IBM Power Systems Academy Takes Charge at 300 Institutions
IBM's Power Systems Academic Initiative reached a milestone in February: More than 300 higher education institutions worldwide have signed on to the program.
The initiative delivers access to new technologies that help students dive deep into lessons on Big Data, cloud, mobile and social. Higher education coursework based on IBM's Power Systems gives students a wide range of experiences. IBM's Power Systems servers are used across several industries. The company's Watson computer is even based on these machines and is forging a new path for IBM in the realm of cognitive computing.
Students learning through Power Systems will be oriented to Linux-, IBM i- and AIX-based operating systems. Participating schools are offered coursework, software, access to technical libraries and experts, along with remote, virtual access to a Power Systems environment, according to an IBM news release.
“Linux and other open innovation platforms have become a primary source of development in today’s technology marketplace, and companies are looking to colleges and universities to produce a workforce equipped with the skills required to innovate in these environments,” Terri Virnig, vice president of Power Systems ecosystem and strategy at IBM, said in the news release.
The company's initiative has grown 152 percent since 2012 and is now being used in more than 300 schools around the world, including more than 150 in the U.S.
A graduate-level course in enterprise data management is taught at New York University's Polytechnic School of Engineering using IBM's approach. Raman Kannan, an adjunct professor of technology management at the school, said the academic initiative allows students the chance to "focus on the techniques and principles instead of infrastructure." Learn more about IBM’s Power Systems Academic Initiative on the official website.
