IBM Power

(Source – IBM)

IBM expands Power10 capabilities

  • The Power Systems is a family of server computers from IBM that are based on its Power processor.
  • IBM Power helps customers respond faster to business demands, protect data from core to cloud, and streamline insights and automation while maximizing reliability in a sustainable way.

As businesses continue to increase their reliance on the cloud, having a reliable infrastructure to support their workloads is key. With the hybrid and multi-cloud seemingly the go-to model for most organizations today, having access to an ecosystem of tools that can run essential workloads such as databases and core business applications is a prerogative.

While most tech vendors are able to provide this, having a purpose-built system is ideally the best solution for organizations. And this is where IBM Power systems come in. Known for their performance, scalability, and flexibility, IBM recently announced an expansion to its Power10 server line with the introduction of mid-range and scale-out systems to modernize, protect and automate business applications and IT operations.

The new servers join the popular Power10 E1080 server which was initially introduced in September 2021 to deliver a secured, resilient hybrid cloud experience that can be managed with other x86 and multi-cloud management software across clients’ IT infrastructure. This expansion of the IBM Power10 family with the new midrange and scale-out servers brings high-end server capabilities throughout the product line. Not only do the new systems support critical security features such as transparent memory encryption and advanced processor/system isolation, but also leverage the OpenBMC project from the Linux Foundation for high levels of security for the new scale-out servers.

In a recent media briefing, Francis Ong, ASEANZK POWER Business Unit Executive commented that the expanded IBM Power10 portfolio is built around the next-generation IBM Power10 processor with two times more cores and more than two times memory bandwidth than previous Power generations.

What makes it more interesting is the new flexible consumption choices. As organizations continue to expand based on their business requirements, IBM’s new flexible consumption offerings enable pay-as-you-go options and by-the-minute metering for IBM Power Private Cloud. This enables more opportunities to help lower the cost of running OpenShift solutions on Power when compared to alternative platforms.

Ong explained that these new consumption models build on options already available with IBM Power Virtual Server to enable greater flexibility in clients’ hybrid journeys. Additionally, the highly anticipated IBM subscription delivers a comprehensive platform solution with the hardware, software, and support/services included in the subscription service.

At the same time, the expansion of the IBM Power10 family has been engineered to establish one of the industry’s most flexible and broadest range of servers for data-intensive workloads such as SAP S/4HANA – from on-premises workloads to hybrid cloud. The new systems with IBM Power Virtual Server also help clients operate a secured hybrid cloud experience that delivers high performance and architectural consistency across their IT infrastructure. The systems are uniquely designed so as to protect sensitive data from core to cloud and enable virtual machines and containerized workloads to run simultaneously on the same systems.

For critical business workloads that have traditionally needed to reside on-premises, they can now be moved into the cloud as workloads and needs demand. This flexibility can help clients mitigate the risk and time associated with rewriting applications for a different platform.

To maximize the capabilities of the IBM Power10, businesses would need the support of a robust ecosystem. In Malaysia, the banking system has been relying on such an ecosystem through Silverlake Axis. An IBM partner, Silverlake Axis collaborates with clients to build hybrid environments, connecting essential workloads to the cloud to maximize the value of their existing infrastructure investments.

In Malaysia, the Silverlake Axis Integrated Banking Solution (SIBS) for example is highly valued as a matured feature-rich, scalable, and robust Banking Platform with compelling modernization strategies and technology renewal, enabling an organization to be a market leader.

Catherine Lian, Managing Director and Technology Leader of IBM Malaysia also commented that the major banks in the country are using IBM Power servers for their processes with several recipients of the digital banking license in Malaysia also working with Silverlake Axis on this.