The money will go toward testing, deploying and supporting SAP on System z BC and EC servers, and to improving IBM’s existing SAP-based z System technical centers in Germany and the US.
IBM plans a series of offerings under the System z9 Advantage for SAP Applications label, consisting of a combination of z-class hardware, DB2 for z/OS software, and services from the SAP technical centers and IBM Global Technical Services. The customer incentive is the offer of better price and performance, and a lower TCO, while IBM’s incentive is a boost to z System sales.
IBM is positioning the System z9 as an enterprise data hub that can help manage costs and improve resource utilization. Using DB2 Version 8, the System z Integrated Information Processor designed for data-centric applications and the Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL), IBM said it believes it will help with the consolidation of multiple SAP instances onto a single system. It is also positioning System z9 for mid- to large-sized companies that need high levels of system availability, data management and security.
