IBM Flex Systems allow clients to build larger clouds in smaller datacenters

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM has unveiled a number of major additions to its Flex System portfolio. The offerings combine the latest server technology with new virtualization, networking and management tools, allowing clients to consolidate their existing IT infrastructures and reduce operating costs. This will help clients use smaller data center environments to quickly deploy, manage and secure increasingly larger clouds.

The announcement comes at a critical time, as organizations look to consolidate their existing datacenters and shift greater workloads to the cloud. In fact, one study has determined that by 2014, businesses will have migrated more than 62 percent of their existing database workloads to the cloud.

These additional Flex Systems products deliver the features that provide clients with the choices they need as they seek to reduce costs and invest in technologies that provide future scalability. The offerings consist of three systems built on both IBM POWER7+ and a "double dense" x222 system built on x86 technology. Additionally, IBM has upgraded the Flex System Manager so that clients can monitor and manage up to 5,000 infrastructure end points and do so from any location utilizing iOS, Android and Blackberry mobile devices.

In addition to cloud deployments, many clients are choosing Flex System to enhance their infrastructures as they replace legacy environments. The key elements of the announcement include:

* Flex System x222 - A new double density design built on x86 architecture that allows support for up to 2,800 Windows 7 user images in a single chassis;

* Flex System p460 - Delivers POWER7+ performance for clients with larger workloads;

* Flex System p270 - A POWER7+ option that is designed for medium-sized businesses and delivers performance for technical computing and data analytics;

* Flex System p260 - A new entry-level POWER7+ node ideal for IBM i workloads;

* Flex System Manager - Provides management of more systems from a single point of control and the ability to do so from any location with iOS, Android or Blackberry devices; provides a new utilization fuel gauge to help clients monitor the status and availability of their infrastructure manage; and has been expanded with the ability to manage the System x HANA-optimized x3950;

* New switches and fabrics that help enable Software Defined Networks (SDN) and improve connectivity and performance by increasing infrastructure bandwidth up to 40Gb.