One Size Does Not Fit All

When IBM revamped its entire line of servers under the IBM eServer brand back in October 2000, it begged the question, "Why didn't IBM just create one line of servers rather than several lines (xSeries, iSeries, Blades, Clusters, etc.) under the IBM eServer brand?" This question is particularly relevant because IBM is using so much common technology across all eServer lines.

The answer is... because one size does not fit all. The wide range of environments in which computers are used today are as diverse as... well... the whole world. Computers are used everywhere from fish markets to nuclear reactors and to manage activities from seaweed harvesting to Mars missions. Just as no single boat hull design or golf club is perfect for every situation, no one server architecture is perfect for every business environment.

In fact, even within a single enterprise it is almost always desirable to use more than one server architecture due to the wide range of needs to be filled. That's why 90% of all enterprises use multiple architectures (and 65% have three or more architectures in use). There is no one perfect architecture for every situation. By mixing and matching the various IBM eServer lines, you can take advantage of the inherent strengths of each to build a more flexible and efficient e-business infrastructure.

These, along with the need to preserve as much of the investment in computing infrastructure in place today, are the reasons IBM chose to move several unique architectures forward into the emerging e-business world.

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• Book: Exploring IBM Technology, Products & Services

• Book: Exploring IBM eServer xSeries

• Book: Exploring IBM eServer pSeries

• Book: Exploring IBM eServer iSeries

• Book: Exploring IBM eServer zSeries