For whatever reason today, I noticed that the IBM stock price is over $200. $203.07 was the close today. The 52 week high was $211.79. In the interest of disclosure, I worked for IBM for 20 years and acquired a nice bunch of stock, but I don't consider myself a market analyst, by any stretch of the imagination. I don't have IBM stock anymore, and I don't know where I've been for the last couple of years, but $203 surprised me. IBM seems determined to keep the stock price up. Ruthlessly perhaps, but nevertheless, it has to show a commitment to innovation in addition to cost cutting.
From the 4Q2012 earnings press release:
"Revenues from System z mainframe server products increased 56 percent compared with the year-ago period Total delivery of System z computing power, as measured in MIPS (millions of instructions per second), increased 66 percent versus the prior year and represented the largest MIPS shipment quarter in the company’s history."
"New workload specialty engines, including Linux, represented one-half of the MIPS shipped."
For me, the final sentence is the most important. What it doesn’t say is whether non speciality engines are one half of the total MIPS shipped, or one half of the increased MIPS shipped. Assuming the term ‘speciality engines’ includes ZIIPs, then either way, z/os MIPS have increased as well. I know I seem like I'm harping on the state of z/OS, but I have to tell you, it's a constant battle to refute the 'conventional wisdom' that the mainframe is dead. It's exhausting, many times. I sometimes feel that the real turnaround will happen right about the time I'm retiring, according to Murphy's law.
Anyhoo, I just thought I'd pass along my positive spin for today! Have a good weekend, and if you're at SHARE next week, come say hi! I'll be the one at the Tailgate Party in the Steelers shirt.
Whew! After months of blogging, I'm finally able to work the Steelers into the conversation!
PS, IBM is due for a stock split.
Do you own any IBM Stock? Go take the poll on the MVS page at www.share.org/Connect/SHARE-Programs/MVS-Program
Till Next Time....
Mary Anne
z/OSsyGirl