IBM to invest $100M in mainframes

Do you think that the mainframe is an aging technology, a dinosaur that's bound to go extinct as enterprises increasingly favor cheaper server technology? Well, IBM begs to differ. The company is investing $100 million in mainframes over the next five years in order to both modernize the technology and to make it easier to use. The investment will be used to increase automation, update the current user interface and to simplify the management of software on the mainframe. Phase one of this process is marked by the release this month of the new z/OS V1.8 on the System z operating system, which features new tools that simplify server administration. "We want the IT community to be aware that we are now working to reduce the complexity and making it easier to manage these systems," said Bob Hoey, worldwide vice president of sales for IBM's System z business. The company sees mainframes as a growth technology--especially in emerging IT markets like India and China.

For more on IBM's investment:
- see this article from eWeek