IBM Buys Mainframe Manager Accessible Software

IBM Corp.’s enterprise branch Friday
purchased intranet solution provider Accessible Software Inc. to
improve its mainframe management chops.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

IBM’s (IBM)
Tivoli Systems will control and manage
Accessible Software to offer clients solutions for managing all computing
platforms, from mainframes to desktops. Accessible Software’s Access 1 product allows
customers to integrate the management of their OS/390 resources with their
distributed and networked assets, providing a quick look into the IT
infrastructure.

Accessible Software will become part of the Tivoli enterprise business unit,
headed by Senior Vice President and General Manager Bob Yellin. This unit
develops and markets Tivoli’s flagship intranet product solutions, which
includes its OS/390 enterprise software management products.

Foremost among Tivoli’sOS/390 management products are:

• Tivoli Manager for OS/390: Incorporating Accessible’s Access 1
  technology, it enables users to
  collect and correlate information within the OS/390 environment from a
  variety of sources
• Tivoli NetView for OS/390: Gives customers the ability to centrally
  manage the entire enterprise
  network from the mainframe
• Tivoli Service Desk for OS/390: Allows customers to implement,
  enforce and automate processes and
  policies for OS/390-based business systems
• Tivoli Performance Reporter: Provides customers with the solutions
  they require to report on service
  levels, account for resource utilization and plan for future capacity needs
  
• Tivoli Operations, Planning & Control: Gives customers job scheduling
  capabilities running on the mainframe and other connected servers
  
• Tivoli Enterprise: Allows organizations to manage their entire OS/390
  environment from an S/390 server

“Companies continue to turn to mainframe infrastructures as the backbone for
their e-business operations, so managing the OS/390 environments is becoming
even more important for us,” said Tivoli Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Jan Lindelow. “Integrating Accessible Software’s technology into our
OS/390 portfolio clearly signals to our customers that we are committed to
providing the best enterprise management solutions for their entire
e-business environments.”

In related news Friday, IBM set up a $500 million fund to help finance
early-stage Internet companies. IBM plans to work with venture capital firms
to provide their clients with IBM hardware, software and services.