The purpose of this blog is to highlight key elements that make your IBM i POWER server your best choice. These are good points to remind the owners why IBM i still right for right for the business.
Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system. iSeries and AS400 are servers. I use these terms interchangeably to make it easy for folks to find this kind of information on the web.
In the frenetic race of supporting a competitive business with changing priorities, it is easy to forget why the IBM i POWER server is your best choice for your critical business applications.
Let’s remember the basic aspects of IBM i that make this server a standout compared to the rest.
1) Reliable. IBM POWER servers have exceptionally high uptime rating. For example, IBM POWER9 are rated at 99.999% uptime. This translates to 1.75 minutes of downtime per year. How does that compare to the experience you have had with x86 servers? When was the last time your desktop ran trouble-free for 9 months…let alone 2 years?
2) Your IT Staff Supports Your Business…Not The Other Way Around. Over the decades I have observed that IBM i shops’ IT staff are lean, especially compared to other platforms. I have seen a $20 billion auto parts maker supported by IBM i with an IT staff of 2. And, down the road, was a $5 billion competitor on another platform with a staff of 20 struggling to get their system to work.
Many of my small clients outsource their IT. Their IT needs come onsite only when needed.
Quite simply, this translates into less expensive staffing.
3) Application Software Can Easily Move With Each IBM i Version Upgrade. IBM has done a remarkable job to make migrations to new technology from older hardware and IBM i version upgrades straight-forward and cost-effective. Over the decades we have migrated clients from V3R2 to V7.3 – THAT is a huge jump forward without any applications reprogramming.
4) IBM i Manages Itself. Let’s remember that IBM i monitors your requests for data and software. Those elements used most often are saved to the outside of hard drives for fastest access. Data that is used less frequently is saved deeper in the drive. This makes the “hot” data faster to fetch to give you better performance. And you don’t have to manage it.
5) IBM i POWER Server Is Completely Integrated By IBM – THAT Makes Setup It Easy And Reliable. When you get your IBM POWER server, it is preloaded with IBM i and firmware for you. You don’t have to chase down software licenses for your OS, SQL, or licensed program products. Because it is completely integrated by IBM, it is designed to work together – hardware, OS and firmware. That makes the setup easy. This is also a major factor why the IBM i POWER server is so reliable.
Conclusion
These are just a few highlights that make the IBM i an outstanding platform and why it continues to be a solid choice for critical business applications.
Need Help?
Call me at 714-593-0387 or email me at blosey@source-data.com. Let us know how we can help!
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