“I Could Sense A Difference In The First Encounter That Cloud400 Really Knew Their Stuff - IBM Technology, Hosting, Backups, Connectivity, Even My CMS Software.”
Background
Tara Materials, Inc. is located in Lawrenceville, Georgia and is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of artist and print canvas with a core competency of textile coating and product assembly. Tara is best known for the brand, Fredrix Artist Canvas. The Fredrix brand dates back to 1868 when canvas was primed by hand.
Tara Material ran its operation on an IBM 9407-515 at V6.1 supporting about 100 users in 5 locations with Epicor CMS manufacturing software and RJS Imaging.
Scott Gleeson is IT Project Manager at Tara Materials.
9407-515 EOS In 2018 Starts Options Search
Scott Gleeson explains, “We had been notified by IBM in 2017 that our 9407-515 was coming to an end for hardware support. So we decided to start exploring our options at the beginning of 2018. Naturally, we looked at getting a new IBM POWER server. We also decided to check out IBM i cloud hosting. So we searched the web for hosting providers.”
Hosting Costs VS New IBM Server Costs
“When we compared the cost of hosting to the cost of buying a new IBM server, it was a little bit more. However, we have a president that is a big fan of having a cloud strategy. There is no reason to deal with hardware if we don’t have to.”
Attractive Price And IBM i Experts Make Decision Easy
“When we got an attractive price to move to the cloud and have IBM i experts manage our server and backups, it was a pretty easy decision to go to the cloud. And with only a few people here, it was a relief we were going with the experts that have a lot more experience with this IBM i stuff than we do.”
Cloud400 Stands Out With Knowledge And Happy References
“We looked at a couple of IBM i hosting providers. What really stood out for me about Cloud400 compared to the other hosting companies, is that the Cloud400 team seemed more knowledgeable about hosting and had a bunch of happy references,” continues Scott.
Cloud400 Team Very Expert
“I could also sense a difference in the first encounter that Cloud400 really knew their stuff. They were knowledgeable of IBM technology, hosting, backups, connectivity and even my CMS software. They just seemed very expert. So, I had a confidence with the Cloud400 team early on.”
Good Price With 60 Day FREE Test
“We completed the Cloud400 assessment process and got pricing. The price was very good. We also got a free 60-day testing period. So we decided to go ahead with Cloud400.”
Due Diligence Includes Cloud400 Data Center Visit
“As part of our due diligence, in early April 2018 we made plans to come onsite to visit the Cloud400 production data center and the target data center.
“We then requested a list of references. I spoke to several of them. All were happy customers.”
Cloud400 Test Begins At V6.1 With Intent To Upgrade
“We requested some changes to our Cloud400 hosting agreement. Once approved in early May 2018, we were ready to start the free 60-day Cloud400 testing.
“We began testing at our current IBM i OS level V6.1 with the intent to upgrade and test at V7.2 prior to go live. The Cloud400 team did a great job getting our manufacturing plants in Lawrenceville, GA and Tijuana, Mexico locations connected for testing. They were very responsive and made it easy.”
Project Leader Outlines Key Preparation Steps
“JD Liford was our Cloud400 Project Leader. He outlined key steps for us to take to be prepared for shipping a complete system save. JD was very knowledgeable and responsive. He took the time to talk with us and learn more about our operation. It all worked out pretty well.”
Temporary Software Keys Allow Application Testing
“In late May, we got temporary keys from our software vendors to test our applications on our Cloud400 LPAR. We shipped our system save to Cloud400 to start testing. We got our LPAR loaded, got connected to Cloud400 and got most of our testing at V6.1 completed by mid-July.
“Testing went great. Working with the Cloud400 technical team was great. Everyone was fantastic about follow up to make sure everything was OK.”
Testing Continues With Upgrade To V7.2
“Next, the Cloud400 team upgraded our system to V7.2 to test prior to mid-August go live.
“About two weeks later we added connectivity to the rest of our locations, including Otay and Emeryville, California.”
Simple Change To LPAR For More Processor Performance
“As we continued testing, we determined we needed more processor performance than we originally expected. The Cloud400 team made a simple performance change to our LPAR to satisfy this need.
“So, everything worked out. I had a pretty detailed list of tasks to complete and that helped tremendously.”
Few Hiccups On Go Live Weekend
“We shipped our last backup from our on premise 9407-515 to Cloud400 to cutover live over the weekend.
“We had a couple of hiccups with some files in the IFS that did not come across with the last full system save tape we sent. My technical guy was able to just copy it off the old machine and get it over to Cloud400. This was easily fixed by FTPing these few small files.”
Up And Running Monday Morning
“We were up and going on Monday morning and people were keying orders and checking inventory, so our system got converted fine.”
Migration To Cloud400 Great!
“The migration from our on premise server to Cloud400 went great! Overall, everybody is pretty happy. The Cloud400 technical team communicated well. They really know their stuff. They were very responsive and attentive.”
Scott Gleeson Recommends Cloud400
Scott concludes, “I absolutely recommend Cloud400. I was apprehensive about making this move. The technical team knows what they are doing and they respond quickly. I was very pleased with the Cloud400 expertise, experience and leadership helping us through the process to successfully move to the hosted environment. They make it a comfortable experience.”