Despite organizations’ familiarity with the IBM iSeries, legacy on-premises platforms pose some significant challenges, including:
- When an iSeries-focused staff member leaves or retires, it’s a challenge to find certified talent.
- Maintaining iSeries systems has become cost-prohibitive when compared to newer options.
- Organizations no longer need the robust features of replacement iSeries models.
- Adapting to today’s 24x7x365 business model requires continuous operation, not allowing for backup and upgrade downtime.
- Data protection, security, and disaster recovery plans no longer meet today’s regulatory and compliance requirements.
When you partner with an iSeries hosting and managed service provider, you can move your iSeries systems to the cloud where they can be proactively monitored, managed, and backed up. A qualified service provider will also help you develop a sound disaster recovery plan, along with a 24x7x365 operation program.
OnX Canada has extensive iSeries cloud migration experience and certified experts who have helped many companies make the transition. One immediate benefit is the reduction of IT expenditures due to processing power engineered to match specific needs.
Additionally, OnX eliminates downtime associated with backups and upgrades by implementing a continuous operating strategy that includes a disaster recovery plan to avoid the unexpected and ensure 24×7 application availability.
Eliminate the Need for Recruiting and Retaining iSeries Talent
It’s quite a feat that the IBM iSeries has lasted for more than 30 years, considering the pace of change and innovation within the technology industry. While an organization can comfortably replace hardware and software without assistance, many IT specialists trained to service the iSeries are approaching retirement or already have retired. Additionally, most colleges and universities no longer offer iSeries training, making it more difficult to find qualified people to manage the platform.
Hardware and Software Costs Aligned with Organizational Needs
The reality is replacing an iSeries platform can cost millions. To keep up with the rapid evolution of technology, many organizations are purchasing more computing power than they need.
Many companies are using as little as 15% of their system’s processing power. Six or eight years later, when it’s time to upgrade, they again buy something they don’t need because the processors are three times more powerful than the ones they’re replacing.
Replacement costs increase exponentially when you consider the cost of software, which is typically priced by the number of processors in the machine.
When you work with an iSeries cloud provider, you consume the exact amount of storage, computing, and backup services you need. This method frees your company to use excess capital and available IT staff to work toward higher-level goals that keep you ahead of the competition while positively impacting your bottom line.
Say Goodbye to Downtime
Traditionally, iSeries-based businesses relied on tape backup for recovery after an outage, data loss, or other disasters. Today, recovery from a tape backup is unlikely, and even if it could be done, the amount of downtime it involves puts significant stress on a business.
Also, to many managers’ surprise, most disaster recovery plans are untested, and there’s a strong chance they will fail.
Today’s backup plans are drawn up far ahead of time and tested. They can be adjusted to reflect knowledge gained from backup recovery tests to ensure they work when you need them.
When you’re in a continuous use environment, a robust backup and recovery plan is a must. To ensure you’re protected, you need a technology partner with the experience to handle today’s technology.
Stay in Compliance with Today’s Data Protection and Recovery Standards
Organizations today must meet a higher data protection and recovery standard than ever before. They must prove to regulators that they have taken the steps necessary to secure sensitive data and avoid damage and losses. When you partner with an iSeries managed service provider, your organization no longer takes on the full burden of compliance responsibility. Your IT staff gets support from certified experts who have completed hundreds of individual audits.
OnX high-availability data recovery programs feature in-depth testing and a Letter of Test Performance that meet audit and regulatory standards, runbooks, and business continuity planning. Offload your iSeries management, support, and updates with confidence by migrating these platforms to an experienced third-party cloud provider with years of iSeries managed service expertise.
OnX managed services include:
- 24x7x365 monitoring, response, and system management.
- Recruiting, hiring, training, and assigning experts in a diverse lineup of technologies.
- Designing, configuring, and implementing cloud and hybrid environments.
- 24x7x365 IT security services that identify unusual activity and work with cyber experts to minimize the chances of a hack.
- Support of business resilience and operations through the use of high-availability and continuous use strategies, and backup and recovery testing that eliminates downtime.
Move to an OnX Canada Managed IT Services Model
Although IBM iSeries has delivered decades of service, security, and reliability, its time has passed. Today’s companies now must deal with the increased pressure of 24x7x365 service, a dwindling pool of qualified IT talent, and the burden of more complex disaster planning. The only way organizations can confidently work in this new environment is by partnering with a managed services provider that can create customized cloud-based solutions to eliminate risk and lower the cost of the continued use of the iSeries platform.
OnX has over 30 years of experience in designing, building, and managing data centers and cloud environments in nearly every industry. Our trained and certified iSeries experts can help your organization make a seamless transition to a managed cloud solution. OnX will help you optimize application workload needs and maintain infrastructure operations within a remote-managed model.
Additionally, the effectiveness of your IT team will dramatically increase when they partner with technology peers who speak their language. To learn more about migrating IBM iSeries to the cloud, download our free e-book