“Everything Went Really Well. I Am Very Happy With Our POWER9 Upgrade. This Was A Very Smooth Migration. I Was Quite Impressed.”
Background
Norby Distributing Co. is a retail chain of 11 stores in Iowa and Kentucky. Headquartered in Dubuque, IA, the stores sell hunting and fishing equipment, housewares, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and a mix of product lines in animal health, livestock feed, workwear, fashion clothing, candy and snacks, and toys.
IBM 8202-E4C At V7.3 Supports 100+ Users
Norby Distributing has supported its 100+ users on an IBM 8202-E4C at V7.3 running Horizon Retail Solution as their primary business application software.
Norby’s System Administrator, Kathy Wall explains, “We had been very happy with our IBM POWER7 server. The IBM 8202 is very reliable. The Horizon Retail software is a great fit for our operation.”
Aging POWER7 On IBM HWMA Service Extension – Time to Upgrade
“Over a year ago we felt it was time to upgrade to a newer IBM server. Reason being is we had that server for an extended amount of time. We were concerned that our server was becoming outdated; we were on IBM Service Extension hardware support. We also needed more space to handle our business. That’s what made us decide to upgrade.”
Hosting Considered But On Premise Suits Norby Best
“We had looked at hosting our IBM i applications. We decided for us that an on premise server made more sense.”
Kathy continues, “Chris Smith from Horizon Retail Solutions recommended Source Data Products to us for our new IBM server.”
Source Data Products Configures IBM POWER9 9009-41G
“Source Data worked with us to configure a new IBM 9009-41G POWER9 suited to our needs.”
“Highly, Highly Recommend” Mark Breisacher, Source Data Sr. IBM i Engineer
“We worked with Source Data’s Senior IBM i Engineer Mark Breisacher. It was excellent. I couldn’t ask for a better experience. He is very knowledgeable. He is patient. He explained everything, exactly what needed to be done. He told me what he would do and what I needed to do. It was step-by-step. The experience was great. I would highly, highly recommend anyone who is looking at a new system to go with Mark.”
Remote Migration From POWER7 To New POWER9 In Half Day
“Mark worked remotely to get us set up. He had us migrated from our POWER7 to our new 9009-41G in half a day. After everything was up and restored, I turned my new POWER9 over to Horizon Retail to load their software keys. Once that was done, we were completely up and running.”
Smoothest Migration Ever
“Everything went really well. I am very happy with it. This was a very smooth migration. I was quite impressed. I was not expecting it to go as smoothly as it did.
“We feel comfortable with new IBM hardware and support for another 5-10 years.”
Kathy Wall Recommends Source Data Products
When asked if she would recommend Source Data Products, Kathy replies, “Most definitely. I have told Horizon and others I know, ‘Oh man, if you get a chance to work with Mark, grab him! He is very knowledgeable. He is a very patient person. He will go step-by-step with you until you are done.’ Sure glad we had the opportunity to work with Mark. I am really glad that Chris Smith recommended Source Data Products.”