[20 February 2001] – With a billion dollar investment into Linux and leveraging across the board IBM is increasing its support for the open-source community.
From Wall Street heavyweights to major ISPs, telecommunication firms and a host of varsities and e-businesses, IBM has turned a whole plethora of new economy players onto Linux.
“Linux is certainly a disruptive technology that has the potential to change the game in information technology,” remarked Sam Palmisano, IBM president and chief operating officer, at LinuxWorld 2001.
“Linux represents the next step in this e-business evolution…it will do for software what the Net did for Networks.”
According to Palmisano, Linux will be pivotal in transforming the commercial world of e-business systems because it alone comes close to being a commonly accepted, open industry standard.
“Linux is a global phenomenon, and it enables multiple, multiple platforms and environments…because it is so open and modular it can run on everything from wristwatches to supercomputers,” he enthused.
IBM software that currently supports Linux includes the DB2 Universal Database, WebSphere, MQ, Lotus, Tivoli, the IBM Small Business Suite, Visual Age for Java, and Via Voice.
PartnerWorld, IBM’s key conference scheduled for the 25th of this month will, however, see yet more Linux integration.
Bill Zeitler, senior vice president for IBM’s Server Group announced that his company is intending to use PartnerWorld to leverage IBM mainframe and supercomputer technology across its entire server line whilst increasing support for Linux and open-source.
On this note IBM is expected to introduce programs to make Linux available on its iSeries, xSeries, and pSeries servers along with high speed interconnects on all three that will allow for a Linux clustering of servers.
“We believe that the digital economy, the next stage in the e-business evolution, is going to require very complex, difficult technical requirements to support it,” stated Palmisano.
As far as the BigBlues chief operating officer is concerned Linux is flexible, immensely scalable, technically sound, and mission critical.
In short, he believes that Linux is ready to empower the next phase of e-business.
“The only way to solve the very complex and difficult problems facing e-business today is through open industry standards and by working with open communities,” he concluded.
