Press release:

CUSTOMER WIN: Comverge Lights Up Business Performance with BMC Remedyforce

BMC’s cloud service desk solution helps reduce costs and increase business efficiency

SAN FRANCISCO – SALESFORCE.COM DREAMFORCE – Sept. 18, 2012 – For intelligent energy management solutions provider Comverge, cutting costs and increasing efficiencies across its IT functions were important goals. The organization realized an opportunity to lower costs while enabling more efficient IT processes by replacing its existing IT service desk application with a more modern cloud based solution.

The company selected the Remedyforce Service Desk solution from BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC).

“The [cost structure] of the solution we previously had actually charged ’per user’,” said Danielle Bailey, Comverge IT Manager. “As we grew, that expense continued to grow, even though it wasn’t providing us the same ROI per person. One of the reasons we went with Remedyforce is that we wanted to be able to reduce that cost.”

Bailey added, “Because Remedyforce is web-based, everybody can access it. It’s great. The end-users say that Remedyforce is a lot easier for them to use and to share with others. We have been able to show where IT is actually starting to save money by increasing efficiency and productivity.”

The Challenge

In efforts to cut IT expenses while improving efficiency, Comverge needed a cost-effective service desk solution that would support new processes and enable superior communications at all levels of the organization.

The Solution

Comverge chose BMC to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enable better collaboration among service technicians and with upper management. BMC also provided better change management controls, allowing Comverge to more easily comply with industry regulations.

Benefits

BMC’s cloud-based solution offered Comverge improved mobile capabilities and change management tracking. It also provided robust collaboration among peers to help them resolve problems faster and improved communication with senior executives. Comverge has experienced a number of additional benefits by implementing the Remedyforce product, including:

• Reduction of IT support costs by $50,000 annually through improved software cost structure to a subscription model versus a license model
• Increased efficiency for field technicians through the use of mobile apps for ticket logging
• Improved reporting and communication with senior managers related to incidents and ongoing resource needs
• Enhanced Sarbanes-Oxley compliance related to improved change management tracking and workflows

At Dreamforce 2012

BMC will offer a preview of new product features to its Remedyforce Service Desk solution at Dreamforce 2012. New product features include major integrations with asset management features found in BMC FootPrints to help IT help desk technicians resolve end-user issues faster. New release management features to existing ITIL processes allow IT organizations greater visibility and control to manage multiple changes and tasks to enterprise-wide application updates for customers. Finally, over 50 customer-suggested enhancements focused on reducing time to value and improving overall end-user satisfaction have been added to the new release of Remedyforce.

The new features are expected to be available for customers later this calendar year, in the November timeframe.

Read a BMC blog for more detailed information about the new product updates.  

Danielle Bailey of Comverge will be speaking at Dreamforce 2012 in San Francisco with BMC Software. For more information at the event, visit BMC at Booth #613.

Tweet This: @Comverge streamlines business processes and reduces costs with @BMC_Remedyforce #ITSMhttp://zd.net/NQoMQm

For more information about Comverge and their implementation of the BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution please visit:

• Access an interview with Comverge at ZDNet
• Follow @BMC_Remedyforce and @BMCSaaSGuy on Twitter
• Access the BMC Remedyforce Customer Community
• Become a fan of BMC on Facebook

 

 

Business Runs on IT. IT Runs on BMC Software.

Business runs better when IT runs at its best. That's why more than 20,000 IT organizations – from the Global 100 to the smallest businesses – in over 120 countries rely on BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC) to manage their business services and applications across distributed, mainframe, virtual and cloud environments. With the leading Business Service Management platform, Cloud Management, and the industry’s broadest choice of IT management solutions, BMC helps customers cut costs, reduce risk and achieve business objectives. For the four fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2012, BMC revenue was approximately $2.2 billion.

