IBM Smart Business Technical White Paperhttp-download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/qbes/resources...Web Server: — Apache (included with Zend Core) — PHP (from Zend Core) — DokuWiki

Simplifying the adoption and management of business applicationswhile removing the burden of ITMarch 2009

IBM Smart Business TechnicalWhite Paper

http://www.ibm.com

Page 2Simplifying the adoption and management of business applications while removing the burden of IT

Table of Contents

What is IBM Smart Business? ...................................................................................................................... 3IBM Smart Market ............................................................................................................................................... 3IBM Smart Cube .................................................................................................................................................. 4IBM Smart Business Software Pack ............................................................................................................ 5IBM Smart Desk................................................................................................................................................... 8IBM Smart Support............................................................................................................................................. 10

Why IBM Smart Business is a smart choice ...................................................................................... 11Simple to set up................................................................................................................................................... 11Simple to manage ............................................................................................................................................... 12Simple to upgrade............................................................................................................................................... 14

How did IBM make IBM Smart Business simple? .......................................................................... 16IBM Smart Business Application Integrator............................................................................................... 16Simplified user experience ............................................................................................................................... 17Simple and secure .............................................................................................................................................. 18

Analyst Reviews..................................................................................................................................................... 19Charles King, Pund-IT Research.................................................................................................................... 19IDC Frank Gens’ Blog ........................................................................................................................................ 20

Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Page 3Simplifying the adoption and management of business applications while removing the burden of ITSimplifying the adoption and management of business applications while removing the burden of IT

What is IBM Smart Business?IBM® Smart Business offers small and medium-sized businesses the hardware, software, and IT services

they need to run and grow their business—all integrated into a single solution. It offers a much simpler

approach for businesses that would rather focus on growing their company than spend the time and

resources to deploy and manage their IT systems. IBM Smart Business is designed to help increase

efficiency, decrease complexity and deliver business applications in a way that is easy to implement,

operate and grow.

IBM Smart Business is about the ease of acquiring and managing business solutions developed by

IBM and Business Partners such as ERP, CRM, finance and accounting, mobility, security, e-commerce,

and telephony—rather than acquiring IT fixes. So with as little as a few clicks, you can have access to

capabilities such as e-mail, as well as many other applications. Solutions are built on a set of open

standard interfaces called IBM Smart Business Application Integrator, which makes the installation of

new applications, systems management and online services easy to use, consistent, and compatible for

businesses. No matter which software applications or services you choose, you can be assured that they’ve

been tested and integrated so that everything works together right out of the box.

IBM Smart Market

IBM Smart Market is the portal into every aspect of IBM Smart Business, both for prospective customers

and current customers. For prospective customers, Smart Market is a marketplace of applications that

are organized around your business, such as your industry, your size, and your business needs. Rich

community-driven content is also available to help you learn more about the capabilities of the


applications, look at ratings and reviews of applications, and compare them side by side. For existing

customers, in addition to the marketplace for additional applications, Smart Market is your IT advisor,

where your hardware and software inventory is managed, where problems and issues are reported, and

where fixes and updates are delivered. In the future, Smart Market will also contain information about the

health and condition of your IBM Smart Business environment, so problems can be avoided.

IBM Smart Cube

IBM Smart Market allows a customer to shop for complete business solutions delivering a radically new IT

experience based on simplicity and ease-of-use. Central to this new IT experience is IBM Smart Cube, a

tightly integrated appliance designed to a new standard.

IBM Smart Cube, the integrated server platform, comes in several different configurations based on

application requirements. Smart Cube, loaded with IBM Smart Business Software Pack, is pre-configured

and ready to use, with everything your business needs to start improving efficiency and help you grow,

from file serving to Web serving to print serving, from backup and recovery to firewall to security. All the

hardware including CPU, memory, disk drives, ports, network controllers, and DVD-ROM are all contained

within one server platform. Today, IBM Smart Cube allows customers to choose the configuration that best

matches their needs.

