iSeries minicomputer line to get a boost IBM last week unveiled a number of new initiatives aimed at courting SMBs at its PartnerWorld Conference in Las Vegas. IBM has created a special team within its Business Consulting Services group to focus on SMB customers, and its Global Services group plans to spend $300 million on a number of channel programs also targeted at the SMB space.Big Blue kicked off a $1 billion campaign to reinvigorate its neglected iSeries line of minicomputers, which have long held a foothold in the midmarket.“We’ve got to do better in SMB,” said Emilie McCabe, vice president of worldwide systems sales at IBM’s Systems and Technology Group. “We are putting more resources in SMB, sales resources, and technical resources.” Show attendees were also given a sneak peek at the company’s first Opteron blade server. The system was briefly shown on stage during a keynote address by William Zeitler, senior vice president ofthe Systems and Technology Group.IBM has hinted that this server will support AMD’s upcoming dual-core Opteron processor that is expected in the second half of this year. Software DevelopmentTechnology IndustrySmall and Medium Business