The purpose of this blog is to discuss factors that companies should consider before they decide to leave the IBM i (iSeries/AS400). I confess that I have a bias towards the IBM i platform. And after 2 decades I am astounded by the number of bad choices and unfulfilled promises made by the IBM i replacements. In most cases I have seen, the transition took way longer, cost a lot more (staggering how much more money it costs), and never worked as promised.
So, let’s take another look at how good the IBM i really is and refresh our memories about the myths of how much better the alternatives will be.
Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system. iSeries and AS400 are brand names for servers. I use them interchangeably to make it easier for IBM users to research the information they want on the web.
As an IBM i Business Partner and hosting provider, I often hear from businesses thinking about moving off IBM i to a new platform.
Common reasons include:
· IBM i is DEAD (Nonsense)
· IBM i talent is shrinking and expensive (true, but you have not done your research on the alternative. And, you still have many options available to you.)
· Other options are less expensive (This is RARELY true.)
· Our new owners are forcing us onto their system (This is unfortunate, and may take way longer than anyone plans.)
IBM i Is An Exceptionally Secure, Reliable And Cost-Effective Solution
Many of us who write about IBM i know just what an exceptionally secure and reliable platform IBM i is.
IBM i object-oriented architecture is virus-proof and exceptionally secure from hackers.
The IBM POWER architecture includes a cool feature that is not often mentioned – First Failure Data Capture (FFDC). This feature helps the iOS detect and fix intermittent errors. Intel-based solutions do not have this capability. Architectural features like FFDC contribute to the rock-solid reliability of the IBM POWER server.
We remind ourselves that IBM is the only OS with an integrated SQL database (DB2) that manages itself. This capability means that most IBM i users do not need a database administrator (compensation can range from $60,000 – $120,000 or more per year).
Bottom line – IBM i’s Secure, Reliable and Innovative Design (self-managing OS) makes it extremely cost-effective.
Sure, IBM i costs more than x86 platforms. However, when you compare IBM i Total Cost of Ownership to the other platforms (and they ALL need way more staffing in addition to database administrators), IBM i wins hands down.
IBM i Is Very Much Alive – And IBM Continues To Enhance It
Since its introduction in 1988 as AS400, IBM continues to enhance and improve this wonderful system.
IBM i is an open design that supports UNIX and Linux and multiple modern programming languages. This is an important consideration as most technical teams are more concerned with programming languages than operating systems.
Hopefully you will not judge my observations as too simplistic, but I believe that is why many major companies choose to support SAP on IBM i – they want modern applications running on a reliable, secure, cost-effective platform.
IBM i Talent Is Shrinking And Expensive. Even As Younger Talent Joins, Good Talent Is Expensive
I also see many in the IBM i talent pool retiring. And the good ones that remain are expensive.
Well, the good technical talent in other technologies is also expensive. I know. I have to compete for it too. And I am OK with paying top dollar for top talent to get good results.
Despite the many who are retiring, what is a pleasant surprise is to see how many younger fans are joining the IBM i ranks. I see this in those who attend COMMON. I see this in my customers.
It puts a smile on my face as the younger members start to discover what an exceptional operating system IBM i is.
So, What Talent Do You Find On Other Platforms?
The pool of talent in Windows, UNIX and Linux is much larger than with IBM i.
Generally, this non-IBM i talent is less expensive.
Even so, my personal experience with this talent is that they are not as experienced or as careful as the IBM i talent. Too often I have seen members of this talent pool charge ahead with little or no planning and make things worse (delete key programs and data without backup, start projects only to restart for lack of planning, etc.).
And when I do find skilled, cautious non-IBM i talent with experience, I do not find them any cheaper than skilled IBM i talent.
In my experience, good talent is expensive despite their technical expertise. You are paying for experience, judgement and results.
Other Options Less Expensive – Only On The Surface
Over the last 20 years I have worked with IBM i users that compare the cost of their current IBM i, an upgrade to a new IBM i ERP, or a move to a new ERP to a non-IBM i platform.
First, it is generally less expensive (and in many cases less risky) to modernize what you already have. You know what you have now. Your changes may be minor or cosmetic (i.e., GUI front-end). You will have far less training.
Second, if you move to an IBM i-based ERP, the total cost of implementation will be about 20% of the cost of a non-IBM i based system.
Third, for those that decided to move to a non-IBM i-based ERP, my suggestions that way more would be spent than had been quoted were dismissed. Then, three to seven years later, when the systems finally got up and running, these former clients had spent more than I had originally forecasted. (I may not be good at forecasting, but I was very accurate that it would cost way more and take way longer than what they were told.)
Just this last week a client of mine told me of a friend that saw his company move off IBM 9406-520 custom software to Microsoft Dynamics. Originally quoted $1 million for the project, 7 years later they spent over $3 million. And it does NOT work as promised.
So, before you seriously leave your IBM i solution, do your research to find out what it will cost.
Then ask yourself, “Is this really cost-justified? Is there really a measurable payback?”
And finally, what can you do to make sure this will come in on time, on budget and work as planned?
Our New Owners Are Forcing Us Onto Their System
I hear about this a lot.
About all I can say is that if this is what the new owners want, I guess that is what they will do…right or wrong.
With that said, despite talks about “quick cutovers” to new platforms (1-2 years is the promise), I generally see that this can take 5-10 years…if ever.
Most of the IBM i folks I work with whose businesses sold, had robust, custom-tailored systems. Systems tailored to help them do the “magic” that made their business stand out in their field.
So when the new buyers come in, my sense is few have a clue about the unique sub-systems and specialized data files that the parent companies’ system do not include. Consequently, they have to keep the IBM i systems going for a whole lot longer than planned (like 10 years or more).
What Can We Do?
All of us in the IBM i community need to make others aware of the factors that make IBM i secure, reliable and cost-effective.
We need to encourage those that want to change to do the research to determine what the measurable benefits are, analyze the payback and determine how the move to the new system will come in on time, on budget and work as planned.
Interested in discussing more positives related to the IBM i? Email me at blosey@source-data.com or call me at 714-593-0387.
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