September 12, 2019 By Chris Dittmer 4 min read

Cloud computing and mainframes processors are two of the most important contributors in information technology solutions. They are increasingly being linked together to unlock value for clients.

85 percent of companies are already operating in multicloud and by 2021, most existing apps will have migrated to the cloud. [1] At the same time, mainframe utilization has remained robust–IBM Z mainframes process 30 billion transactions each day, including 87 percent of all credit card transactions on the planet.[2]

Today, IBM Storage is announcing a new solution designed to provide even stronger synergy between IBM Z mainframes and the cloud: the IBM DS8900F storage systems. This new family of all-flash arrays provides enhancements in performance, data protection, resiliency, availability and cost-efficiency demanded in mission-critical hybrid multicloud mainframe environments.

“IBM has been a leader in the enterprise mainframe storage market for years,” observes Ashish Nadkarni, Group Vice President, Worldwide Infrastructure at IDC. “The increased performance and capacity of the newly announced DS8900F storage system along with key security features that enhance the value proposition of the new z15 and LinuxONE platforms will enable it to stay as a preferred storage system for enterprise mainframe storage market for years to come.”

“The DS8000 family has been our preferred storage solution for our mission critical applications,” notes Ron Argent, CEO of Cognition Foundry. “The launch of the next generation DS8900F model with increased performance plus improved security will make our system even more resilient for our multicloud environments.”

The IBM DS8900F family is designed to match the mission-critical capabilities of IBM Z and LinuxONE servers. Built with the most advanced POWER9 processors, the new systems benefit from years of trailblazing research and deep collaboration between the IBM Storage and IBM Z teams to deliver unique business value for mainframe deployments. The new IBM DS8900F also offers transparent hybrid multicloud connectivity for infrastructure simplification, massive capacity, and data protection through the cloud.

The enduring value and popularity of both IBM Z and LinuxONE servers means that the supporting storage infrastructure must continue to evolve and innovate in unison with these systems in order to ensure the highest performance, broadest functionality, and greatest security possible. With the introduction of DS8900F, the IBM DS8000 family of data systems continues to be a powerful complement to both mainframe and distributed computing environments. Not only is IBM DS8900F the leader in the external storage market for mainframe environments,[3]  but family members offer an additional advantage–deep integration with IBM Z mainframes.

The new DS8900F family replaces the venerable DS8880 line. IBM DS8910F is designed to reduce complexity while addressing a wide variety of workloads at the lowest DS8900F family entry cost. It updates the previous generation DS8882F and DS8884F models while providing important performance, cyber resiliency and hybrid multicloud improvements.

IBM DS8950F is intended to consolidate all mission-critical storage workloads for IBM Z, IBM LinuxONE, IBM Power Systems, and distributed environments under a single all-flash storage solution. Both DS8900F solutions offer wide-ranging advantages:

  • Ultra-low application response times

IBM DS8900F processes huge volumes of IBM Z transactions faster while unlocking the unmatched value for mission critical workloads with storage latencies of 18 microseconds, twice the throughput, and IOPS increased up to 60 percent.

  • Secure authentication across trusted systems

Unique IBM technology makes data only accessible by authorized systems. This capability creates a trusted storage network across data centers that encrypts data both in flight and at rest without requiring application changes.

  • Maximum system uptime

With more that “seven 9’s” availability and multi-site data replication for disaster recovery, DS8900F provides continuous access to data for mission-critical environments. HyperSwap technology provides no-data-loss capabilities within metro distances, and at more than 1,000 miles, IBM Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex can help recover business operations within 3 to 5 seconds RPO and less than 60 seconds RTO.

  • Cyber resilience with Safeguarded Cop

IBM DS8900F prevents your data from being modified or deleted due to user errors, malicious destruction or ransomware attacks with immutable point in time copies of production data and dual management control for increased security.

  • Transparent integration to hybrid cloud for IBM Z

IBM DS8900F enables your hybrid multicloud as a new storage tier for backup and archive operations on IBM Z environments with no impact to IO performance and without the need of additional servers or gateways. Transparent Cloud Tiering protects your data with AES-256bit encryption and provides a maximum of 50 percent savings in mainframe CPU utilization when migrating large datasets.[4]

“The new DS8900F storage systems offer real advantages for our customers and our own bottom line,” states William Roman, CTO of Truenorth, a long-time IBM Business Partner. “They help reduce system complexity, and they continue the relentless IBM focus on greater cost-efficiency. Most importantly, they offer the hybrid multicloud functionality and data security our customers demand.”

The new IBM DS8900F data systems bring the security, performance and cloud functionality demanded in today’s mainframe-driven mission-critical hybrid multicloud environments. Build with flexibility, deliver with confidence, and protect the future of your business with these new solutions from IBM Storage.

Meet the new IBM DS8900F.

You can also learn more about this announcement in the IBM Z and IBM DS8900F press release and in our video.

[1] IBM Institute for Business Value: Assembling Your Cloud Orchestra, October 2018 https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/EXLAL23W

[2] IBM: 2018 Annual Report https://www.ibm.com/annualreport/assets/downloads/IBM_Annual_Report_2018.pdf

[3] IDC WW Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker” file published on June 13, 2019.

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