A few weeks ago I posted Is IBM i (AS400/iSeries) Application Hosting Right For You? The blog presented the 5 factors most Cloud400 users mention why they host their IBM i (AS400/iSeries) applications in the cloud.
Well, here are 6 more reasons IBM i users come to us.
As you may think about cloud hosting for your operation, which of the following considerations resonate with you?
1) Affordable Disaster Recovery (DR) And Business Continuity
Clients can pick from several Cloud400 DR plans depending on how quickly they need to recover in the event of downtime (planned or unplanned), say, minutes, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours and so forth.
Cloud400 virtual servers, or Logical Partitions (LPARs), means that a client is not dependent on the accessibility of a specific server. The Cloud400 LPAR is accessible when the client wants it.
When it comes to High Availability (HA), or real-time replication, to recover in minutes instead of days, Cloud400 is exceptionally affordable compared to an onsite recovery server or IBM CBU.
HA replication uses a fraction of the production workload.
Even so, you typically configure a recovery server to be comparable to a production server. This means you buy a server for the worst-case scenario that will generally be WAY under-utilized.
In contrast, we size the Cloud400 DR LPAR to be much smaller than needed for production. This makes the Cloud400 DR LPAR much lower in price. And in those cases where you need to failover your production workload to the Cloud400 DR LPAR, we dial up the resource as needed and for as long as you need them.
2) Version Upgrades
Many clients prefer to test an IBM i version upgrade before it goes into production as well as minimize upgrade downtime.
Cloud400 is ideal for version upgrades. Cloud400 lets you upgrade your system and test without impacting your production environment.
The length of testing depends on how much time you need. Some clients are satisfied with a week of testing while others take as much a 6-8 weeks. Most are satisfied with 1-3 weeks.
When you do upgrade, the amount of dedicated downtime is generally a matter of hours instead of a whole weekend ordeal. Your dedicated downtime depends on how long it takes to restore and test your upgraded system. For most of our users, this is about 4 hours. (Clearly, larger users will have longer downtime for restoring and testing — but generally not a whole weekend.)
3) Sunset Applications On Flexible Terms
Clients sunset applications as they move to newer systems. In the process, these clients understand they need access to their IBM i applications with IBM i support for some period of time. Some forecast for several years. Others require a decade due to compliance issues. Some frankly cannot know when their IBM i applications will no longer be required.
What all these clients have in common is the need for IBM i application hosting with flexible terms and managed by skilled IBM i experts.
4) Software as a Service
A growing number of software developers come to Cloud400 to host their applications. While they have told us of the resistance they encounter to sell their software with an on-premise IBM POWER server that is generally in a range of $30,000-$45,000, they find it relatively easy to market their solutions as Software as a Service (SaaS). While it seems buyers are reluctant to want an IBM i server, these same buyers don’t care what technology their SaaS uses.
Cloud400 makes IBM i SaaS easy. The software developers sell and support their applications and don’t need to make any infrastructure investments to support their customers.
5) Temporary Use For Development And Testing
Occasionally, IBM i users have a need to develop and test new applications yet don’t have the capital budget to add the needed resources to their server.
Cloud400 is ideal for short-term projects like this.
Clients can access an LPAR tailored to their needs and pay for it only as long as they need it.
6) Back-Level IBM i OS Support
In a few cases, Cloud400 clients’ applications run on back-level IBM i OS (V4R4 to V6R1). These users cannot upgrade to newer levels. The most common reason is their applications are not on maintenance support so they are unable to get either the required software keys or object code.
Summary
If you are affected by one or more of these considerations, you may benefit to learn more about Cloud400 for IBM i application hosting.
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