Press release from IBM:

IBM Unveils zEnterprise EC12, a Highly Secure System for Cloud Computing and Enterprise Data

Technology Breakthroughs Extend the Mainframe's Leadership as the Enterprise System for Critical Data

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information
• Related resources

ARMONK, NY - 28 Aug 2012:

• New, cutting-edge System z® capabilities for security and analytics dramatically boost cloud performance with help from IBM Research innovations.
• zEC12 offers 25% more performance per core, over 100 configurable cores and 50% more total capacity than its predecessor.
• The result of over $1 billion in IBM R&D investment and collaborative client input on today's enterprise system challenges

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the zEnterprise® EC12 mainframe server, the most powerful and technologically advanced version of an IBM system that has been the linchpin of enterprise computing for 48 years. The new enterprise system features technologies that demonstrate IBM’s ongoing commitment to meet the growing need to secure and manage critical information with the System z mainframe.

Mainframes support significant portions of the data environment at most large enterprises. As these enterprises grapple with the well-documented growth of data, they are looking for new ways to secure and gain insights from such critical information as financial, customer and enterprise resource data that will enable them to provide their clients with new services. The new zEC12 offers industry-leading security and robust support for operational analytics that can help clients efficiently sift through large volumes of raw data and transform it to gain knowledge that can be used for competitive advantage. For example, a retailer managing online transactions on zEC12 can gain insights from client information that will enable it to provide clients with a more customized shopping experience. 

The IBM zEC12 enterprise system is the result of an investment by IBM Systems and Technology Group of more than $1 billion in IBM research and development primarily in Poughkeepsie, New York as well as 17 other IBM labs around the world and in collaboration with some of IBM's top clients. 

The new IBM mainframe is one of the most secure enterprise systems ever (1), with built-in security features designed to meet the security and compliance requirements of different industries. With operational analytics and near real-time workload monitoring and analysis, clients can use the new zEC12 for a variety of workloads, including hybrid clouds that can take advantage of the System's 25% more performance per core and 50% greater total system capacity than its predecessor as well as the world’s fastest chip running at 5.5 GHz (2). 

Ultimate Security for Critical Information

IBM System z is a leading platform for secure data serving and the only commercial server to achieve Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 5+ security classification, providing clients the confidence to run many different applications containing confidential data on a single mainframe. The new zEC12 builds on this with innovative security and privacy features to help protect data at rest or in flight -- a critical capability in the age of Internet banking and mobile devices.  

zEC12 includes a state-of-the-art, tamper-resistant cryptographic co-processor called Crypto Express4S that provides privacy for transactions and sensitive data. Crypto Express4S includes new hardware and software developed with IBM Research to help meet the security requirements of different industries and geographies. For example, it can be configured to provide support for high quality digital signatures used with applications for Smart passports, national ID cards and online legal proceedings, replacing handwritten signatures as directed by the EU and the public sector. 

SC Data Center Inc. provides services to Colony Brands Inc., one of the world’s largest and most successful catalog companies, and uses encryption technology on zEnterprise to protect its call center applications when it services customers and takes orders, protecting its e-commerce platform that relies on System z for all sales and credit transactions and moves sensitive data safely to other platforms for processing. 

Operational Analytics Drive Business Insights

zEC12 advances performance for analytics, increasing performance of analytic workloads by 30% compared to its IBM predecessor (3). In addition, support for the IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator that incorporates the Netezza data warehouse appliance into zEC12 enables clients to run complex business analytics and operational analytics on the same platform. 

The new mainframe also offers IT systems analytics capabilities based on technology from IBM Research. It analyzes internal system messages to provide a near real-time view of the system’s health, including any potential problems. Called IBM zAware, the technology learns from the messages to recognize patterns and quickly pinpoint any deviations, using the information to identify unusual system behavior and minimize its impact. IBM STG Lab Services will offer services to help with planning, configuration and implementation of IBM zAware.   

