IBM Delivers Total Linux Solutions to Wall Street

J.D. Edwards, SunGard Join IBM to Deploy Linux

NEW YORK - 20 Jun 2002: IBM announced today the opening of the first center in New York City to help the financial services industry deploy Linux® solutions.

"IBM is viewed as a leader in Linux and open solutions, and it is a natural evolution of our long standing partnership for J.D. Edwards to participate in IBM's Linux Center of Competence," said Les Wyatt, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, J.D. Edwards. "J.D. Edwards collaborative CRM solution, working with IBM hardware and software in the Linux Center of Competence, will allow us to address the flexibility and scalability requirements of financial services customers."

IBM's Linux Center of Competence (Linux CoC) will provide the financial sector with a full range of support for Linux, including access to IBM hardware, software and services to evaluate and test key applications on Linux, secure technical advice, participate in Linux training courses and educational programs, attend community events, as well as work in a hands-on environment with key ISVs, Linux distributors and Business Partners.

"In the face of a challenging economy, IBM customers in the financial sector are moving to Linux because of its low cost, powerful security, stability and flexibility," said Steve Solazzo, general manager, Linux at IBM. "But, most importantly, they are moving to Linux because it enables their deployment of applications that give them competitive advantage. The breadth of customers, Business Partners, ISVs, and vendors that are participating with IBM in the Linux Center of Competence is a clear indicator that there is demand on Wall Street for complete Linux solutions."

At the center, financial services customers will have an opportunity to test several types of Linux solutions including:

• IBM's entire eServer product line including, Intel-based xSeries systems, powerful and inexpensive Linux clusters that transform the processing of quantitative applications to distributed applications in brokerage or branch locations, and Linux mainframes to take advantage of the cost savings associated with server consolidation.
• IBM's TotalStorage products including, the Enterprise Storage Server, code-named Shark, network attached storage, and tape storage to provide storage consolidation, improve the availability of information and ensure that it is protected and provide disaster recovery solutions.
• Industry leading integration software that streamlines business processes, making it easier and less expensive to share information across a variety of applications throughout a corporation and its remote locations.

SunGard, J.D. Edwards, VERITAS Software, and Sybase are among the premier firms whose technologies will be available in the IBM Linux Center. In addition to the IBM Learning Services courses available, these Business Partners and participating companies will provide seminars and hands-on training sessions for customers using their Linux applications.

"As part of the drive to help clients reduce Total Cost of Ownership, IBM and SunGard are exploring Linux as part of a Server and Application consolidation plan that will help SunGard and IBM customers integrate their application environments to speed processing of financial transactions," said Mack Gill, director, Alliance Programs.

Linux Center of Competence Offerings
Hardware and Software Capabilities

IBM will make its eServer(TM) product line available to users of the Center to evaluate key financial industry applications on a variety of platforms ranging from Intel® processor-based eServer xSeries(TM) servers to the IBM eServer zSeries(TM) mainframe running Linux. To complement IBM's eServer and software products, IBM will also make available an extensive selection of Linux enabled storage networking technologies from the TotalStorage family including, "Shark" Enterprise Storage Server, FAStT, Network Attached Storage and tape products.

As the leading software vendor in support of Linux, IBM will provide its broad middleware portfolio across the eServer product line, including WebSphere® infrastructure software, DB2® database, Lotus® Domino(TM) and Tivoli® software. Using IBM hardware and software, the Center will provide real-world settings to show users how to streamline processes by integrating applications; maximize client information to strengthen customer relationships; and share key data more efficiently across an organization.

The Eclipse, open source platform will also be supported in the Center lab. With over one million downloads, Eclipse is quickly becoming a key environment for developers. IBM will make its Eclipse-based WebSphere Studio tools - which span the entire middleware portfolio - available in the Linux Center, giving software programmers access to a single, integrated set of tools that help reduce development costs and increase productivity.

IBM Global Services Support and Teaching Capabilities
IBM Global Services (IGS) will offer the expertise of its technical staff to assist in specific client engagements including porting efforts, benchmarks and proof of concept work.

Linux training courses will also be available through the Linux CoC. IBM offers the most extensive Linux course portfolio in the market, with more than 20 classroom-based courses, as well as e-learning courses featuring live remote labs and e-tutors. IBM courses range from "Linux Basic Training" to LPI and Red Hat certification programs. Along with Linux administration certification, the Learning Services courses provide skills and training on how to realign UNIX® skills and applications to leverage Linux environments.

Linux Community Events and Speakers
IBM and a variety of Business Partners and participating companies will regularly host speakers to discuss latest developments, trends and technologies around Linux. In addition to key community speakers, the Linux Center of Competence will be used by key industry groups, such as The New York Linux Users Group, the New York New Media Association, New York Software Industry Association, and the Java Users Group. The New York Linux Users Group, whose members work on Wall Street and comprise the largest Linux community in New York, will also use the Linux Center as its homebase of operations, hosting monthly meetings, technical presentations, speakers and industry events.

Linux Distributors, ISVs and Partners
As part of their ongoing commitment in support IBM's Linux initiatives, SuSE Linux will provide ongoing installation and technical support for the IBM Linux Center. In addition, SuSE and its business partners will provide assistance to the Linux CoC in porting client applications and integrating enterprise solutions. Some key ISV's that will work with IBM and help with integration of applications include Axiom Software Laboratories, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise data and risk management solutions, and Intelligent Markets, a leading trading platform for securities dealers.

About IBM
IBM is the world's number one server company and information technology provider, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM helps customers, Business Partners and developers in a wide range of industries that leverage the power of the Internet for e-business. For more information, visit http://www.ibm.com.

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IBM, eServer, DB2, Websphere, xSeries, Tivoli, and zSeries are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Lotus and Domino are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.