What Does IBM Want Customers To Do? Maybe Something Like This
January 11, 2010 (Technology News) By Hesh Wiener
Neon is trying to sell zPrime to mainframe customers as a way to reduce software bills. IBM is trying to prevent this. Customers are caught in the middle. If, as Neon contends, using zPrime is just a smart and perfectly legal way to cut software bills (even if that makes IBM unhappy), a VPDP who doesn't evaluate the product could be in trouble. Corporate management might want to know why that IT manager is wasting scarce corporate funds. On the other hand, if IBM prevails and gets to shut down Neon it could go after customers who got cute with zPrime, and that, too, could lead to awkward conversations between corporate computing managers and their company's bean-counters. Making matters even more difficult, IBM is not entirely sure it will win in court, so it's trying to change the rules under which it sells mainframe hardware and software to run on it. Mainframe shops trying to turn on a specialty engine are starting to see new documents that circumscribe their use of the equipment. At shops that already have zIIP or zAAP engines up and running, it may be too late, but IBM seems to have no problem pressing customers to sign new deals or amend their old arrangements . . . without offering any quid pro quo.