Merrill Lynch Takes a Closer Look at IBM's Server Sales in Q1
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

When it comes to server sales, the first quarter is never a particularly fun one for IBM. For IBM's historical and IT budgetary reasons--it is hard to say which one is the chicken and which one is the egg in that situation--companies with enterprise systems have tended to do a lot of their shopping in the latter half of a year, particularly as the year is ending and budget funds will evaporate if they are not spent. Similarly, having shot their budgets in Q4, they are not in a position to consume more gear in Q1, so they tend not to. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories from Around the Web

(University of Arkansas) IBM has donated a System z900 mainframe to the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. Students there will get introduced to enterprise computing and the university will be linked to other large mainframe computers throughout the world. READ MORE >

(Business.ca) The same Academic Initiative program that delivered a System z900 to the University of Arkansas is working the Canadian side of the street as well. Ryerson University in Toronto and six other schools are developing new curriculum featuring mainframe emphasis. READ MORE >

(InformationWeek) Most mid-sized businesses can only dream of having mainframe-quality security. IBM sees that as a strong lure and an opportunity to expand its System z business. With CIOs clearly focused on security issues, the recent round of mainframe enhancements may be right on target. READ MORE >

(Cornerstone Systems) The combination of a Web-based installment loan application and a major data warehousing/data mining business intelligence application running on a System z earned enough points with the judges to garner an IBM Beacon Award for Cornerstone Systems. Not unnoticed was the fact that the project was designed, built, tested, and put into production in less than three months. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

See our full calendar of events at
http://www.itjungle.com/big/big-calendar.html

April 23-27 -- Orlando, Florida - IBM system management products are the highlight of the Automated Operations Technical Council conference, where sessions are presented by representatives from IBM software development teams and their customers. The focus is on the mainframe environment, but extends out into the enterprise. The AOTC is a closed conference, with attendance by invitation only. Contact your IBM field representative for more details and an opportunity to attend. LEARN MORE >

May 6-10 -- San Jose, California - The International DB2 Users Group conference, known as IDUG 2007 North America, offers training and education on topics that include including DB2 for Linux, Unix, Windows; DB2 for z/OS; Informix; Java; Websphere; and XML. LEARN MORE >

May 18-22 -- Green Bay, Wisconsin - The WAVV Conference for users of the VSE, VM, and Linux operating systems, will include session topics such as z/VSE Version 4 features and benefits, SOA and interoperability, new workloads for the System z9 Business Class server, and integration of z/VSE processes into distributed environments. The event will be held at the Regency Suites Hotel. LEARN MORE >

May 20-25 -- Orlando, Florida - IBM's Impact 2007 conference features WebSphere and service oriented architecture (SOA) as the stars. Hear the story from IBM, analysts, and companies that have implemented SOA. There will be 325 sessions and labs and three separate tracks are designed for business leaders, IT executives, and technical personnel. LEARN MORE >