I often read how many IBM i devotees lament that IBM does a poor job of marketing as the primary reason IBM i loses out to Windows, UNIX and Linux. While that may be true, from talking to many users I now have a sense that other, BIGGER trends hurt the IBM i – bad practices from Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). Let me first state that in my experience, the vast majority of IBM i ISV’s are run by thoughtful providers who sincerely care about their clients. On the other hand, there … [Read more...]
“Oracle, iPhone…IBM i? What?”
Oracle, iPhone, IBM i Tight Hardware And Software Integration Work Best I recently read where Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison touts those customers who bought a suite of hardware, software, and services were significantly more satisfied with their purchase than customers who had purchased a single piece of that technology bundle. Ellison credited Apple’s Steve Jobs with being out in front on this design philosophy: “He believed that if you engineer the hardware and software to work … [Read more...]
What? No More Hardware Service For Older IBM i POWER (iSeries) Servers?
The purpose of this blog is to provide you a practical explanation of IBM’s EOSS and what options you can select for planning your next step. What Does IBM’s End Of Service Support (EOSS) For POWER Mean To You? Really? I have many clients that have called me in alarm after receiving a letter from IBM dated June 21, 2016 announcing an End of Service Support (EOSS) for IBM POWER 5 systems and older IBM Plans To Discontinue Hardware Support For POWER5 and older systems. IBM wants you … [Read more...]
Why iSeries/AS400 Owners Do NOT Have to Pay for Custom Programming Every Time There’s a Hardware Change
You need software to run your business…and you need hardware to run your software. Your software—or more precisely, what your software does—is the reason you spend money on information technology. Some of that money has to go toward hardware, of course, but hardware is, functionally speaking, twice-removed from the “action.” Running your business profitably and efficiently is the “action,” and that’s why you want to keep your software up-to-date. But hardware also needs to be upgraded from time … [Read more...]
With IBM i (OS400/i5OS) You Give Up Things
Things Like Viruses, Security Holes, Downtime, Systems Management by Humans, And An Ever-Growing IT Staff Microsoft Windows’ predisposition to viruses is well known. But do you have any idea how extensive it is? A few years ago I did a Google search on “Microsoft Windows virus” and got over 68,500,000 hits! Do the same for “IBM i (OS400) virus,” and you will get 0 hits. This is a telltale indication that IBM i is much more stable than Windows…and far less virus-prone. It is a fact that no … [Read more...]
Can You Really Host Older IBM OS400/i5OS Application?
I really should NOT be surprised. My partner and I were recently reviewing our Cloud400 clients and reflected how many had come to us from older OS400/i5OS versions. Many might think that most of our clients come to us in the range of V5R4 to V7R2 – supported (mostly) versions of IBM i. In fact, about 30% of our clients come to us with OS400 from V3R1 (hard to believe) to V5R3. So what’s the big deal? Not all IBM i hosting providers are prepared to handle older … [Read more...]
“End of Life” IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Cloud Hosting
Why Do “End of Life” IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Users Select Cloud Hosting? This blog discusses considerations for those thinking about outsourcing “end of life” or “sunset” IBM i applications. My partner and I were recently reviewing our hosted client base. We noted a growing trend of IBM i users moving to our IBM i hosting service as part of their “end of life” application strategy. Our Go-Live Satisfaction Survey reveals common reasons why IBM i users pick hosting for “end of life” … [Read more...]
The Hidden Costs of Other (non-IBM i) Operating Systems
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Every business manager understands the danger of subdividing a job and distributing responsibility for each of the sub-jobs among different people. Whenever anybody makes a change in his “piece,” everybody else has to worry how that change might affect their pieces. The more pieces—and the more “blaimees” — the tougher it is to get them all working harmoniously. And costs tend to increase as well, because the need to coordinate things becomes more … [Read more...]
Test Drive Cloud400 Without Getting Soaked
7 Steps To Your Cloud400 Success STEP 1 – FREE I.T. Health Check Up We talk. We learn a little about your business, your operation and your goals. You describe your current iSeries/AS400 server, business software, users you support, your network infrastructure, your support costs and your needs. We provide you with expert IT advice about your options and possible budget to change your technology – all 100% free of charge. You just may discover you have a clean bill of IT health. Or, you may … [Read more...]
Moving Off IBM i (iSeries/AS400) Server ?
You May Need Help - Even If You Don’t Think So 7 Year Delays, Coupled With Over $300,000 In Transition Maintenance, Is The “Average!” Even with the decision to leave the IBM i platform and migrate to a new platform combined with the most comprehensive planning and aggressive time schedules, you will probably hang on to your IBM i longer – a whole lot longer – than you expect. Most Users That Migrate Away From Their IBM i Keep It For 7 Years Or More! 80% of the clients that notified us of … [Read more...]