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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    IBM Z

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/AIBM Z is the company's mainframe enterprise server solution product line.N/A

    Looker

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/ALooker is a BI application with an analytics-oriented application server that sits on top of relational data stores. It includes an end-user interface for exploring data, a reusable development paradigm for data discovery, and an API for supporting data in other systems.N/A
    Pricing
    IBM ZLooker
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    IBM ZLooker
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
    Additional Details—Must contact sales team for pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    IBM ZLooker
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    7.4
    134 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings6.5110 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings8.2133 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.5115 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    6.8
    132 Ratings
    16% below category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings6.3128 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings6.6130 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings5.655 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.8131 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    7.9
    128 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings7.7105 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings7.8113 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings7.984 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.2110 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    6.6
    128 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings7.7124 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings7.5110 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings4.66 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    7.3
    128 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings7.5120 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings7.2105 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings7.2122 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings7.360 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of IBM Z and Looker
    Feature
    IBM Z
    -
    Ratings
    Looker
    5.2
    95 Ratings
    39% below category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings4.991 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings5.885 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    IBM ZLooker
    Small Businesses
    Dell PowerEdge
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Dell PowerEdge
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    IBM Power
    Score9 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    IBM ZLooker
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.6
    (42 ratings)
    8.0
    (134 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.2
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    4.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.8
    (12 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (3 ratings)
    8.8
    (14 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (51 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (51 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    IBM ZLooker
    Likelihood to Recommend
    IBM
    Most of the time, server utilization is reliable and stable during peak times. Truly amazing, this product offers a lot and gets it done in no time without any confusion.It is reliable, too accurate and the performance is top-notch. It seems to be competitive in all virtual energy systems and its connectivity is also good. It's available at a low cost, but it's enough to have as many low-cost, more efficient systems as possible. It's a minor thing, but very rarely, it can cause work interruptions while it can get stuck due to more frequent use such as restless work. These power servers are very efficient and really help when things go wrong. I am using this product to retrieve data much faster.
    Read full review
    Google
    When data drives potential for new orders, Looker earns its place in our tech stack. If, on the other hand, we are hoping for pipeline generation, Looker is useful if you are willing to repeatedly go check customer utilizations .... it is not appropriate if you are hoping to automate data analysis for this purpose.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    IBM
    • Virtualization for Scale-Out and Scale-Up in the same footprint
    • Security for different workloads: Large Confidential Computing and lightweight Secure Execution
    • Performance is a true game changer: extreme throughput powered by amazingly huge caches.
    • The one and only FIPS 140-2 Level 4 HSM on this planet
    • Quantum Safe Encryption NOW!
    • AI infusion to every transaction
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Show visited pages - sessions, pageviews - which programs are viewed the most.
    • Displays session source/medium views to see where users are coming from.
    • It shows the video titles, URLs, and event counts so we can monitor the performance of our videos.
    • It gives a graphic face to the numbers, such as using bar charts, pie graphs, and other charts to show user trends or which channels are driving engagement.
    • Our clients like to see the top pages visited for a month.
    • I like the drop-and-drag approach, and building charts is a little easier than it was before.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    IBM
    • It would be good if IBM could demonstrate more use cases for Z to potential clients
    • A migration strategy from Open Systems to Z would be helpful
    • Any additional marketing to could explain the benefits of Z/Linux, especially now that RedHat is in the mix.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Documentation is scarce, and very difficult to find when you need it.
    • Pricing is unclear, particularly as you look to scale your reports across the business.
    • Data from other sources is not represented in the system as well as first party Google services.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    IBM