IBM has based its Smart Cubes on both x86 industry standard processors and the scalable,

powerful IBM POWER® processor to deliver the broadest software solution portfolio for small and

medium-sized business customers from 5 - 1,000 employees. Depending on business needs and growth,

smaller companies with 5 - 300 employees may choose an x86 Smart Cube, while companies with

100 - 1,000 employees may go with a POWER processor-based Smart Cube. While both appliances have

been designed for availability and reliability, the POWER processor-based Smart Cube has IBM mainframe

attributes for virtualization, reliability and scalability. These new appliances allow companies to grow as

business needs expand.


IBM Smart Business Software Pack

Smart Cube Preloaded

The following lists all the preloaded software and services on all Smart Cube Configurations.

Smart Cube Optional

The following optional applications are available for use with each IBM Smart Cube. These applications

can be easily installed as needed:

● E-mail: IBM Lotus® Domino® Server● User Directory: Lotus Domino Utility Server Express● Collaboration: Lotus Sametime® Server● Web Server:

— Apache (included with Zend Core)— PHP (from Zend Core)— DokuWiki

● Application Server: Java™—Both the 32-bit JRE™ and the 64-bit JRE are included

● Client Operating System:— Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 (Professional)— Windows Vista® (Business, Ultimate)

● Client Web Browser:— Internet Explorer®— Firefox


Smart Cube Preloaded for x86

In addition to the preloaded Smart Cube software, the following lists all the preloaded software and

services on all Smart Cube configurations for x86:

● Server Operating System: SUSE Linux® Enterprise Server 10 SP2 (SLES 10)● File Server: Samba (included with SLES 10 distro)● Backup/Recovery: MCP Boot, IBM Tivoli® Storage Manager (TSM)● Firewall: ISS Proventia® Server● Print Server: Linux print functions

● E-mail: Lotus Notes® (Standard or Basic)—or—Domino Web Access (DWA)● Collaboration: Sametime Connect Client● Office Applications: Lotus Symphony™● Client Launchpad Manager: IBM Smart Business Launch is a folder on each end user’s desktop that

links to IBM Smart Business utilities, which is used to manage printers, change passwords, and viewother IBM Smart Cube users.

● General Administration:— IBM Smart Desk (This is available on a CD and can also be downloaded from each IBM Smart

Cube via the User Programs Catalog interface.)— IBM Smart Business Administrator Panel (This is a Web application running on Smart Cube

being administered. A link is created to it when Smart Desk is installed on the client. No actualclient code is necessary to access this Web application.)

● Lotus Products: Domino Administrator


Smart Cube Optional for x86

In addition to the optional applications available for each Smart Cube, the following optional applications

are available on each IBM Smart Cube for x86. These applications can be easily installed as needed:

● Database: IBM DB2® Express● Application Server: IBM WebSphere® Application Server (WAS)—Express● VoIP: Asterisk PBX Server ● Remote Data Protection: BCRS● Security Protection: ISS Unified Threat Management (UTM) e-mail Security Managed Services

Smart Cube Preloaded for POWER processors

In addition to the preloaded Smart Cube software, the following lists all the preloaded software and

services on all Smart Cube configurations for POWER processors:

● Server Operating System: IBM i V6R1● File Server: IBM i file server functions● Backup/Recovery: IBM i backup and recovery functions● Application Server: IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS)—Express● VoIP: Nortel SCS 500● Firewall: IBM i security functions● Print Server: IBM i print server functions● Database: IBM DB2 for i


Smart Cube Optional for POWER processors

In addition to the optional applications available for each Smart Cube, the following optional applications

are available on each IBM Smart Cube for POWER processors. These applications can be easily installed

as needed:

● Backup/Recovery: Backup Recovery Media Services (BRMS)● Security Protection: ISS Unified Threat Management (UTM)

IBM Smart Desk

IBM Smart Desk—included with every Smart Cube, provides a single, consistent interface to install,

configure, manage, license, administer, and maintain Smart Cube and IBM Smart Business applications

and services. Smart Desk contains multiple wizards, tools, and interfaces that are installed on an

administrator’s or end user’s workstation.

