IBM has launched a line up of Unix products and programs which the company predicts will vault it ahead of Sun Microsystems as the leader in Unix technology and performance.
Coinciding with this latest commitment, IBM also announced two Australian companies - Bunnings and Web Wombat - as being among the first in the world to acquire IBM's new Unix technology.
The announcements include the RS/6000 S80, an e-business Unix server and a "thin" RS/6000 server for fast growing internet and application service providers;Extending AIX's e-business platform, IBM also announced the first release of the operating system to be influenced by Project Monterey.
The 64-bit RS/6000 S80 uses up to 24 microprocessors built with IBM's copper chip technology. IBM said that the new system more than triples the performance of the IBM RS/6000 S70. According to Rod Ashcroft, chief executive officer of Web Wombat, the integration of the RS/6000 S80 will enable the company to globalise its search engine operations.
Mark Ridley, an executive director of Bunnings, said the retailer's customers are demanding a level of service that extends beyond the traditional retail environment, to accommodate online operations and extended trading hours.
He said that the RS/6000 S80 will offer Bunnings a robust IT infrastructure to support the high levels of availability, reliability and serviceability demanded by its network of stores across Australia.