AiThority Interview with Tina Tarquinio, VP, Product Management, IBM Z and LinuxONE

Tina Tarquinio, VP, Product Management, IBM Z and LinuxONE, highlights the security and resilience features of LinuxONE and IBM Z, AI-powered analytics for businesses, and more in this Q&A:

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AI is transforming product management across industries. How do you leverage AI in shaping the roadmap for IBM Z and LinuxONE?

In developing our roadmap, we incorporate AI not only into the products themselves, but also into the lifecycle services that support these solutions in the field. IBM Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) streamlines customer assistance by incorporating AI and automation. This includes features such as the Virtual Assistant, which allows for easy self-service for a wide range of inquiries, and the ‘Call Home/Enterprise Service Agent (ESA)’ tool, which notifies IBM of potential concerns in real time. These AI-powered technologies give clients with useful information, ranging from proactive issue management to preventative maintenance, resulting in seamless and reliable operations.

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AI acceleration is an important priority area for both IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE, especially in industries such as financial services, healthcare and public sector, where real-time data analysis and actionability is crucial. We help organizations make faster, more accurate decisions by integrating Ensemble AI, which blends numerous AI models with Large Language Models (LLMs). This is especially relevant in use cases like fraud detection, where AI models on IBM Z provide real-time insights without sacrificing speed. Our goal is to establish a holistic AI stack that covers everything from infrastructure optimization to application-level AI integration, guaranteeing enterprises can grow AI successfully and meet their evolving business needs.

Can you share insights about how AI enhances the security and resilience features of LinuxONE and IBM Z, particularly in safeguarding sensitive enterprise data?

Security has always been a core feature of IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE, and AI now strengthens this even further. In fact, in a long-running 3rd party survey by Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, IBM Z and LinuxONE have been declared the most secure servers in the industry every year for the past 15 years. Data that is used for training and testing AI and ML models, and those resulting models is often deemed as highly sensitive and highly valuable. The adoption of AI has been notably slower in regulated industries, IP-driven sectors, and entities dealing with highly sensitive data, with data privacy and security being the main concerns, but clients need a technology that allows them to leverage the benefits of AI, while assuring the data used is safe.

Leveraging confidential computing technology for confidential AI, we protect AI models within the secure boundary of a trusted execution environment. This environment uses the built-in AI acceleration of the IBM Telum processor on IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE platforms. Additionally, IBM Threat Detection for z/OS applies AI to identify anomalous, potentially malicious data access in real time, providing an added layer of security for sensitive information.

To better prepare our clients for the future of quantum computing, Application Discovery Insights provides visibility into cryptographic functions within systems, allowing organizations to plan ahead of time for quantum-safe data protection. Confidential AI additionally safeguards the data pipeline, enabling only authorized data analysts and engineers access to the necessary data, preventing PII data leaks and assuring compliance.

How AI-powered analytics are being used to drive sustainability outcomes for businesses?

In the context of IBM Z, AI-powered analytics provide our clients with a granular view of their environmental impact. Beginning with IBM z16, power consumption is now reported not only at the system level but also at the partition level. By using the REST-based HMC Web Services API, clients can access power data segmented into partition power, infrastructure power, and unassigned power, giving them insights necessary for informed sustainability decisions. Paired with environmental data—such as ambient temperature, humidity, heat load, and exhaust temperature—clients gain a comprehensive view of their data center’s environmental footprint, enabling them to make targeted improvements and meet sustainability objectives more quickly.

With access to sustainability data through tools like the Environmental Dashboard and integration with data center infrastructure management (DCIM) systems, IBM enables clients to move from simple data collection and reporting to making strategic decisions based on sustainability insights. This empowers teams across the organization, including sustainability officers, architects, and application owners, to choose the most sustainable solutions and align with net-zero and other long-term goals.

Cyber-resilience is a growing concern for organizations in all industries. Can you elaborate on how LinuxONE’s architecture and capabilities help businesses strengthen their cyber resilience, particularly in the face of increasing ransomware and cyber threats?

IBM LinuxONE’s architecture and capabilities help businesses strengthen their cyber resilience by providing technology that aims to prevent security breaches from the outset. IBM LinuxONE supports rapid recovery during disruptions with System Recovery Boost and HyperSwap technologies, helping businesses minimize downtime. From a cybersecurity standpoint, data is secured both at rest and in transit, while IBM Secure Execution for Linux provides a secure boundary to protect data in use from internal and external threats, further enhancing cyber-resilient prevention techniques through confidential computing. This architecture ensures that sensitive data and workloads operate within a trusted execution environment, adding another layer of security critical in facing modern cyber threats.

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Additionally, LinuxONE offers high availability, meeting the strict resilience requirements of clients operating in highly regulated environments. Designed to deliver up to 99.999999% (eight 9s) availability, LinuxONE provides the stability and reliability essential for businesses facing increasing ransomware and other cyber threats.

Looking ahead, what are the top three innovations you’re most excited about in the IBM Z and LinuxONE space, and how do you see these innovations shaping the future of enterprise IT?

The first is Ensemble AI, which combines multiple AI models with Large Language Models (LLMs) to deliver nuanced insights, enhancing both the accuracy and speed of decision-making. With support from the IBM Spyre Accelerator, Ensemble AI use cases benefit from high-efficiency processing capabilities, providing real-time insights that cater to the increasingly complex demands of enterprise environments.

The second innovation is quantum-safe cryptography. As the quantum era approaches, data protection against quantum-level threats becomes crucial. IBM Z and LinuxONE are equipped to offer quantum-safe solutions that prepare organizations for the future by safeguarding sensitive data in hybrid IT environments. This capability is especially essential for industries with high compliance and security standards, ensuring data resilience within an evolving threat landscape.

Lastly, Sustainable IT practices are reshaping the enterprise IT landscape, with IBM Z and LinuxONE prioritizing energy-efficient operations. These platforms allow businesses to handle significant workloads with reduced power consumption, supporting their environmental goals. Innovations like the Environmental Dashboard and integrations with data center infrastructure management (DCIM) tools give teams detailed insights into their sustainability impact. By providing actionable data, these tools support broader corporate responsibility objectives, helping organizations reduce carbon footprints and manage resources responsibly as they expand.

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