Smart Desk contains the following rich clients: Setup Wizard, Network Wizard, and Application Installer.

It also consists of the following Web applications: Administrator Panel, the Message Center (a part of the

Administrator Panel), and the User Programs Catalog that are served up from an embedded Web server

running on every Smart Cube. Finally, Smart Desk makes your life easier with a number of utilities

and tools.


More information about each of the different Smart Desk features is described below.

● Administrator Only:— Setup wizard is used for setting up and configuring Smart Cube.— Application Installer is a wizard for deploying applications on Smart Cube such as e-mail,

collaboration, IP telephony, and many others.— Network wizard enables an administrator to reconfigure a Smart Cube network.— Administrator panel delivers management capabilities for all Smart Cube applications and services.

Included with the administrator panel is the message center that sends messages to administrators,alerting them if issues or problems occur on the Smart Cube.

● Administrator and End Users:— User Programs Catalog is an interface for downloading and installing client applications on end

user workstations.— Launch is a folder on end user workstations that contains icons for launching rich client and

Web applications.— Directory is an interface for viewing user information.— Change Password is an interface that allows users to change their password.— Printer Setup Utility is an application that configures your Smart Cube to use printers that it

discovers in your network (under Advanced Services for IBM Power™ platform).


After Smart Desk is installed on a workstation located on the same LAN segment as Smart Cube, the setup

wizard automatically starts and prompts the administrator for information that is needed to set up Smart

Cube. On completion of the setup wizard, the administrator can choose to run the Application Installer,

which allows configuration of any other preloaded applications that were not automatically set up. The

Application Installer is also used to configure subsequent applications purchased and downloaded from

IBM Smart Market after your Smart Cube is initially configured.

IBM Smart Support

IBM Smart Cube and application software not only work together, but interface with a revolutionary

support system that proactively responds to assist customers in resolving issues. Smart Cube provides the

tools needed for administrators to be notified of a problem when it occurs and perform the necessary steps

to help resolve system problems. The system dynamically alerts customers to common problems and

provides suggestions to solve or circumvent problems, as well. One of the ways this is accomplished is

through automatic notification and installation of IBM and ISV application fixes for Smart Cube.

Customers will find answers to common problems, product documentation, and information about

applications and services provided by vendors on Smart Market. Online communities, available through

Smart Market, allow customers to read blogs, ask questions in forums and contribute to wikis.

The entire service and support process is integrated, starting with diagnostics, troubleshooting wizards,

and log collectors on Smart Cube all the way through to the intelligent support information at Smart

Market. Diagnostic “health” checks occur at the system level with a focus on the basic health of

applications or services, operating system, and the technologies providing the services. Smart Cube

transfers hardware and software inventory information to IBM in order to facilitate the support processes.

Smart Market provides a “single point of entry” into the larger IBM technical support structure, as well as

into software vendors’ support teams. Problems that cannot be solved by this wealth of diagnostics and

information will be reported to IBM, where end-to-end incident management and handling is done.

IBM Global Technology Services, IBM Global Finance and other third-party service partners are also

available to ensure comprehensive business value, help reduce costs and technical complexity, increase

productivity, and provide support—all with a single click on IBM Smart Market.


Why IBM Smart Business is a smart choiceSetup, manage and upgrade with IBM Smart Business

Simple to set up

Once Smart Cube is plugged-in, the power and Ethernet cables are connected, and you have accepted the

license agreement, you can easily install and configure Smart Desk either from the CD shipped with

every Smart Cube or by downloading from IBM Passport Advantage®. After Smart Desk has been

successfully installed, the setup wizard is automatically launched. This wizard is very simple to use and

auto-configures itself to fit into your network topology.