Large-Scale Cloud Capabilities

The mainframe’s leading virtualization capabilities make it well suited to support private cloud environments. Clients can consolidate thousands of distributed systems on to Linux on zEC12, lowering IT operating expenses associated with energy use, floor space and software licensing. 

zEC12 is expected to offer a low total cost of acquisition for Linux consolidation of database workloads (4).  One zEC12 can encompass the capacity of an entire multi-platform data center in a single system. 

As one of the world's most secure systems, with features designed to meet the security and compliance requirements of different industries, the new mainframe also enables clients to run traditional IT and private cloud applications on one system. 

More zEC12 Innovations 

zEC12 is the first IBM mainframe to include internal solid state technology with Flash Express, a new memory technology that can help improve the performance of data intensive applications or workloads where optimal service levels are vital such as customer facing or service applications used by banks, public sector companies and retailers. It’s designed to provide improved availability during bursts of system activity experienced at transitional periods such as when financial markets open or holiday periods when online retail transactions are heavy. 

Clients can also opt to run zEC12 without a raised datacenter floor -- a first for high-end IBM mainframes. With new overhead power and cabling support, clients have more flexibility on where zEC12 is deployed. This can increase the appeal of System z for enterprise clients in growth markets, where System z revenue was up 11% year to year in the second quarter of 2012, per IBM earnings.  

zEC12 is the first general purpose IBM server to incorporate transactional memory technology, first used commercially to help make the IBM Blue Gene/Q-based “Sequoia” system at Lawrence Livermore National Lab the fastest supercomputer in the world (5). In zEC12, IBM adapted this technology to enable software to better support concurrent operations that use a shared set of data such as financial institutions processing transactions against the same set of accounts. 

“We continue to drive innovation on System z,  allowing a broader set of clients to apply its leadership capabilities in security and resiliency to the current demands of their business, be they from analytics, cloud or mobile computing,” said Doug Balog, general manager IBM System z.  “Our end-to-end design approach for smarter computing -- from processors to systems to software optimization -- is targeted to handle complicated business challenges associated with managing, protecting and analyzing a client's most critical information. It’s what makes the mainframe the ultimate enterprise system.” 

zEC12 Furthers Hybrid Computing

In 2010, IBM introduced hybrid computing with the launch of the IBM zEnterprise System and the IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) to allow enterprises to deploy and integrate workloads across mainframe, POWER7 and System x servers. Using zEnterprise Unified Resource Management, these diverse resources can be managed as a single, virtualized system. 

Today, IBM introduced the zBX Model 003 to help extend customer’s ability to run integrated and dynamic workloads. With simplified operational control and an integrated, high-performance, private and secure network, the zBX Model 003 is designed to run with zEC12. Like its predecessor, the latest zBX includes specialty processors for specific workloads such as the IBM WebSphere DataPower Integration Appliance XI50 for zEnterprise and select IBM BladeCenter servers. 

As of second quarter 2012, IBM had shipped over 140 zBX units with more than 1,000 blade servers to clients, enabling them to take advantage of the management and reduced complexity of hybrid computing on the platform. 

Industry Solutions for System z

IBM also announced today it is growing its portfolio of System z industry-focused solutions that package software from IBM or ISV partners and services or assets from IBM Global Business Services. These include the IBM Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities, IBM Health Plan Integration Hub, two IBM Smarter Analytics: Anti-Fraud, Waste and Abuse Solutions – one for healthcare, one for insurance -- and the IBM Genelco Insurance Administration Solution™. Offering these solutions on System z can allow clients to benefit from the mainframe’s oft-touted advantages of high-availability, resiliency and security. 

Services and Financing for zEC12

One of the hallmark benefits behind IBM System z is its powerful business continuity features, especially important today in light of the industry's ongoing appetite for resilient cloud computing environments. To help clients build private clouds more rapidly, IBM today announced new implementation services for Linux-based clouds on the mainframe. The new services deliver unique IBM processes, tools, skills and best practices that enable a fast and accurate implementation. To help current mainframe clients looking to upgrade to zEC12, IBM also offers newly enhanced setup and migration services to drive more long term economic value from their system investments.  

