“Source Data Product’s Remote IBM i Version Upgrade Was Easy, Flawless, And Cost-Effective.”
Background
The company was founded in 1894 as the Cincinnati Printing and Paper Products Co., in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1923, Dutch Kaeser and Bill Blair purchased Cincinnati Printing and Paper Products Co. and incorporated the company into what is now known as Kaeser & Blair, Inc. Through the years the business has changed from printing into promotional marketing, but has remained a family run business.
Ed Jessie, Management Information Systems Consultant, has been working with Kaeser & Blair since 1992, when they migrated their IBM System36 to their first AS400, a 9404-B10. Over the decades they now rely on the IBM POWER 8286-41A.
IBM Announced V7.3 End Of Life
Kaeser & Blair relies on custom software supporting 130 users running on their IBM POWER 8286-41A. Upon IBM’s announcement that IBM would no longer be supporting V7.3, Kaeser & Blair decided it was time to upgrade to V7.4 for continued IBM software support and cyber-security protection.
Past Upgrade Issues Cause Hesitation
Ed Jessie explains, “I probably could have done it myself, but you know what? It would have taken me working over-time. Source Data Products saved me money and time.”
“Over the years when I’ve done version upgrades, I’ve run into problems. Because of past issues and delays, I just felt more comfortable letting Source Data do our IBM i version upgrade. After all, they do this all the time.
“If you want to have an upgrade and give somebody else the responsibility, they will do it quickly. When you try to do it yourself, I promise you will wish you had someone else do it. Letting an experienced professional do the work means you don’t have to worry about issues. And, you don’t have the liability.”
Source Data Products Made The IBM i Version Upgrade Preparation Easy
“I supplied the reports that Bob Losey requested.
“For the remote version upgrade, I worked with Mark Breisacher. Mark is so knowledgeable and easy to work with. Mark walked me through everything that would happen, and made sure I was getting everything I wanted.”
IBM i Version Upgrade Preparation Includes Complete System Save21
“Prior to the version upgrade, Mark downloaded to the Kaeser & Blair server all that we needed to safely complete our version upgrade. The downloads included the new OS version, PTFs, HIPER’s, and other related software. And before he initiated the version upgrade, he performed a complete system Save21 as a precaution if they needed to fall back on the V7.3 version of the system.”
Speedy Upgrade A Sign Of Experience
“On Saturday, Mark remotely initiated the version upgrade. Given the 8286 performance, the version upgrade completed in about 2 hours. He could have had access to the system all weekend, but he only needed less than one day.
“Afterwards, Mark remotely initiated a complete system Save21 of the new IBM i V7.4 version.”
SDP Technical Team – Professional, Extremely Knowledgeable, Easy To Work With
“Mark is very good- you can tell he has done a lot of these! When I had a question, he knew the answer right off the top of his head.”
Ed Jessie Recommends Source Data Products
“I would highly recommend Source Data Products for IBM i version upgrades. They know what they are doing. I wouldn’t change a thing. It is well worth the price to let Source Data Products do the upgrade.”