I wrote this blog to stress key IBM i features in response to those critics who say the IBM I is “old.” The IBM i is NOT “old” – it continues to be advanced.
Last week one of my clients shared with me that her network team leader thinks the IBM i is archaic. This network administrator also tells his management that their IBM i server is “old” and they should replace it with modern technology (hint: Microsoft Windows). Never mind that their business runs on an ERP application that has been in place for 20 years and continues to serve the company very well.
When I hear nonsense like that, I remind clients of 6 elegant features the IBM i has over other operating systems:
1) IBM i comes pretested, preloaded and integrated with the IBM POWER server. It may have been a while since you installed your last IBM i on POWER server. Nevertheless, setup of a Windows cluster requires planning, Microsoft licensing and 20-60 hours or more of professional services for a basic ERP foundation for a small-to-medium business. While Intel servers may appear to have a lower cost than an IBM POWER server, the “savings” evaporate as you add the cost for software and setup. I have had former POWER customers move to Windows to spend $20-$30K on Microsoft licenses and $20-$40K on setup. In some cases, even more. Whatever savings that had been expected with cheaper hardware were lost because of the software licensing and professional services to setup the Intel server cluster.
2) IBM i is an object-based architectural design that provides virus resistance by protecting the operating system code from modification (via hardware storage protection) and by preventing the running of executable instructions stored in a file, a common source of viruses. IBM i also helps safeguard data against hackers with built-in intrusion detection and prevention and has an audit journal to track security changes and breaches to help with compliance and auditing. We all know that Windows cannot make these claims.
3) IBM i offers trusted security with auditing and compliance tools. For companies running Windows and UNIX operating system-based servers, security and virus management are major challenges in terms of time and money. According to secunia.com, IBM i has a long-term track record of significantly fewer security advisories than Microsoft Windows Server and UNIX operating environments. A recent ITG study of the integrated security environment concluded that IBM i provides companies with an unparalleled level of operating system security.
4) IBM i automatically manages and balances the storage of data across multiple disk drives. The automated storage balancing both optimizes performance and helps companies avoid reorganizing disk units and defragmenting disks to reclaim unused space. This capability provides IBM i users savings and the need for less staff compared to other operating systems. I have seen Windows users either require an on-staff DB expert/system engineer (about $60-$80K per year) or a monthly service (in a range of $1-$4K per month).
5) Using the hierarchal storage management provided by IBM i, solid state drives (SSDs) can help to improve the performance of long-running queries or batch jobs. The most active data can be automatically placed on SSDs making it easier to get the benefit from the faster I/O response times of SSDs. I have several clients with SSDs who have documented 400% performance gains compared to their prior IBM POWER server with hard drives.
6) For non-disruptive growth and transition to new hardware, IBM i has Technology Independent Machine Interface (TIMI) that provides a protective layer between applications and hardware devices, such as processors and disks. Proven over many years and technology generations, the TIMI protects applications from changing hardware devices and processor technologies, enabling applications to be upgraded without recompilation. TIMI allows IBM i users to easily move their applications to new OS or server versions. IBM i users need not be concerned with changes to new technology.
Many folks in IT bash the IBM i because they do not or care not to understand its strengths and how well it satisfies their enterprise. I encourage you to remind your teammates and your management of these 6 IBM i features. These features provide system reliability, security, performance and saves money.
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