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Progress Software's Gregg Willhoit Demystifies Use of IBM Specialty Engines at CMG '09 International Conference

^{Published on 2009-12-07 06:16:45 - Market Wire}
 

BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire - December 7, 2009) - Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: [ PRGS ]), a leading independent enterprise software provider that enables companies to be operationally responsive, today announced its participation at the Computer Measurement Group ([ CMG ]) technical conference taking place Dec. 6-11 in Dallas at the Gaylord Texan Resort. Gregg Willhoit, chief architect of the [ Progress® DataDirect® Shadow® ] mainframe integration platform, is a featured speaker with two presentations on the event agenda.

"There's a lot of confusion in the marketplace right now regarding the exploitation of the IBM specialty engines by independent software vendors," said Gregg Willhoit. "In both the exhibitor presentation and vendor training sessions, I'll examine the differences between proven methods for zIIP utilization and those that fail to meet IBM's customer agreement for authorized use. Attendees are certain to walk away with clarity and actionable advice to use immediately with their measurement, quantitative analysis and forecasting activities."

Both sessions examine the use of cutting-edge mainframe middleware products, like the DataDirect Shadow platform, that allow processing associated with SOA integration, events and data queries to be diverted from the mainframe General Purpose Processor (GPP) to the low-cost specialty processors. By moving computationally intensive workloads to the System z Integration Information Processor (zIIP) and System z Application Assist Processor (zAAP) organizations can more effectively manage MIPS capacity usage, defer upgrades and dramatically lower mainframe Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO).

The DataDirect Shadow platform provides a proven method for unlocking the zIIP engine to run additional workloads beyond DB2. Internal benchmark testing has shown the DataDirect Shadow product is capable of offloading up to 99 percent of process intensive SOA, event publishing and data workloads from the mainframe GPP to the non-restricted, more economic zIIP specialty engine and is the only product of its kind to offer an ANSI SQL-92 mainframe engine for non-relational data to leverage the zIIP specialty processor for lowering mainframe TCO.

Presentation Details

 Exhibitor Presentation: "Taking the zIIP Beyond DB2: A Holistic Approach to Lower Mainframe TCO" Time: Tuesday, Dec. 8th at 5:15 p.m. Room Location: Grapevine 3 Vendor Training: "Keeping it Legal: Techniques for Maximizing TCO with zIIP" Time: Thursday, Dec. 10th at 8:00 a.m. Room Location: Fort Worth 7 

Technological advancements like SOAs, Web services, ANSI-92 SQL and XML Events address many of the challenges of mainframe integration, but cost still remains a primary concern. For CMG members, conference attendees and other IT professionals interested in quantifying the daily and annual savings in dollars and MIPS capacity that can occur by exploiting the zIIP, Progress Software offers the [ Shadow Mainframe TCO Calculator ]. Developed in partnership with [ WinterGreen Research ], the calculator measures the impact of Web services, SOA and SQL data processing on mainframe capacity; the cost benefit of zIIP offload; and can help organizations ease the software and hardware procurement process by providing real-time ROI analysis and strategic support for improving control over mainframe costs. Visit Progress Software and the DataDirect offerings on the exhibition floor at booth #101. To learn more about the DataDirect Shadow TCO Calculator and to schedule a demonstration, go to[ http://www.datadirect.com/products/mainframe-integration/shadow-rte/shadow-tco-home/tco-calculator/index.ssp ].

The [ CMG '09 ] International Conference brings together system performance professionals to address computer performance evaluation issues across all popular computing platforms, from open systems to large commercial mainframes.

About Progress Software Corporation

Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: [ PRGS ]) is an independent enterprise software company that enables businesses to be operationally responsive to changing conditions and customer interactions as they occur -- to capitalize on new opportunities, drive greater efficiencies and reduce risk. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class enterprise software spanning event-driven visibility and real-time response, open integration, data access and integration, and application development and deployment -- all supporting on-premises and SaaS/Cloud deployments. Progress maximizes the benefits of operational responsiveness while minimizing IT complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at [ www.progress.com ] or +1-781-280-4000.

Progress, DataDirect and Shadow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Any other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.