    The IBM Z mainframe capabilities are unmatched for cloud readiness and optimization the learning capabilities are matched perfectly with Watson and the expandability of the cloud makes it a perfect choice.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    I give it this rating because it deems as effective, I am able to complete majority of my tasks using this app. It is very helpful when analyzing the data provided and shown in the app and it's just overall a great app for Operational use, despite the small hiccups it has (live data).
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    IBM
    Once you learn how, it easy. It's different than most other systems
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Looker is relatively easy to use, even as it is set up. The customers for the front-end only have issues with the initial setup for looker ml creations. Other "looks" are relatively easy to set up, depending on the ETL and the data which is coming into Looker on a regular basis.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    IBM
    The Z in IBM Z is for zero down time. If you configure your system according to IBM's best practices, you can achieve zero downtime
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No objections
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    IBM
    Performance is a major part when you configure your system. IBM has many tools to study your system and suggest the appropriate configuration. With the right contract, you can add processing power dynamically and remove it when no longer needed
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Somehow resources heavy, both on server and client. I recommned at least 50Mbs data rate and high performance desktop comouter to be abke to run comolex tasks and configure larger amount of data. On the other hand, the client does not need to worry when viewing, the performance is usually ok
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    IBM
    Support is usually superb, only occasionally dropping to very good. We participate in some of the CD (Continuous Delivery) aspects of z/OS, IMS, MQ, and DB2.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Never had to work with support for issues. Any questions we had, they would respond promptly and clearly. The one-time setup was easy, by reading documentation. If the feature is not supported, they will add a feature request. In this case, LDAP support was requested over OKTA. They are looking into it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    IBM
    Over my 33 years on this platform, I attended many in person courses, conferences, and other training opportunities.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    IBM
    There are many online courses from both IBM and other vendors. Most are great. All of the documentation is available online.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    IBM
    I do not personally have any key insights regarding implementation of IBM Z Enterprise Servers as that is what our mainframe architects do.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Very satisfied, easy to implement
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    IBM
    IBM Z is the best storage solution as it provides the best in class data protection with the cryptographic hardware keys, no loss in data while migration, and a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for develops to understand and has less of a learning curve. This makes it well above the competition.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Looker Studio, you can easily report on data from various sources without programming. Looker Studio is available at no charge for creators and report viewers. Enterprise customers who upgrade to Looker Studio Pro will receive support and expanded administrative features, including team content management. So it's good.
    Incentivized
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    IBM
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Perfect price to performance
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    IBM
    If you need more processing power, just add more CPU's or memory. The largest system can have close to 200 CPU's and 40 TB of memory. If that is not enough, you can add more physical computers, and connect them using a sysplex
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    IBM
    • With IBM Z we really feel a different positive impact on our company. A trustworthy and the most powerful place we have ever.
    • A unique computing platform that helps a lot for the progress of our company.
    • It keeps our data save, encrypted.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Looker has a poignant impact on our business's ROI objectives. As an advertising exchange we have specific goals for daily requests and fill, and having premade Looks to monitor this is an integral piece of our operational capability
    • To facilitate an efficient monthly billing cycle in our organization, Looker is essential to track estimated revenue and impression delivery by publisher. Without the Looks we have set up, we would spend considerably more time and effort segmenting revenue by vertical.
    • Looker's unique value proposition is making analytical tools more digestible to people without conventional analytical experience. Other competing tools like Tableau require considerably more training and context to successfully use, and the ability to easily plot different visualizations is one of its greatest selling points.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    IBM Z Screenshots

    Screenshot of IBM z17™ single-frame 

This configuration is optimized for enhanced modularity and is available in a traditional factory-frame setup. It provides advanced capabilities and is ideal for environments requiring a robust and scalable solution within an industry-standard footprint.  

IBM z17™ single-frame 

This configuration is optimized for enhanced modularity and is available in a traditional factory-frame setup. It provides advanced capabilities and is ideal for environments requiring a robust and scalable solution within an industry-standard footprint.Screenshot of IBM z17™ multi-frame 

This configuration is designed for general-purpose use, offering a balance of performance, scalability and security suitable for a wide range of applications.Screenshot of IBM z17™ rack mount 

This rack-mounted configuration allows for installation in existing data center rack infrastructures, providing flexibility and integration with current systems. It combines IBM Z's strengths with the convenience of modern rack-mounted hardware.

    Looker Screenshots

    Screenshot of a Looker dashboard with a geo chart.