So you've never heard of IBM zSystems? Or maybe you've heard of it but want to know more? Either way, you've come to the right place! This introductory Q&A will help you get your bearings and get you started on your journey to understanding IBM zSystems and how it can help your enterprise build and maintain applications in a private, secure, and resilient hybrid multicloud environment.

What is IBM zSystems?

IBM zSystems is a family name that's used by IBM for all of its z/Architecture mainframe computers, beginning with the z900 released in 2000 to the IBM z16 released in May 2022. (The "z" stands for "zero downtime," which reflects the reliability of the system.) IBM zSystems uses the IBM S/390 chip architecture. Data that's handled by IBM zSystems is encrypted by dedicated encryption processors over the complete ecosystem, using quantum-safe data encryption. This means that today’s encrypted data can withstand future unauthorized decryption using quantum computing capacity.

IBM z16 IBM z16

With the latest model, an AI accelerator chip is included on the CPU to do real-time AI processing. It can deliver 300 billion deep learning interference operations per day with less than 1 millisecond (ms) response time. This allows fraud detection on 100% of the processed transactions.

How is the IBM zSystems architecture different from that of other servers?

IBM zSystems has its own architecture which is designed to work with huge caches, and it has instruction sets to handle enterprise workloads by using IBM's own S/390x chip architecture. The S/390x architecture is supported by several popular Linux operating systems including SUSE, Red Hat, and Ubuntu, as well as a large number of open source applications.

What are the various OS options for Z?

IBM zSystems runs operating systems including z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE, z/TPF, and Linux. In fact, it is common for multiple operating systems to run on a single mainframe. LinuxONE is an IBM zSystems system that’s specifically dedicated to running Linux; this combines the benefits of the Linux OS with the capabilities and strengths of the mainframe like outstanding data security, availability, performance, efficiency, and cost savings.

What are some examples of IBM zSystems in use today?

IBM zSystems is used by 44 of the top 50 banks and all top 10 insurers worldwide, as well as a large number of government, healthcare, airline, and retail organizations and other companies that require the highest standards for performance, security, reliability, and availability.

Take the next steps

Want to learn more? The following resources can help you build your IBM zSystems knowledge and skills:

IBM zSystems fundamentals: An introductory Q&A

IBM zSystems fundamentals: An introductory Q&A