“As Long As I Know I Have A Guy Like Mark, I’ll Never Do An Upgrade By Myself Again.”
Background
Apex Logistics, LLC is the largest, most diverse bulk transportation company in the western United States. Apex offers transportation of dry bulk and non-hazardous liquid commodities between points in the United States, with intrastate services in California, Arizona and Nevada. Other services include transload equipment and personnel for rail trans loading operations, dedicated logistic fleet services and vacuum pneumatic equipment for silo, rail, or plant clean-up.
Based in Adelanto, California, Apex Bulk Logistics has grown from its original single location to 7 full service terminals throughout the western United States. Dispatch operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Apex has about 500 employees and supports about 75 users on their IBM POWER i.
Richard G. is the Director of Information Technology.
Apex has a POWER 9 9009-41A, and was on V7.3 with Innovative Software under Tremble Transportation Umbrella. IBM V7.3 End of Life software support was looming. Richard G. recalls Source Data Products reaching out to him to upgrade his IBM i to the current version.
Source Data’s Proactive Approach
“Mark called me. We get busy and need that little nudge to keep us on track.
“It was nice he did call me. I sent him our configuration report- from there I gave him access to our standalone PC network.
“Mark and I went over the options to upgrade to V7.4. Mark explained the upgrade path, software downloads we needed and the steps he would perform. All I had to do was make the system available for him to conduct the remote version upgrade.”
Mark’s Attention To Detail Caught Things That Had Been Missed
“He explained all that he was downloading. He even updated my iNavigator. Without Mark, I would not have even known it needed to be updated, had he not told me.”
Source Data Team Made All The Difference
“First I selected the target Saturday for the upgrade that would have the least impact on our operation.
“A week before the upgrade, I did the Save21, then a file save of the important libraries.
“Mid-week, I gave Mark remote access to our system. He didn’t even call me once until it was completed, at which point I did another Save21. The process took probably about 4 hours – I allocated 6-8 hours so finishing early was a big plus.
“This has been the easiest upgrade we have ever had. It was just a matter of letting Mark do his thing.”
A Past Experience Almost Ended In Termination
“Five years ago I did an upgrade myself, following IBM’s requirements to prepare beforehand. After attempting it over a weekend, I had our people down on Monday morning and had to use our Save 21 to restore the system! I swore that I’d never do another upgrade after that.
“I was almost fired. My bosses even said after that fiasco I was in jeopardy … for a minute. I was anxious, but I pulled through in the end.”
The Expertise Saved Time And Was Invaluable
“As long as I know I have a guy like Mark, I’ll never do an upgrade by myself again.
“Being able to bounce ideas off of someone who is another IBM IT guy is so helpful. It is such a struggle with IBM because every time I call they want to email; no one wants to get on the phone with you to walk through things. Instead they send you pages and pages to read through.”
Source Data Products – Reliability You Can Depend On
“Why do you think I’ve been with Source Data for 20 years?! They just get it. I even brought Source Data with me to my current company. I bring Source Data wherever I go, just like my license. They’re that helpful.”