In fact, no network information is required for many network topologies except for the actual name of

your Smart Cube, and required configuration information are set as defaults (i.e., IP addresses, subnets,

DNS addresses, and DHCP, etc.) to make it easy for a client with little to no technical skills. For businesses

that do require more advanced configurations, the setup wizard allows you to modify the default

configurations based on your needs.

Upon completion of the setup wizard, the operating system on Smart Cube and many of the

preloaded applications are automatically configured and begin running. The Application Installer is also

used to configure additional applications and services purchased and downloaded from Smart Market.

The entire process to set up Smart Cube is simple, takes little administrative input, and completes in a

short amount of time.

● Set up your Smart Cube with user-friendly installation and configuration wizards.● Pre-integrated with all the fundamental technology required to run a business (i.e., hardware,

integrated middleware, e-mail, calendaring, and backup and recovery)● Access to a Web-based community and marketplace to acquire new business solutions and access tips

and techniques or best practices


Screenshot of the setup wizard

Simple to manage

Once Smart Cube is set up, management is made simple with IBM Smart Business Administrator Panel, a

dashboard accessible through a Web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) via each Smart Cube’s

embedded Web server. The Administrator Panel interface is very simple and allows you to view the status

and associated actions for each application, including Stopped, Running, OK, and Warning. Examples of

actions that can be performed include investigating problem determination (PD), information about an


application (both user reported and automatically detected problems), starting and stopping application

servers, opening application administrative consoles, and changing application or service settings. In

addition, depending on how administrators configure their Smart Cube, all fixes for Smart Cube and its

installed applications can be automatically downloaded and applied when they are available in Smart

Market. Finally, errors, warnings and other Smart Cube relevant information are delivered to a message

center that is a part of the Administrator Panel. Smart Cube can also be configured to also deliver these

messages to one or more specific e-mail addresses. In the near future, the message center will also contain

information regarding predicted problems, available updates, and service status updates from IBM. By

having all this information readily available, Smart Cube can easily be managed by almost any level

of administrator.

● Web-delivered collaborative services immediately ready to support your business● Single point of contact for service and support● Always connected for built-in security and autonomic management of patches and updates for both

Smart Cube and Smart Desk● Access to remote (cloud-based) application services, such as managed security and hosted backup and

recovery, will be available.


Screenshot of the Administrator Panel

Simple to upgrade

You can easily add more applications and services to your Smart Cube. After purchasing an application, it

is automatically downloaded from Smart Market to Smart Cube. Once the download is complete, a

notification is sent to the message center and a designated e-mail, if provided, indicating that a new

application is available to be installed and configured. Simply start the Application Installer to install and

configure the new application. No matter the application or vendor, the installation experience is identical

on Smart Cube.


After an application has been installed on Smart Cube and end users have been given access to it, they

can easily access the application by opening their IBM Smart Business Launch folder and clicking on

“User Programs Catalog.” This launches a default Web browser and points users to a Web page (served up

from an embedded Web server on Smart Cube) that contains all the application interfaces that they can

download. Once end users download and install the necessary clients on their workstations, the links/icons

to the application clients (Web-based and installed) are stored collectively in the organized IBM Smart

Business Launch folder so a user can manage all Smart Cube application client interfaces. Whenever

the end users want to use applications, they simply open the Launch folder and click on the application

they want.

● New application deployment through an easy-to-use desktop dashboard● Expand solutions and add new users through a single wizard tool● Designed to easily upgrade to Internet-enabled phones, i.e., Voice over IP (VoIP)

Screenshot of the Application Installer


How did IBM make IBM Smart Business simple?IBM Smart Business Application Integrator

IBM Smart Business Application Integrator provides the infrastructure that enables applications, hardware,

software and services to easily integrate with these identified Integration Points, all of which are working

behind the scenes to ensure ease-of-use.

