[31.01.2008 first posted on silicon republic]
IBM has introduced a new virtualisation platform which it says has the potential to bring down IT costs for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The new virtualisation platform, PowerVM Express, when combined with new POWER6 microprocessor-based System p servers and BladeCenter® servers – designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses – allows customers to create up to 160 virtual partitions in a single server system, dramatically improving the utilisation of the servers.
It will help those customers consolidate server capacity, save energy and manage their IT costs more effectively, IBM said.
Virtualisation technology allows multiple server functions to run on fewer servers. One server, for example, can run many operating systems and simultaneously host several business applications. Deploying virtualisation capabilities can help lower IT costs and business risks, increase efficiency and flexibility, simplify deployment and management, enhance overall business resilience and enable new forms of innovation.
PowerVM Express was created to help SMEs achieve these efficiencies. The platform provides virtualisation solutions for the broadest range of operating systems in the industry, including AIX (IBM’s UNIX operating system), Linux and i5/OS for System i customers.
“Virtualisation has typically been the domain of large enterprises. Today we aim to simplify the adoption of virtualisation technologies, making it available to small and medium-sized businesses,” said Scott Handy, vice-president of marketing and strategy, IBM Power Systems.
“The capabilities we deliver when combining IBM’s leadership virtualisation software and POWER6 technology in our new offerings take us beyond just world-class performance and allow us to help clients build more efficient businesses by saving time, space and money.” By Niall Byrne