"Another Factor, Perhaps Even More Important Than Replacing Hardware Every 7 Years, Is Our Location.
We Are In ‘Hurricane Central.’"
Background
Established in 1930, D. J. Powers (DJP) is one of Georgia’s first freight forwarders and customs brokerage firms, as well as being one of the fastest growing logistics companies in the state. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, DJP operates 8 U.S. offices, 4 overseas offices in Rotterdam, Ningbo, Shanghai and Shenzhen, along with having a network of over 175 affiliated offices worldwide.
The Challenge
In 2017, Bill Holbrook, DJP’s Director of IT, was concerned about his IBM 8203-E4A server at V7.1 with 16 GB RAM and 1.4 TB using 38% disk utilization. His system supports 80 concurrent users in 9 locations with a combination of custom software and IBM MQSeries.
IBM POWER Server Facing End Of Life
“We were concerned because we knew our 8203-E4A and our IBM i V7.1 were facing end of life. As much as I like the idea that I could touch my IBM POWER server, we did not really want to have to deal with buying a new server every 7 years or so.”
Maybe Even More Important – “Hurricane Central”
“Another factor, perhaps even more important than replacing hardware every 7 years, is our location. We are in ‘Hurricane Central.’ Granted, we have not been hit directly; even so, it has caused tremendous fears. We want to protect the company’s assets so that if our Savannah headquarters is knocked out, it does not put us out of business. Our business continuity cannot be jeopardized.”
Time Sensitive Business Can’t Afford Downtime
“Our business is time-sensitive. Any disruption can have a potentially negative impact. Even a short period of downtime could leave us vulnerable to competitors who would be more than glad to service our customers.
“We have remote locations to support. So if we experienced any unexpected disruption, there is the potential to negatively impact our operation with all of our offices world-wide.”
Our Competitive Edge: Dependable Support And IT Continuity
“We also wanted to be able to tell our clients about our hosting solution so we could give them confidence with our IT continuity. We determined that IT continuity would be an important competitive edge in our dog-eat-dog competitive business.
“It was basically a business decision of what is best for the company. So, we decided to look into the options of hosting.”
IBM i Hosting Provider Search – Most Too Expensive, No Solid AS400 Expertise
To find hosting providers Bill searched Google for “AS400 hosting”.
“I found several hosting providers online.
“I began interviewing several providers. I spoke with several big hosting providers who offered their services with big price tags.
“We also asked our IBM Business Partner for a recommendation for a hosting provider. They referred us to a big hosting company in Atlanta. We would not benefit from this hosting provider, considering all the extra money they needed to charge.”
Cloud400 At Top Of Google Search
“On the other hand, when I spoke to Cloud400 I was initially impressed by how conversant they are with AS400. Their AS400 expertise was apparent with the first call. As I spoke to other members of the Cloud400 technical team, I knew these guys had solid in-depth IBM i expertise. So, if I picked up the phone and talked to somebody at Cloud400, they would know what I am saying.”
Cloud400 – AS400 Expertise, Better Price, Excellent References, 60-Day Free Trial
“When I got the Cloud400 pricing it was lower than the big providers. I am thinking: 1) solid, in-depth IBM i expertise and 2) lower cost than the other hosting providers.
“I also checked the Cloud400 references. I was very impressed with how much the references enjoyed the Cloud400 hosting. When I spoke to these references, they had also looked for a AS400 hosting provider and did not find anything better. They were all very pleased with the Cloud400 service.
“Plus, Cloud400 offered a 60-day free trial. I figured we had no risk to give Cloud400 a try.”
Impressive Cloud400 Data Center Tour
“Given the depth of AS400 expertise that the Cloud400 team had, and the word of mouth from their references, I felt that I could trust their judgement. On the other hand, my owner wanted to see the data center. He flew to Minneapolis to get the Cloud400 tour and came away very impressed with the caliber of security and redundancy. He was very impressed with the Cloud400 hosting facility.
“So, we decided ‘Cloud400 looks like the way to go’.
“After a planning session to prepare for the Cloud400 testing, we sent a copy of our system to load at the Cloud400 data center.”
Especially Pleased Cloud400 Team So Easy To Work With
“My experience with the Cloud400 technical team was excellent. I found them personable, knowledgeable, responsible, attentive and great to work with.
“It is always important to me that my team and I support our users without talking over their heads or using computer jargon. So I was especially pleased to find the Cloud400 team was so easy to work with. I really enjoyed working with Darren, Brett, Alan, Jerry, J.D. and Eric. They all know what they are talking about.
“We all had a great rapport. And they bent over backwards to help us out. It is hard to find vendors that share these values.”
Cloud400 60 Day FREE Trial To Find Sweet Spot
“I really liked that we had a testing period because it gave us a chance to find the sweet spot for our hosting needs at the best price. We experimented with RAM memory and CPW performance to find the best mix of performance at the best price.”
U.S. Customs Clearance Adds Challenge
“One of the factors that made our go live more challenging is that our system must clear transactions with U.S. Customs. With a weekend cutover, we had a limited amount of time to access knowledgeable folks at U.S. Customs to make sure we connect with their firewall. Add to that, the disruption due to the ‘Federal Government Shutdown’ and you can understand how our 60-day trial extended many months more than we expected. And the Cloud400 team hung in there with us.
“The Cloud400 team was so helpful and easy to work with.”
No Complaints After Go Live
“I came in the office the day after we went live on Sunday and got no complaints. No one noticed any difference that we were hosted on Cloud400 instead of our 8203-E4A.”
Bill Holbrook Definitely Recommends Cloud400
“I would definitely recommend Cloud400. Cloud400 offers great hosting service at a reasonable price with knowledgeable, expert AS400 staffing. We have enjoyed the people. We enjoyed the experience.
“I don’t think you will find a better offering anywhere else.”