According to a ComputerWeekly.com article, IBM is developing its mainframe systems with the aim of enabling transactions in virtual worlds. Steve Mills, head of IBM's software biz, said recently at the company's UK research lab said that the virtual world-conscious tech giant is looking at new approaches to bolster its investment in traditional mainframe systems.

"IBM aims to invest the majority of its research and development dollar into building software that can link traditional transaction systems to modern interfaces, for example, releasing automatic teller machines that link to banks in virtual worlds such as Second Life," Mills said.

The company's currently testing its Smart Bank app, which simulates a high-volume banking environment with a virtual ATM linked to a real payment system that uses web services to authorize transactions in realtime from a core banking system.

The article says IBM is also pursuing an acquisition strategy in conjunction with the R&D effort, first with the August announcement that it will acquire Princeton Softech, allowing users to identify and store historical data on less expensive storage while storing current data on more resilient networks. Additionally, IBM's July purchase of Data Mirror allows realtime identification and delivery of modified data, while its June acquisition of Telelogic is geared to improve its services arm to support users developing industry-specific software.

"By following its acquisition strategy, IBM will boost its position in the transaction processing market and fill gaps elsewhere in its software management offerings," Gartner research VP Jim Duggan told ComputerWeekly.

[Via ComputerWeekly.com]