IBM (nearly) hits $100bn in 2010 sales It looks like there was a lot of pent up demand for IBM's System zEnterprise 196 mainframes. At least for the large banking, insurance, and manufacturing companies that tend to buy this big iron. In the fourth quarter of 2010, IBM's mainframe sales were the best that company has seen in six years. and they helped drive the …
I want to thank you for everything you did to achieve these results, in the fourth quarter and over the past four years. Our long-term success is the product of the work, innovation and superior execution of more than 400,000 IBMers. In recognition of this, I am delighted to announce that all non-executive IBMers who performed consistently over the 2010 Roadmap period will receive a grant of $1000 of IBM stock, where permitted, which will vest at the end of the next roadmap, in 2015. Terms will be forthcoming from your leadership team.
According to previous Reg articles, didn't they artificially increase EPS by buying $8bn(?) of their own shares in Q3 of last year alone. $400 million barely makes a dent in that, especially as it will be for 'consistent performers' (say 90%) who are still in IBM in 4 years time (say 95%) = $350m.
Here is an article in swedish, about norwegian IBM Mainframe that runs all the Swedish trains crashes - on average - every 5th year. It is funny, in the article they say "Our IBM Mainframe never crashes, it last happened five years ago". They have obviously drunk the IBM kool aid that Mainframes never crashes. Even when the Mainframe crashes, they insist "it never crashes". Hilarous. Use google translate if you want to read it.
You heard about TurboHercules? The company that develops an IBM Mainframe emulator. The target customers? Those who can not afford an extra Mainframe when the first crashes. IBM has threatened this company, and IBM is really afraid of that company - because
1) TurboHercules allows you to emulate a decent sized mainframe on a cheap x86 server
2) Mainframes crashes every once in a while, which makes it necessary to have a backup machine - the customares are in a need of an extra Mainframe when the first crashes. There is really a market for TurboHercules.
If the Mainframe never crashed, there would not be a market for an Mainframe emulator, and IBM would not bother to threaten that company.
Why dont you buy an high end 8-socket x86 server instead? It has far more processing power than a fully equipped z196 mainframe, and if you use software emulation, that x86 server gives you 3.200 MIPS. Which probably is more than the low end z10 gives. How many MIPS does the low end z10 give? 300 MIPS?
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