IBM Global Financing (IGF) can help clients evolve and grow their zEnterprise investments with financing that promotes greater flexibility, lower total cost of ownership and predictability of payments. 

For example, to help credit-qualified clients easily acquire the new zEC12 systems solution, IGF is making available a range of affordable financing options:

·         For clients who own or already lease their System z solution: IGF will help finance the upgrade and provide greater flexibility to meet future capacity requirements. 

·         For clients considering a move to a System z solution: IGF offers affordable, customized financing for the             migration and acquisition of the new platform solution.  IGF can also bundle IBM and non-IBM hardware, software and services costs into single, predictable periodic payments.  Additionally, IGF/ Global Asset Recovery Services can buy back the client's non-IBM servers at market value. 

Credit-qualified clients that elect financing and install their zEC12 solution by December 31, 2012 can see immediate benefits with zEC12 while deferring their first payment for up to 6 months.

Editors' Note: Photos are available via the Associated Press Photo Network and on the Internet at Feature Photo Service's link through http://www.newscom.com. 

1.) Based on Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 5+ security classification. IBM z/OS® including RACF® and System z® PR/SM™ have been evaluated under Common Criteria (an ISO/IEC 15048 standard). z/OS V1.12 was awarded Common Criteria at EAL4+. PR/SM was awarded Common Criteria at EAL5+ and z/OS V1.12 RACF also achieved an EAL5+ Common Criteria evaluation, meeting some of the industry’s toughest security standards. For more details about protection profile testing see www.atsec.com. Security targets are also published on the www.bsi.bund.de (DE) Web site.

2.) Compared to previous generation system, IBM zEnterprise 196.

3.) Compared to previous generation system, IBM zEnterprise 196.

4.) Based on IBM estimates of expected customer results. Individual client results may vary

5.) According to the TOP500 list, www.top500.org.

 ###

EMC DLm8000 First Mainframe Virtual Tape Library to Deliver Synchronous Replication

Press release:

EMC DLm8000 First Mainframe Virtual Tape Library to Deliver Synchronous Replication

New Solution for Large Enterprises Supports EMC VMAX, Offers 2.5x the Performance of Its Closest Competitor and Ensures Rapid and Predictable Recoveries

HOPKINTON, Mass. - Aug 6, 2012

News Highlights:

• EMC announces the DLm8000, a unique, high-end addition to its Disk Library for mainframe family of virtual tape libraries.
• The new DLm8000 leverages EMC® VMAX® with powerful EMC SRDF® synchronous replication ensuring consistency of tape data at production and disaster recovery sites.
• Large enterprise z/OS mainframe users gain highly granular and predictable recoveries, with accelerated RTOs and more flexible RPOs.
• The cost and complexity of D2D2T systems are eliminated and the complete removal of physical tape from the mainframe environment is enabled.

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced the EMC DLm8000, a new high-end product for large enterprise mainframe environments. The DLm8000 is the only mainframe virtual tape library that ensures consistency between tape data at both production and recovery sites, providing the shortest possible RPO and RTO for critical recovery operations. With support for powerful, trusted and smart EMC VMAX enterprise storage and Symmetrix® Remote Data Facility (SRDF) replication, the DLm8000 rounds out EMC's portfolio of mainframe virtual tape library offerings with a solution geared to the needs of mission critical environments.

Consistency of tape data between production and recovery sites is particularly desirable for large, transaction-oriented enterprises such as banking, brokerage and insurance companies, where disaster recovery with predictable Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) is a must. Physical tape transportation by third party records management companies hinders recovery efforts by reducing the granularity of Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and dramatically increasing the RTO. In addition, periodic lack of tape drive availability for batch processing, archive and backup applications can impair SLAs, further increasing the risks and business impact associated with unplanned service interruptions.

The new DLm8000 addresses all of these challenges, while integrating industry leading technologies from EMC into a massively scalable, high performance and highly available solution that helps mainframe users gain control over their tape processes and meet their recovery SLAs.

