IBM announces the "Tailor Fit Pricing" program-- an as-a-service offering for Z Servers allowing customers to buy IBM server resources on either a consumption- or capacity-based basis.
According to Big Blue, such a pricing model makes it easier for enterprises to build hybrid cloud infrastructure leveraging Z servers and z/OS. The offering is also flexible, since consumption-based pricing allows customers to pay as they need capacity, while capacity-based pricing allows purchase of a precise amount.
"In the era of hybrid and multicloud, everything is connected and workload patterns constantly change," IBM says. "In this environment, managing demand for IT services can be a major challenge. And when it comes to pricing, flexibility and management are essential. As more customers shift to an enterprise IT model that incorporates on-premises, private cloud and public cloud, we’ve developed a simple cloud pricing model to drive the transformation forward."
In related news, IBM announces a pair of cloud additions-- z/OS Container Extensions and Cloud Broker. Container Extensions extend z/OS applications and allow customers to run Linux on IBM Z Docker container in direct support of z/OS workloads within the same system. Users also get access to the most recent tools and processes available in Linux on the Z ecosystem, allowing the creation of cloud-native containerised apps and their deployment without need for Linux or a Linux partition.
Meanwhile Cloud Broker allows users to access and deploy z/OS resources and services on IBM Cloud Private. Cloud application developers can provision and deprovision z/OS environments to support the app development cycle, providing a single control plane across z/OS, Linux on Z, Power and public cloud.
