IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it has made several advances in the powerful System z™ mainframe security architecture that are designed to extend the features of IBM's security-rich server -- historically enjoyed by large enterprises -- to a growing base of medium-sized mainframe customers that operate under IT resource constraints. These new advances are in three central areas: lowering the costs of network and data protection, extending IBM mainframe security for Linux, and enabling customers to meet regulatory compliance requirements securely. The IBM System z mainframe is designed to combine the power of industry-leading security features with the simplicity of centralized management to deliver a comprehensive and flexible phalanx of security safeguards and capabilities. These features help to protect against hackers, keep data secure and allow for easy management of complex security issues.