Available for the first time in the EMC Disk Library for mainframe, VMAX is the storage platform of choice for mission critical mainframe environments where customers require performance in addition to securing and protecting their information. EMC SRDF is the "gold standard" for remote replication, providing the maximum levels of availability in DR situations. The DLm8000 with VMAX provides the highest levels of performance and availability for both disk storage and tape data. Together, these solutions enable mainframe customers with consistent and automated DR for both disk and tape data.

DLm8000 Product Highlights

• Throughput of up to 2.7 GB/s delivers 2.5x the performance of the DLm8000's nearest competitor.
• Continuous replication to the DR site means data is immediately available to provide rapid RTOs and more flexible RPOs.
• Up to 2,048 emulated drives can be allocated to different processes, even temporarily, to improve overall system processing capabilities.
• Reliability levels that meet the mission critical needs of large mainframe environments, while enabling dramatically enhanced data recovery processes.

For a full list of DLm8000 features and capabilities, download the EMC Disk Library for mainframe data sheet.

Industry Analyst Quote:

Ray Lucchesi, President, Silverton Consulting

"Large financial organizations with high transactional volume have historically faced recovery challenges because their mainframe tape and DASD data at production and secondary sites were never fully in synch. As such, recovery procedures were often held up until the differences between the two data types were resolved resulting in longer failover time frames. The EMC DLm8000 offers an innovative solution to these challenges that can help these enterprises align their recoveries to their desired RTOs."

EMC Executive Quote:

Shane Jackson, Vice President of Marketing, EMC Backup Recovery Systems Division

"The ability to replicate tape data synchronously has been in high demand from large enterprise mainframe users, but thus far they have been forced to accept sub-optimal recovery options in an effort to approach their desired SLAs. With the introduction of the DLm8000, EMC becomes the first to solve this problem for our customers. They can now confidently deploy synchronous replication and industry-leading VMAX storage systems integrated into a single solution. The DLm8000 enables these users to consistently achieve their recovery objectives and remove physical tape and its associated problems from their mainframe environments."

EMC Global Services can enhance the effectiveness of DLm8000 deployments and help customers optimize the performance, reliability and efficiency of their environments. Service offerings include infrastructure assessments that provide recommendations for stabilizing and maximizing the effectiveness of the current environment, as well as a range of other services that help organizations transform their IT operations and increase business agility.

Availability:

The DLm8000 will be generally available in Q4.

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing.  Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset — information — in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

News Release from CA Technologies - Mainframe Academy Scholarships

CA Technologies First Mainframe Academy Scholarships Support Next-Generation Management Talent

Global Recipients Recognized For Dedication to Mastering Mainframe Skills

ISLANDIA, N.Y., March 12, 2012 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today announced the first five recipients of scholarships to its Mainframe Academy with CA Technologies, an accelerated educational curriculum that helps promising young technologists expand their skills and fill potential talent gaps in future mainframe management.

CA Technologies announced the scholarship program* last March as part of its workforce education effort, promising over $1 million in grants to attend the Mainframe Academy through 2016.  Recipients are selected by SHARE representatives, who award  scholarships to applicants that demonstrate a desire to master mainframe programming skills.

“With the mainframe continuing to play a vital role in their IT strategies, many of our global customers are looking at ways to proactively address the skills gap as senior staff approaches retirement age,” said Dayton Semerjian, general manager, Mainframe, CA Technologies. “We created the Mainframe Academy to help address this requirement and help some of the best young talent get a jump-start to a career in IT.”

The recipients include an IBM intern based in the U.S., a systems analyst for BRQ IT in Brazil, a University of Kentucky graduate interning at General Electric, and two system programmers from Garanti Technology in Turkey -- all of whom are looking to expand their mainframe knowledge.

