No it has a research report to prove it.
Forrester Research analyst Brad Day says Linux on the mainframe can give users “potential cost savings, productivity gains and improved utilisation rates through capabilities such as virtualisation and security and systems management.”
The Forrester report, titled “Why Choose Linux on the Mainframe”, examined the up-front costs, human resources, and capacity issues that customers need to address in their distributed Linux or Unix computing infrastructure.
In Australia, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs was the first Linux on the mainframe user. It has been followed by several other departments and corporate users including banks.
It states that the mainframe can provide customers with many clear benefits as the “cost – driven by new Linux OS images, new applications, new staffing requirements, and an ever-increasing user base – of deploying new physical x86 servers escalates.”
IBM has meanwhile sought to make its z series mainframe more attractive to first time mainframe users. The company has launched a System z Business Class Mainframe that it claims carries a similar price tag as an equivalent midrange RISC-based Unix/Linux server.
The company had also made a series of announcements in the areas of virtualisation, utilization and manageability. Last October IBM announced a US$100 million (A$124 million) company-wide development effort to make its System z mainframe easier to use for a greater number of tech professionals.
Software enhancements designed to let IT staff more easily program, manage and administer mainframe systems – as well as increased automation of the development and deployment of applications – were unveiled recently as part of the initiative.
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