Key design points of the Application Integration Framework are:

Simple● Automated Network Installation● Licensing● Backup and Restore

— locally— remote disaster recovery

Consistent● One dashboard for:

— Applications— Error messages— Recovery tasks— Reports

● Simplified download for fixes – HW, SWAlways Connected● Electronic Support

— After certain recovery tasks automated reporting of error and data is transmitted to IBM Central— System identifies when fixes are available

● Inventory managementSecure● Protects against known and unknown threats● Enforces network access● Insider Threats—who, what and where● Compliance with tracking and reporting


Simplified user experience

The result of the Application Integrator is a simplified user experience. We’ve taken care of the complexity,

so you don’t have to.

● Selecting solutions, obtaining initial pricing, and validating the configuration of the server beforesubmitting the information to IBM takes minutes, not hours.

● Hardware, software, and any printed information for a single Smart Cube will arrive in one box.● Server Installation and Setup: Plug the power cord in and turn it on. After the simple setup wizard, then

order information will be retrieved and configure IBM Smart Cube automatically.● Server network configuration: Turn it on and the product automatically discovers the network and

configures itself to IBM Smart Market with automatic resolution of any port conflict.● Backup and recovery: For Smart Cube on x86, backup can be done immediately or on schedule; results

and the next scheduled backup will be part of the Administrator Panel status screen. The server will beshipped with an existing backup policy preconfigured, thus providing some level of protection if the usertakes no action. Remote backup is offered as an upgrade feature. For recovery, power down, insert a CD,and then power up.

● Secure out of the box—No need to configure security. Necessary ports will be automatically opened for allservices, middleware, and applications as they are installed.

● Performance—System has been configured for optimum performance on the hardware. Specializedperformance tuning expertise is not required.

● Client Launchpad manager—Organized desktop provides access to all applications the administrator hasspecified for each user.

● ISV and other included applications are managed in IBM Smart Business Administrator Panel andLaunchpad.

● Print server: For Smart Cube on x86, printers are automatically detected, configured, and madeavailable immediately for use by all users.


Simple and secure

IBM Smart Business creates a secure environment for customers to run their business while also protecting

customers’ electronic assets (data). In the past, when customers tried to deploy various security measures, it

was always a challenge because using many different capabilities meant each one required a unique

implementation and each was managed individually.

Being secure out of the box is very important to our customers. During the initial configuration of Smart

Cube for x86, numerous system settings are modified to make Smart Cube more secure. These settings

were recommended by the IBM Technology Center and include uninstalling and/or removing unneeded

services, configuring services to use more restrictive settings and logging audit information about the users

of Smart Cube for x86.

1. Automatically download and install fixes.2. Automatically download and then notify the administrator that one or more fixes are available

to install.3. Automatically check for new updates without downloading and installing them.4. Never check for updates. If choices 2 or 3 are made, it is very easy to click the notification on the

fix and have it automatically installed and downloaded if necessary.● Adding users: Add users and they are automatically added to Domino, Sametime, and, in the future, to

the ISV applications.

● Integrated administrator panel—Wizards will analyze problems, possible recovery actions, and gather loginformation to report problems and avoid re-discoveries.

● Report a problem: Run the wizard. If the problem remains, click on the button to search the forum onIBM Smart Market. If the problem still remains, the log information will be automatically gathered forIBM and a problem report opened.

● Get a fix: For Smart Cube on x86, Smart Cube can be configured in one of four ways:


Once setup and configuration wizard is complete for your x86 Smart Cube, IBM Proventia Server for

Linux (PSL) is enabled. PSL not only provides Smart Cube for x86 with an industry-leading firewall, but

also provides intrusion prevention. The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) provided by PSL helps protect

servers from the growing spectrum of threat while also helping enable the server to keep data and

applications reliable, available and confidential. IPS monitors in real time the operating system,

applications and network activity to help safeguard your Smart Cube for x86 from misuse and intrusion.

PSL periodically checks its IBM update server site and automatically downloads and installs updates

without any interaction from your Smart Cube’s administrator.

