Zollar said.

“It’s a major shortcoming of our competitors,” he said. “They create an artificial wall between zSeries and distributed systems.”

Of course, IBM has a vested interest in embracing mainframes since it also sells big iron. Big Blue unveiled its latest mainframe, the System z9, in late July.

Tivoli System z9 will include technology IBM acquired from the purchases of asset management software vendor Isogon Corp. in June of this year and of Cyanea Systems Corp., a specialist in application management, last June, according to Zollar. IBM has already combined technology gained from its April 2004 acquisition of management software vendor Candle Corp. into its Tivoli Omegamon XE tools suite, which appeared in March of this year.

“We tend to acquire companies with which we have an existing relationship,” Zollar said. Prior to the purchases, IBM had an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) deal with Cyanea and a reseller agreement with Isogon, he noted. “We build relationships [with our partners] so we really understand the technology,” he said. “We tend to integrate the products first.” Should IBM later acquire a partner, having such integration already in place means it can swiftly integrate a partner’s technology into its software, according to Zollar.

IBM is keeping a wary eye on EMC Corp., Zollar said. Earlier this month, EMC announced plans to extend its management software with an upcoming product called Storage Insight based on technology from its acquisition of network management specialist Smarts.

“I fully anticipate that EMC will try to position itself as a full management provider,” Zollar said. He added that the storage giant isn’t describing itself in that way yet because “it has so many holes in its product lineup.”

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now