“CA Technologies is providing a great opportunity with its Mainframe Academy scholarship program,” said Janet Sun, President, SHARE Inc.  “We are pleased to participate in the selection process and to support the growth and development of the next-generation of mainframe talent.  This aligns with our zNextGen program and is supported by the research we have done regarding the Mainframe Skills Gap.”

The Mainframe Academy with CA Technologies is an 8-week, vendor-agnostic, immersion program that blends instructor-led classroom activity with virtual and self-paced learning designed to provide core skills to manage the mainframe environment.   Young IT professionals enrolled in high school, undergraduate and graduate university programs, or recent graduates are eligible for the scholarship.

CA Technologies will issue three additional scholarships at the SHARE Conference in August.  Applications are being accepted through May 31, 2012 at the program website.

*Scholarships are awarded in the amount of $35,000.00 USD per winner and are payable solely as a credit for publically scheduled Mainframe Academy with CA Technologies education courses; scholarships will not be paid in cash or subject to refund, in whole or part.  Scholarship credits must be used within 12-months from the award date. Application submission requirements and rules apply. Applicants are obligated to ensure that they are eligible to apply for or accept the potential scholarship award consistent with the applicable rules of their employer, including without limitation, a code of conduct or similar conduct policies.  This Scholarship offer may not be available to any employee or official of any governmental or quasi-governmental entity. Mainframe Academywith CA Technologies education courses and training is subject to standard CA Technologies terms and conditions.

News Release from Brocade

Brocade and Hitachi Data Systems Showcase Mainframe Networking and Storage Solutions at SHARE 2012

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on diggShare on stumbleuponShare on newsvineShare on redditShare on googlebuzzShare on emailShare on print

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 03/12/2012 -- Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD), the leader in fabric-based data center networking solutions, today announced that it will exhibit and speak at the SHARE 2012 conference, to be held in Atlanta, March 11 - 16 at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center. Brocade and Hitachi Data Systems will showcase their award-winning storage networking and storage solutions for high-end enterprise applications in Booth 207, as well as jointly deliver a technical presentation.

SHARE 2012 is the premiere conference for the mainframe industry, with more than 1,000 attendees forecasted to learn about the latest enterprise IT technologies and best practices, as well as discuss current trends and dive into deep technical content. 

Mainframes remain the primary computing platform for 70 percent of all mission-critical corporate data. Today, 6,000 - 7,000 mainframe data centers are on-line globally, including 90 percent of Fortune 1000 enterprises, including all 50 of the world's top global banks and 22 of the top 25 US retailers, as well as a large percentage of mid-sized companies.

At the show, the companies will discuss how the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone combined with the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) work together to provide an industry leading solution for mainframe-attached storage environments. Together, the Brocade and Hitachi technologies enable greater business agility by creating a highly-virtualized storage environment that improves overall performance and better utilizes mainframe system resources compared to traditional direct-attached topologies. This results in faster deployment of new applications and non-disruptive re-deployment of storage assets between mainframe and open system environments.

Brocade and HDS will deliver a joint technical session about their combined solution which will explore best practices, new features, performance, and design for mainframe environments featuring Dave Lytle, global solution architect at Brocade; and William Smith, product manager, Americas, at Hitachi Data Systems. The presentation, titled Data Network Infrastructure Design and Implementation for Mainframe Environments, will take place on March 15 from 4:30 - 5:30 pm in the Chestnut conference room.

Based on the new 16 Gbps Fibre Channel standard, Brocade DCX 8510 Backbones are the industry's most powerful switching infrastructure, providing the most reliable, scalable, high-performance foundation for private cloud storage and highly virtualized environments. They match the industry's fastest and most scalable System z mainframes with the highest-performing and most reliable FICON infrastructure to maximize consolidation and virtualization of traditional mainframe and emerging Linux and Windows workloads, while simplifying fabric management for FICON and Fibre Channel intermix environments. The Brocade DCX 8510 directors have been qualified for mainframe environments, allowing enterprises to fully exploit the powerful capabilities of their IBM zEnterprise FICON infrastructures