Security made simple is also a priority on Smart Cube with IBM POWER processors. During the initial

configuration of Smart Cubes built with POWER processor technology, or whenever a public interface is

created, initial IP packet rules are deployed preventing public access to any services or applications

running on the Smart Cube. These IP packet rules provide network security using the packet filtering

support integrated into the IBM i operating system for POWER processor-based Smart Cubes.

Whenever IBM Smart Business applications are deployed to the public interface using the Application

Installer, the required ports are automatically opened by adding additional IP packet rules. This automates

the steps required for deployment of additional applications.

IBM Smart Business Administrator Panel lets you manage the firewall. IBM Smart Business offers a

simple-to-understand and easy-to-use GUI for use by the system administrator to control the security

aspects of the network and server. In this way, the customer can leverage multiple security capabilities

without sacrificing simplicity.

Analyst reviewsCharles King, Pund-IT Research

http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=23228

“Analyst Charles King, Pund-IT Research, believes the new platform plays to IBM’s strengths. ‘IBM is

known for simplifying highly complex systems for customers. [It] not only benefits customers, but partners

as well. The goal is an everyone-wins scenario.’…At the end of the day, customers will have highly effective,

easy-to-manage solutions that bear the IBM stamp of approval.”

http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=23228

For more informationTo learn more about IBM Smart Business, please contact your IBM marketing

representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit the following Web site:

ibm.com/smartmarket

Additionally, IBM Global Financing can tailor financing solutions to your

specific IT needs. For more information on great rates, flexible payment plans

and loans, and asset buyback and disposal, visit: ibm.com/financing

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2009

IBM CorporationSystems and Technology GroupRoute 100Somers, NY 10589

Produced in the United States of AmericaMarch 2009All Rights Reserved

IBM, the IBM logo and ibm.com are trademarksor registered trademarks of InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. If theseand other IBM trademarked terms are markedon their first occurrence in this information witha trademark symbol (® or ™), these symbolsindicate U.S. registered or common lawtrademarks owned by IBM at the time thisinformation was published. Such trademarksmay also be registered or common lawtrademarks in other countries. A current list ofIBM trademarks is available on the Web at“Copyright and trademark information” atibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.

Other product, company or service names maybe trademarks or service marks of others.

BAW03001-USEN-00

IDC Frank Gens’ Blog

IDC eXchange, IBM’s ’Blue Business Platform’ Is a Very Big Deal,

(http://blogs.idc.com/ie/?p=179) June 16th, 2008

“We’ve noted it will take a new solution development and delivery model to

capture the SMB potential—IBM is making its move.”

“Undoubtedly, IBM’s hope is that bringing simplification to the SMB world

in this way will result in the same kind of growth and market share benefits

that Apple has enjoyed with its simple and disruptive iPod/iTunes model.”

“My bet is that this model for business solutions delivery, like the

iPod/iTunes model for media, will indeed stimulate a lot of new growth by

significantly lowering adoption barriers.”

SummaryWith IBM Smart Business, you can break from the status quo of costly,

complex and inflexible IT, with a solution that is easy to install, easy to run,

and easy to grow. You can tap on technology for efficiency and growth instead

of managing IT. IBM Smart Business is about the power of true integration

and automation that lowers the initial investment of money and time,

and realizes even greater savings over the long run. It’s about the ease of

acquiring business solutions like mobility, security, e-commerce, telephony

and sales management.

For more information, we invite you to join in (or simply browse)

IBM Smart Business user community.

In the US: http://www.ibm.com/smartmarket/

In India: http://www.ibm.com/smartmarket/in/en/

http://www.ibm.com

http://www.ibm.com/smartmarket

http://www.ibm.com/financing

http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml

http://blogs.idc.com/ie/?p=179

http://www.ibm.com/smartmarket/

http://www.ibm.com/smartmarket/in/en/

Documents

IBM Smart Business Technical White Paperhttp-download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/qbes/resources...Web Server: — Apache (included with Zend Core) — PHP (from Zend Core) — DokuWiki