iTech Solutions - for all of your IBM i System needs
Richie Palma, Tech Solutions Consultant
In my previous article, “Understanding IBM External Storage Data Reduction Technology,” we looked at the options available for shrinking your data on disk.
We talked about the three main functions available in FlashSystem storage, which include:
Laurie LeBlanc, iTech Solutions
A good CIO will take a hard look at the status quo to determine if it is still the right decision. While we love our IBM i and don’t want the CIO to consider migration, it’s part of the job. They need to consider future business needs such as availability, scalability, security, and modernization to keep the budget in good shape. The good news is these are all things that IBM i is poised to help companies to achieve.
The HelpSystems’ 2020 IBM i Marketplace Survey results indicate that security is on the top of the CIO’s list of concerns. With the shift to having more remote workers, your systems’ security should be a greater concern. Security was followed by High Availability/Disaster Recovery, Modernizing Applications, IBM i skills, and Data Growth. These responses highlight how important IBM i is to the business.
Laurie LeBlanc, iTech Solutions
Let’s face it — 2020 hasn’t been the most stellar year for a lot of companies. There is still uncertainty about what will happen COVID-19 and the rest of the year. As a result, some companies choose to hold on to their cash and not make capital purchases. Others have frozen their budgets.
With the end of life for the popular E4D coming on December 31, 2020, many IBM i shops face Extended Support. This support is limited in scope. You can only get a contract for 12 months, and there are no guarantees. IBM Extended Support is better than IBM’s no option, but it’s not the best solution.
If you’re one of these companies struggling to navigate budget constraints in 2020, we have a suggestion: financing. If you’re not worried today, but you want to hold on to your cash, financing is also a fit for you. Do you refresh your hardware on a regular three to four-year cadence? Financing will save you money.
Laurie LeBlanc, iTech Solutions
Managed Services may mean different things to different people. To some, Managed Services means “I no longer have to do anything or worry about my IBM i”. For others, it means having someone else to bounce ideas off of and to have a backup for time off. The truth is, it’s both and everything in between.
If you’re an Admin, when you hear your boss talk about Managed Services, you might get nervous about job security. The truth is we work with a lot of companies who have an Admin, and we support them. If you’re a CIO and you are concerned with finding a resource with IBM i knowledge, we can help you too.
We can tell you how good we are, but that isn’t as good as hearing about real customer situations. Below are three real customer stories that discuss what the customer needs were and how Managed Services helped their businesses.
Patrick Nip
Almost three decades ago, back in 1997, IBM announced the flagship 9337 Disk Array Subsystem, a rack-mount disk unit that offers 1,084 MB to 33.55 GB of DASD for the AS/400 9406 Models B, D, E, and F as well as AS/400 Advanced System Model. Back in the early ’80s, I engaged in a benchmark of the 9337 Disk Subsystem on an enterprise AS/400 against the EMC Symmetric system in Rochester, Minnesota. I also presented RAID technology at a local user group meeting, explaining how to protect the data on the 9337 storage for the AS/400 with RAID 5 technology.
We have come a long way in storage for the Power System. In addition to internal hard disk drives (HDDs), there are Solid State Drives (SSDs), Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) drives, and the external IBM FlashSystems with all NVMe storage option. Gone are the days when AS/400 internal storage was usually the first choice in achieving the best performance. This blog discusses various IBM storage options for POWER9 and highlights the cost difference of deploying different storage options on a FlashSystem fiber attached to a POWER9.