On the surface, it would seem counterintuitive to consider mainframes–the hulking computing flagships of IT–as a green technology. But that’s exactly IBM’s message and it does have its merits.

While you may have to make some accommodations in you datacenter to power a mainframe, the massive consolidation that’s made possible will likely tip the energy efficiency scale, plus other cost factors like software licensing and management, in your favor. IBM System z general manager, Anne Altman, told eWeek in a recent interview…

There’s a great deal of innovation going on in energy-efficient technologies that take up less space, keep energy costs low and require fewer IT gurus to operate. The IBM mainframe also will continue to push the boundaries of virtualization, resiliency and security capabilities.

These capabilities, together with the well-known systems management strengths of the mainframe, have made the Linux environment on System z an extremely attractive option for consolidation of distributed environments. And thanks to such innovations, in a server consolidation, today’s System z10 may provide up to six times the same work in the same space and may provide up to 16 times the work for the same power consumption to simultaneously manage a variety of business operations.

Want to peruse some big iron pr0n? IBM’s System z website has you covered.

Source: eWeek