More than 100,000 organizations still depend on the IBM iSeries platform introduced over 30 years ago. iSeries has been a staple in industries like banking and manufacturing, for example, and continues to run business-critical applications like advanced ERP systems. As a mainstay for so many organizations, business leaders are reluctant to consider transitioning to other solutions because they fear significant capital expense and the time and cost of retraining their IT personnel.
Despite the longevity of the IBM iSeries, the continued use of legacy on-premises platforms poses challenges, including:
By partnering with an iSeries hosting and managed services provider, your organization can move your iSeries systems to the cloud where they can be proactively monitored, managed, and backed up. The service provider will also help you develop a comprehensive disaster recovery and high availability/continuous operation program.
CBTS has extensive iSeries cloud migration experience and certified experts who have helped many companies make the transition and reduce IT expenditures by matching processing power with their precise needs.
Also, CBTS eliminates planned downtime associated with backups and upgrades by implementing a continuous operation strategy, including a tested disaster recovery operations plan to avoid unforeseen crises and ensure application availability.
The IBM iSeries has supported successful organizations for more than 30 years. The success of the platform is monumental, considering the rapid pace of change within the technology industry. While your organization can replace hardware and software, many IT specialists trained to service the iSeries are approaching retirement age or have already retired. And because most colleges and universities no longer offer iSeries training, it has become increasingly difficult to find people who know how to manage the platform.
iSeries-based businesses often relied on tape backups for recovery after an outage, data loss, or another disaster. But the reality is recovery from a tape backup today is unlikely, and even if successful, it would involve significant downtime that might imperil your business.
Also, most disaster recovery plans are untested, and there is a strong chance they will fail in an emergency. Even if the disaster plan does work, your business might be crippled by the downtime.
A properly functioning backup plan should be drawn up far ahead of time and should be tested. The plan can then be adjusted to reflect the knowledge gained from the backup recovery test. In a continuous use environment, you must have a robust backup and recovery plan. To do that, you need a technology partner with substantial expertise to handle this complex, nuanced process.
Many organizations must meet high data protection and recovery standards. They make significant investments in IT to protect sensitive information and must prove to regulators that they have taken the steps necessary to avoid damage or loss of personal data. By working with an iSeries managed services provider, your organization no longer bears the full responsibility for compliance, and your IT staff can talk to people who have completed hundreds of individual audits and hold a wide range of certifications.
CBTS high-availability data recovery programs feature in-depth testing with a Letter of Test Performance to meet audit and regulatory needs, runbooks, and business continuity planning. Burstable disaster recovery technologies are also available for any reason and length of time. Offload iSeries management, support, and updates confidently by migrating these platforms to an experienced third-party cloud provider with certified professionals with years of iSeries managed services expertise.
CBTS managed services include:
Support of business resilience and operations through the use of high-availability and continuous use strategies, and backup and recovery testing to eliminate downtime for routine maintenance or in the event of a crisis.
The IBM iSeries has delivered decades of service, security, and reliability, but its time is drawing to an end. Companies now face the increased pressure of a 24x7x365 business model, difficulties with finding qualified IT talent, and uncertainties about what would happen to their operations during a disaster. Organizations can overcome these challenges by working with a managed services provider to create a customized cloud-based solution that eliminates risk and lowers the cost continuing to run on the iSeries platform.
CBTS has more than 30 years of experience in designing, building, and managing data centers and cloud environments in nearly every industry. Our highly trained and certified iSeries experts can help you make a seamless transition to a managed cloud solution. CBTS will help you optimize application workload needs and maintain infrastructure operations within a remote-managed model. And the effectiveness of your IT team will dramatically increase when they can partner with technology peers to deliver on high-value, move-the-needle competitive advantage solutions.
To learn more about migrating IBM iSeries to the cloud, download our free e-book.