DOJ probes IBM's mainframe business

The Department of Justice is looking into IBM's mainframe business for anticompetitive behavior.

According to a bevy of reports, the DOJ is requesting information from IBM's smaller rivals. The Computer and Communications Industry Association has been stumping for a probe of IBM's mainframe practices.

The CCIA argues that IBM is really the only player in mainframes. CCIA notes:

Although the mainframe market is not perceptible to the average consumers, these large expensive computer systems power most fortune 500 companies, governments, and financial institutions. IBM plug-compatible mainframe (PCM) computers, which have been in use for over a half a century, are the most popular platform for business computing today. It is estimated that $5 trillion of corporate and government data and applications are stored on mainframes. They serve as the backbone for 70-80% of the world’s computer-based transactions involving ATM sessions, airline bookings, tax filings, health records, and other essential services.

In an AP report, IBM said it will cooperate with the probe.