NEW YORK -- IBM is introducing a new mainframe in a bet that clients will need its souped-up speed and security to handle a surge in consumers using smartphones for everything from banking to checking health care records.
The z13 system can encrypt and analyze data in real time and process 30,000 transactions a second, IBM Corp. announced last week. That means faster and safer transactions for consumers on mobile phones. The system is the result of five years of development and a more than $1 billion investment, said Donna Dillenberger, an IBM distinguished engineer who helped develop the machine.
The mainframe is one of IBM's signature hardware products that will help sell related software and services, and it's debuting at a critical time for the Armonk, N.Y.-based company. Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty is trying to find new sources of revenue growth from mobile offerings, cloud computing and data analytics as demand for its legacy hardware wanes.
"When we are on our mobile devices, we only just want to wait for low single-digit seconds," Dillenberger said. "Working on those types of problems drove us to ask, 'How can we speed up these analytics?' The z13 provides the capability to allow users to connect their mobile devices directly to the mainframe."
The new system boasts improvements, including the ability to perform data analytics on the machine itself, which IBM says can deliver insights faster and cheaper.
IBM declined to comment on how much customers will have to pay for the mainframe, which can typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.