Big Blue Says IBM PureSystems Is Private Cloud in a Box. Hmmm…

Big Blue Says IBM PureSystems Is Private Cloud in a Box. Hmmm…

When I first heard the marketing for IBM’s PureSystems, I must admit I was amused. They’re calling these systems “expert systems,” but when they describe what they mean by an expert system, it sounds like they mean a system that works like it’s supposed to without having to monkey around with it for weeks. You know, like any system you’ve bought this century.

In other words, Big Blue is poking their head out of the Twilight Zone they’ve been inhabiting for years, proclaiming a miracle that they could actually sell a piece of technology that worked properly. Hallelujah!

To illustrate this admittedly snarky perspective, take a look at the IBM graphic below, which I found in an IBM PureSystems flyer. Apparently, the PureSystems value proposition is that you don’t have to make do with “traditional systems,” which IBM describes as being “up and running in months,” “overpurchased and overprovisioned,” “hard to maintain, complex, and brittle,” etc.

IBM PureSystems

The irony of these statements, of course, is that by traditional systems, IBM means the crap we’ve been selling you for years. Anybody who’s tried to install WebSphere Application Server from the 80-odd CD-ROMs that IBM shipped knows what I’m talking about.

But perhaps I’m being too hard on IBM. After all, they claim to be turning over a new leaf. Let’s not complain about the way things were, let’s look at what they’re selling today. Fair enough.

Perhaps the most interesting angle on the PureSystems messaging is that IBM is billing certain configurations of the tool as a Private Cloud in a box. Preconfigured, template-driven, and essentially turnkey, PureSystems offers virtualized compute, network, and storage in one integrated package. Furthermore, it comes in three basic configurations: PureFlex for IaaS, PureApplication for PaaS, and PureData for Big Data. Each configuration comes in multiple sizes, maxing out with the 10-rack PureData system sporting a whopping 1,120 CPU cores and 1.28 petabytes of storage.

If this monster works as well as IBM says it does, it represents some serious enterprise firepower. But is it a Private Cloud in a box? In part, perhaps. The automated management and fully virtualized compute, storage, and network is much of what we mean by a Cloud, but I couldn’t find any mention of automated self-service provisioning in the marketing. Without this critical feature, I’d be hard-pressed to consider PureSystems a Cloud.

But even if such capabilities are present, there is still the question of maximum capacity. What if you need more than 1,120 CPU cores? Buying another PureSystems won’t help, since you’ll have two separate systems instead of one seamless Cloud. And there’s the rub, not just with PureSystems, but with virtually every Private Cloud in existence. Because they all have a maximum capacity, they don’t hold a candle to true Clouds like the Amazon’s AWS. Many finite “Clouds” do not add up to the “infinite” elasticity that the market leader can provide.

PureSystems, PureFlex, and PureApplication are IBM trademarks.

devx-admin

devx-admin

Share the Post:
Advanced Drones Race

Pentagon’s Bold Race for Advanced Drones

The Pentagon has recently unveiled its ambitious strategy to acquire thousands of sophisticated drones within the next two years. This decision comes in response to

Important Updates

You Need to See the New Microsoft Updates

Microsoft has recently announced a series of new features and updates across their applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint. These new developments are centered

Price Wars

Inside Hyundai and Kia’s Price Wars

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are cutting the prices on a number of their electric vehicles (EVs) in response to growing price competition within

Solar Frenzy Surprises

Solar Subsidy in Germany Causes Frenzy

In a shocking turn of events, the German national KfW bank was forced to discontinue its home solar power subsidy program for charging electric vehicles

Advanced Drones Race

Pentagon’s Bold Race for Advanced Drones

The Pentagon has recently unveiled its ambitious strategy to acquire thousands of sophisticated drones within the next two years. This decision comes in response to Russia’s rapid utilization of airborne

Important Updates

You Need to See the New Microsoft Updates

Microsoft has recently announced a series of new features and updates across their applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint. These new developments are centered around improving user experience, streamlining

Price Wars

Inside Hyundai and Kia’s Price Wars

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are cutting the prices on a number of their electric vehicles (EVs) in response to growing price competition within the South Korean market. Many

Solar Frenzy Surprises

Solar Subsidy in Germany Causes Frenzy

In a shocking turn of events, the German national KfW bank was forced to discontinue its home solar power subsidy program for charging electric vehicles (EVs) after just one day,

