IBM Introduces New Generative AI-Powered Cybersecurity Assistant for Threat Detection and Response Services
IBM has announced the integration of generative AI capabilities into its managed Threat Detection and Response Services, enhancing security operations for clients. Built on IBM’s watsonx data and AI platform, the new IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Assistant aims to accelerate and improve the identification, investigation, and response to critical security threats.
This Cybersecurity Assistant will be part of IBM Consulting’s threat detection and response practice and included in IBM Consulting Advantage. The AI services platform is designed with purpose-built AI assets to enable IBM consultants to consistently deliver value with repeatability, quality, and speed.
According to Mark Hughes (Global Managing Partner of Cybersecurity Services, IBM Consulting), enhancing the Threat Detection and Response services with generative AI will reduce manual investigations and operational tasks for security analysts.
“As cyber incidents evolve from immediate crises to multi-dimensional and months-long events, security teams are facing the enduring challenge of too many attacks and not enough time or people to defend against them,” said Hughes.
Developed in collaboration with IBM Research, the new IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Assistant is built on the Granite foundation models, refined for production within IBM watsonx.ai, and utilizes IBM watsonx Assistant for its conversational chat interface. This integration aims to enhance threat detection and response by providing a more efficient and effective tool for IBM Consulting analysts.
Source: IBM
Broadcom Mainframe Developer Survey
Global technology leader Broadcom has released some highlights from its recently conducted survey of z/OS application developers. According to Broadcom, it “gives an unfiltered voice to enterprise developers of z/OS-based applications across organizations, geographies, and generations.”
A few highlights that Broadcom has revealed: of the 838 respondents, the majority have between six and twenty-five years of mainframe experience, work in companies that range from 2,000 to 50,000+ employees, and are situated around the world.
One of the key findings of the report was a high level of job satisfaction among respondents — 93% reported that they are satisfied with their career and 86% agreed that they are likely to recommend their career. Respondents cited the ability to work on a high-performance platform, job opportunities, and job stability as a few of the top benefits of their job. The vast majority (93%) of developers say that their companies see the mainframe as strategically important.
On the less positive side of the equation, outdated tools, interruptions and context switching, and lack of autonomy were a few of the most commonly reported obstacles to productivity among respondents.
The survey was conducted by Forrester Consulting in June 2024
Source: Broadcom
IBM CFO: z16 Mainframe Outperforms Expectations
IBM’s CFO, Jim Kavanaugh, stated that the z16 mainframe is surpassing the performance of previous generations, contributing to the company’s better-than-expected quarterly financial results. For the quarter ending June 2024, IBM reported $15.77 billion in revenue, a 1.9% increase year-on-year, exceeding analysts’ predictions of $15.62 billion.
IBM’s infrastructure segment, encompassing mainframe computers, hybrid cloud, and other distributed infrastructure, reported $3.65 billion in revenue, up 0.8% and surpassing the expected $3.51 billion. Kavanaugh attributed this success to strong demand for the z16 mainframe, which was launched in 2022.
“We’re now more than two years into the z16 cycle and the revenue performance continues to outperform prior cycles,” Kavanaugh said.
He continued: “IBM Z remains an enduring platform for mission-critical workloads, driving both hardware and related software, storage, and services adoption.”
The company’s distributed infrastructure revenue grew five percent, which Kavanaugh said was “driven by strength in both power and storage,” with customers utilizing machines based on the company’s Power10 chips.
He said: “Power growth was fueled by demand for data-intensive workloads on Power10 led by SAP HANA. Storage delivered growth again this quarter, including growth in high-end storage tied to the z16 cycle and solutions tailored to protect, manage, and access data for scaling generative AI.”
IBM plans to allocate some of its newly garnered revenue to acquire infrastructure management software vendor HashiCorp for $6.4 billion. CEO Arvind Krishna informed analysts that the deal is on track to close in the second half of the year.
Source: Database Trends and Applications
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.