Architecture


Big Blue’s SOA Blitz

Are the ESB visions touted by IBM, BEA, and others a new spin on an old idea: vendor lock-in?

A Mainframe First: J2EE Performance Testing for Big Iron Web Apps

Big Blue’s Rational Performance Tester for z/OS isn’t a technology in search of a market—it’s a reflection of market demand, IBM officials say

IBM Revamps Flagship Storage Resource Management Suite

Support for z/OS is still gestating, however, and extending TotalStorage Productivity Center to OS/400 will be difficult, too.

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Business/IT Aligners

There are seven ground rules for aligning business strategy with IT. Flub any one of them and you can kiss your alignment aspirations goodbye.

Utility Computing: Implementation Approaches

Instead of making big-bang investments, customers can reap the benefits of utility computing in more affordable ways.

Careers: Big Iron Pros Sticking Around

Mainframe brain drain doesn't worry many old mainframe hands, who don’t see themselves going anywhere anytime soon

Mainframe Sales Slump Trigger Workforce Cuts

Last week, CA joined BMC and even IBM itself in announcing cuts to its mainframe workforce



With z9, IBM Touts More Than Performance and Scalability

With its new generation of zSeries systems, IBM is shifting its focus beyond best-in-class performance and scalability

Sticking It Out on MVS

In spite of IBM’s best efforts, a lot of customers continue to run mission-critical applications on older MVS mainframes

IT Training: IBM Program Cultivates Talent in College Classrooms

IBM hopes to double the number of participating institutions by the end of 2005

Microsoft's Virtualization Moves Still Lag

Two years on, Microsoft’s flagship offering still can’t hold a candle to VMWare. The question is when, if ever, will the software giant close the gap?

Eclipse: One IDE to Rule Them All

Some enthusiasts tout Eclipse as an Rx for programming anarchy

CA Brings Sub-Capacity Pricing to Low-MIPS, Emulated Mainframes

Mainframe emulation systems are often used in production settings, too—depending on the needs of customers

Reader Feedback: Management's Web-Services Push Meets IT Resistance

Many IT pros remain skeptical about service-enablement, but—as a growing number are finding out—they don’t have a choice in the matter

CA Takes Measured Workload Pricing into VSE Territory

CA last week announced a sub-capacity pricing initiative for VSE that helps bring that platform up to speed with its flashier sibling z/OS

SOA: A Reality Check from IT Pros

Up to now, service enablement has largely been the baby of C-level executives and line-of-business managers. Many IT professionals see the promise of the technology, but warn that the reality is several years away.

Windows Draws Even With Unix

For the first time, factory revenues for Unix and Windows servers were equal

Who Benefits from Outsourcing? Not the Line of Business

Some business customers are organizing “shadow” IT groups to replace IT resources that have been outsourced

IBM and Red Hat Partner for Big Iron Linux

Officials imply that the IFL bundle will be discounted—although no terms have been disclosed

CA Revamps IMS Management Tool

IMS workloads are growing, and CA says the capabilities of its management tools are keeping pace, too