IBM has unveiled a new version of the z13 mainframe called z13s, which is meant for mid-sized enterprises.
On Tuesday, IBM announced that z13s brings in new security features without affecting the performance of the system.
"With the new IBM z13s, clients no longer have to choose between security and performance. This speed of secure transactions, coupled with new analytics technology helping to detect malicious activity and integrated IBM Security offerings, will help mid-sized clients grow their organization with peace of mind," says Tom Rosamilia, senior vice president at IBM Systems.
With up to 4 TB of RAM, the z13s supports eight times as much memory as IBM's previous single-frame mainframes. The chipmaker suggests that the latest z13s provides faster processing speed when compared to previous mainframes; however, the main focus of the mainframe remains on security.
The z13s comes with new cryptography hardware, which can decrypt and encrypt data up to two times faster than its predecessors. The z13s includes a co-processor that increases the speed of cryptography functions.
The z13s supports the company's security analytics services and multi-factor authentication (MFA) that gives access only to authorized users. This solution adds a new layer of security that requires privileged users to enter a second form of identification like a PIN for gaining access to the system. This is the first time that IBM has incorporated MFA in the z/OS.
IBM has also worked with companies such as Forcepoint and BlackRidge, and tech company RSM Partners for additional security features, which will be available at an extra cost.
The z13 is meant for large organizations like big airline operators, big banks and more. However, the latest system is mainly aimed at smaller companies such as mid-sized banks, credit unions and more.
IBM has been manufacturing mainframes since the 1950s. The company has dominated the mainframe industry for many years, but it has also faced stiff competition from rivals such as Hewlett Packard and Dell.
The financial results of IBM have not been impressive for the last several quarters in a row, but its mainframe division has been growing. During the company's last earnings call, IBM stated that its mainframe business rose by 16 percent year over year. The launch of z13s may help the company to continue the positive trend.
IBM has confirmed that the z13s will be available by March, but has not let out the price of the latest mainframe. It is worth noting that the starting price of z13 mainframe is about $100,000.
