This blog covers 6 common reasons people want to host IBM i applications instead of relying on an on-premise server.

This last week I was talking to Symmetrical Solutions partner Bob Dzialowski. Symmetrical Solutions develops software for YMCAs.

Over the last few years, Bob has seen increased competition from Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers. Even though Bob knows his systems offer more functionality, SaaS seems very appealing.

As Bob explains, his IBM i customers want out of the on-premise hardware business.

1. They Don’t Want Hardware Costs. Bob told me that for his YMCA customers, money and donations are harder to come by. Entry IBM i servers sell in the range of $35,000-$45,000. His clients would rather pay a small monthly fee for a cloud service instead of buying a new server.
2. They Don’t Have IBM i Skills. As Bob explained, his YMCA customers are not computer experts let alone IBM i experts. They don’t want to recruit this caliber of talent to run their systems. They want systems that are easy for their people to run without the high-tech proficiency.
3. They Don’t Want To Do Backups. Because their people are not computer professionals, they don’t want to deal with disciplines of daily backups and offsite tape storage.
4. They Don’t Want To Deal With OS And Software Maintenance. Like any operating system, IBM i requires periodic PTFs (software patches) and version upgrades. These are often a requirement for IBM support. Even so, Bob also stresses that his clients would rather not deal with PTFs and version upgrades. Instead, they would rather outsource these tasks.
5. They Don’t Want To Pay For IBM Support. Bob’s customers have seen their IBM support bills go up every year – and, in some cases, go up a lot. IBM support fees are expenses that his customers don’t want to deal with.
6. They Don’t Want Hardware Service Calls. As reliable as the IBM i servers are, they still need periodic disk storage, tape drive and cache battery repairs. Experienced IBM i users understand that such repairs are infrequent and minor events – especially compared to other technologies. Even so, this is another potential disruption Bob’s customers don’t want.

Bob is excited that he has found Cloud400 to offer as a solution to his prospects and customers on an SaaS basis.

Bob explains that with Cloud400’s  low-cost and IBM i expertise, he can  address the concerns people have to get out of the hardware business and offer a simple, cost-effective software on demand solution with an affordable monthly fee.

Bob’s story resonated with me. My sense is that these are common themes with more of the IBM i users I talk to. As much as they like the IBM i, they want to get out of the on-premise hardware business for many of the same reasons.

To learn more about how easy and affordable IBM i application hosting can be, call me at 714-593-0387, email me at [email protected], or check out: https://www.source-data.com/cloud-400/.