The purpose of this blog is to highlight current prevalent reasons IBM i users favor cloud hosting over an on premise server. To be sure, these are new trends.

Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system. iSeries and AS400 are server brand names. I use them interchangeably to make is easier for web researchers to find the information they want.

Why do IBM i users want to consider cloud hosting?

IBM i cloud hosting is quickly gaining popularity. And for good reasons.

1)     Users Want Out Of The Hardware Business

Curiously the most common reason we hear today is that users “want out of the hardware business”.

Users don’t want to be bothered with managing on premise IBM i hardware, backups, hardware failures and repair, software patches, security, redundancy and OS upgrades.

Further, many organizations have initiatives to move all Microsoft Office and business applications to the cloud. So, moving IBM i to the cloud is a natural next step.

2)     Users Still Need IBM i Expertise

On premise hardware needs on premise IBM i experts. Reliable experts are expensive. They take time to find, recruit, interview, train and retain.

IBM i cloud hosting includes IBM i expertise, so users don’t have to worry about building and retaining their own team.

We hear this theme a lot from small-to-medium sized businesses. We also hear it from all companies who have seen their IBM i talent downsize or retire.

3)     Outsource Data Center Redundancy And Security

Users are more aware of the complexities to keep their computer environment safe and secure with the necessary redundancy to ensure continuity. The caliber of talent as well as the capital investment needed to provide a safe and secure computer environment is very expensive.

Like outsourcing IBM i expertise, users can also outsource their environment to an SSAE-18 certified data center supported by a team of infrastructure experts and only pay for what they need.

Users also discover they improve their disaster recovery planning by moving to an IBM i cloud hosting provider with a safe and secure data center.

4)     Pay For Only What You Need

IBM i cloud hosting also allows providers to charge users only for resources consumed by the user, rather than a flat fee for the amount the user expects they will use, or a fixed cost upfront hardware investment.

Because IBM i cloud hosting is scalable, users can easily add extra resources when they need it. Or downsize when they require less resource to reduce their hosting fee.

5)     Flexible Terms

Many users anticipate future changes.

Experience has taught them that even with the best planning, transitions do not always occur as planned.

IBM i cloud hosting allows users to have interim IBM i resources as they make transitions with the clear understanding that they can terminate hosting when it is the right time, unlike an capital expenditure for an on premise server.

Besides flexibility, IBM i cloud hosting can be less expensive…particularly for a short-term need. (This aspect is very popular with users that have legacy IBM servers that do not want to buy new on premise servers for requirements lasting 12-36 months.

Hosting flexibility provides the interim resources at a lower cost until the need is complete.

Conclusion

When we first started IBM i cloud hosting, the three primary reasons users hosted included:

1)     Cost-saving of hosting compared to buying a new server,

2)     Pay only for what you need, and

3)     Outsourced IBM i expertise.

While these three reasons are still prevalent, more recently we hear users see greater value to host by:

1)     Getting out of the hardware business,

2)     Outsource to a safe and secure data center

3)     Flexible terms for interim needs