IBM launched new services and programs on Friday to

migrating customers from Sun and HP servers to IBM's System z, particularly on the Linux platform.

The firms says its new Server Consolidation and Migration Services offering is meant to move applications from siloed, inefficiently used servers to a more cost-effective and easier-to-manage IBM mainframe infrastructure.

In the last year, IBM said it has already has migrated more than 150 customers across a variety of industries worldwide from competitive systems to IBM mainframes.

IBM says its revenue share of servers costing $250,000 or more has doubled from 17 percent to 32 this decade, citing a study from IDC. In that same period, it notes HP revenue has remained flat while Sun lost share.

IBM notes more than half of the 5,000 applications available on its System z platform are Linux-based.

Linux-based applications were also about a half tof the roughly 1,000 new or updated applications produced for the IBM mainframe in 2008, he company said. More than 40 percent of new System z customers last year installed Linux.

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