Electric Spare

Electric Cars Ditch Spare Tires for Efficiency

Ira Newlander from West Los Angeles is thinking about trading in his old Ford Explorer for a contemporary hybrid or electric vehicle. However, he has observed that the majority of

Solar Geoengineering Impacts

Unraveling Solar Geoengineering’s Hidden Impacts

As we continue to face the repercussions of climate change, scientists and experts seek innovative ways to mitigate its impacts. Solar geoengineering (SG), a technique involving the distribution of aerosols

Razer Discount

Unbelievable Razer Blade 17 Discount

On September 24, 2023, it was reported that Razer, a popular brand in the premium gaming laptop industry, is offering an exceptional deal on their Razer Blade 17 model. Typically

Innovation Ignition

New Fintech Innovation Ignites Change

The fintech sector continues to attract substantial interest, as demonstrated by a dedicated fintech stage at a recent event featuring panel discussions and informal conversations with industry professionals. The gathering,

Import Easing

Easing Import Rules for Big Tech

India has chosen to ease its proposed restrictions on imports of laptops, tablets, and other IT hardware, allowing manufacturers like Apple Inc., HP Inc., and Dell Technologies Inc. more time

Semiconductor Stock Plummet

Dramatic Downturn in Semiconductor Stocks Looms

Recent events show that the S&P Semiconductors Select Industry Index seems to be experiencing a downturn, which could result in a decline in semiconductor stocks. Known as a key indicator

Anthropic Investment

Amazon’s Bold Anthropic Investment

On Monday, Amazon announced its plan to invest up to $4 billion in the AI firm Anthropic, acquiring a minority stake in the process. This decision demonstrates Amazon’s commitment to

AI Experts Get Hired

Tech Industry Rehiring Wave: AI Experts Wanted

A few months ago, Big Tech companies were downsizing their workforce, but currently, many are considering rehiring some of these employees, especially in popular fields such as artificial intelligence. The

Lagos Migration

Middle-Class Migration: Undermining Democracy?

As the middle class in Lagos, Nigeria, increasingly migrates to private communities, a PhD scholar from a leading technology institute has been investigating the impact of this development on democratic

AI Software Development

ChatGPT is Now Making Video Games

Pietro Schirano’s foray into using ChatGPT, an AI tool for programming, has opened up new vistas in game and software development. As design lead at business finance firm Brex, Schirano

Llama Codebot

Developers! Here’s Your Chatbot

Meta Platforms has recently unveiled Code Llama, a free chatbot designed to aid developers in crafting coding scripts. This large language model (LLM), developed using Meta’s Llama 2 model, serves

Tech Layoffs

Unraveling the Tech Sector’s Historic Job Losses

Throughout 2023, the tech sector has experienced a record-breaking number of job losses, impacting tens of thousands of workers across various companies, including well-established corporations and emerging startups in areas

Chinese 5G Limitation

Germany Considers Limiting Chinese 5G Tech

A recent report has put forth the possibility that Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community may consider limiting the use of Chinese 5G technology by local network providers

Modern Warfare

The Barak Tank is Transforming Modern Warfare

The Barak tank is a groundbreaking addition to the Israeli Defense Forces’ arsenal, significantly enhancing their combat capabilities. This AI-powered military vehicle is expected to transform the way modern warfare

AI Cheating Growth

AI Plagiarism Challenges Shake Academic Integrity

As generative AI technologies like ChatGPT become increasingly prevalent among students and raise concerns about widespread cheating, prominent universities have halted their use of AI detection software, such as Turnitin’s

US Commitment

US Approves Sustainable Battery Research

The US Department of Energy has revealed a $325 million commitment in the research of innovative battery types, designed to enable solar and wind power as continuous, 24-hour energy sources.

Netanyahu Musk AI

Netanyahu and Musk Discuss AI Future

On September 22, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with entrepreneur Elon Musk in San Francisco prior to attending the United Nations. In a live-streamed discussion, Netanyahu lauded Musk

Urban Gardening

Creating Thriving Cities Through Urban Gardening

The rising popularity of urban gardening is receiving increased recognition for its numerous advantages, as demonstrated in a recent study featured in the Environmental Research Letters journal. Carried out by