02
Sat, Nov
2 New Articles

New IBM i Solution Editions Can Leverage a Good Investment

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Integrated ERP packages on the latest POWER7 servers promise to extend the value of the IBM i platform while moving companies to modern technology.

 

One little-mentioned part of IBM's recent POWER7 server announcements are the four IBM i Solution Editions the company introduced that include optimized ERP solutions from the four major ERP vendors—Infor, JD Edwards, Lawson, and SAP.

 

The IBM i Solution Edition packages feature the latest ERP software from the leading vendors and are designed to appeal to customers running older versions of the IBM i operating system that are looking to upgrade both their hardware and software systems. The ERP vendors are offering customers significant discounts when purchasing POWER7 servers in the Solution Edition configuration.

 

Amidst all the talk about new technologies and cloud computing, it's interesting if not comforting to note that thousands, or rather tens of thousands, of manufacturing companies continue to rely on the System i to run their businesses. In a Webcast this week, Jay Kruemcke, IBM's worldwide program director for AIX, made it clear that AIX is not displacing, and will not in the future displace, IBM i and its integrated features, including a database. Companies running IBM i may, however, add AIX solutions to the mix when they are not available on IBM i, Kruemcke said. With an integrated Power Systems platform, this step is quite feasible and suggests IBM i system administrators may in time wish to become more familiar with AIX.

 

IBM salespeople have told me that new customers (at least those in the Los Angeles area) seem to request Windows, UNIX, or Linux for their primary operating system, but the implication is they aren't familiar with IBM i or they think relying on open systems architecture gives them more insurance against obsolescence. The fact is, however, neither Windows nor Linux is as reliable as IBM i for running most manufacturing or financial businesses. AIX is quite reliable, but IBM i is extremely reliable. While some companies might be tempted to change platforms, those tracking their investments in IT and the return on those investments generally must confront the numerical facts: IBM i on Power Systems still has the best total cost of ownership around. Add to that its reliability and security features, and the grand old master again wins the contest.

 

One company that is committed to the IBM i platform and has put significant investment into IBM i solutions is Infor. Probably the leading provider of business software for midmarket companies, Infor takes pride in its technology development and support of the IBM i platform. The company just wrapped up its 2010 System i User Conference in Phoenix this week. Joe Marino, vice president of System i development and support at Infor, is enthusiastic about the new IBM i Solution Editions on POWER7 servers.

 

"Infor and IBM have partnered to deliver the IBM i Solution Edition for Infor System i solutions," says Marino. "This is an important step in bringing a combination of Infor System i ERP and POWER7 processor-based systems to a set of customers that want simple, integrated solutions at a lower price," Marino says. "We believe that this solution will be valuable to a large set of customers and will be a great success in the market."

 

Infor recently announced a new solution for IBM i it calls Electronic Banking for System i that is powered by Cashbook. The full banking solution will provide customers a complete cash management system with a central interface that allows users to process, pay, and reconcile cash through one application with immediate updates reflected in their ERP systems. The solution sits atop the ERP system and includes modules for electronic payments, bank reconciliation, bank lockbox/automation, direct debits, and bank statement uploads. It's available for Infor ERP LX, Infor ERP BPCS, Infor ERP System 21, and Infor ERP XA.

 

Kari Miller is senior director of product management for System i at Infor, and in a recent blog, she noted that IT spending is on the rise. Worldwide estimates by Gartner put the annual spend figure at $3.4 trillion in 2010, a 5.3 percent increase over 2009. In 2011, we can expect to see another jump of 4.2 percent over 2010 with the estimated spend being $3.5 trillion, notes Miller. At the same time, manufacturers are again investing to improve their infrastructures and grow their businesses, says Miller. "Yet after the last two years, manufacturers also realize that every IT dollar counts—and needs to pay off sooner rather than later," she says.

 

Miller quotes a recent study of System i users—sponsored by Infor but conducted by The MPI Group—showing that all participating System i manufacturers believe that return on their investment is an important criterion in their purchases. In fact, 75 percent said ROI was "extremely important." Not surprisingly, notes Miller, 71 percent of these manufacturers actually measure their ROI. "Savvy executives have long known that in making IT purchases, it's especially important that they project total cost of ownership [TCO] over the life of the investment," Miller says.

 

However, given the array of tempting new products regularly hitting the market, many manufacturers have been known to "lose that TCO focus" as systems become familiar and newer IT options entice buyers, notes Miller.

 

Infor has one of the largest installed bases of any System i software vendor, with about 15,000 System i customers. The company notes that tens of thousands of manufacturers continue to benefit from the System i's favorable TCO. The longer they keep it, the better their return on investment. When there are free dollars to invest in IT, many of these manufacturers are putting them into new System i solutions to stay current with IT trends "without the expense or pain of a platform change," says Miller.

 

Infor has a means of upgrading its System i-based ERP solutions through what it calls Infor's Flex Upgrade and Flex Exchange programs. With the new IBM i Solution Editions, both IBM and Infor now have another option for customers that puts them on the POWER7 platform while leveraging the benefits of IBM i's TCO. The customer can extend the original investment in the platform yet upgrade both software and hardware to a modern system. Given the performance, value, and price advantages of POWER7, as well as the investment in new software technology from companies such as Infor, concerns about the longevity of the IBM i platform might be equated with Mark Twain's comment that "the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

as/400, os/400, iseries, system i, i5/os, ibm i, power systems, 6.1, 7.1, V7,

Chris Smith

Chris Smith was the Senior News Editor at MC Press Online from 2007 to 2012 and was responsible for the news content on the company's Web site. Chris has been writing about the IBM midrange industry since 1992 when he signed on with Duke Communications as West Coast Editor of News 3X/400. With a bachelor's from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in English and minored in Journalism, and a master's in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Chris later studied computer programming and AS/400 operations at Long Beach City College. An award-winning writer with two Maggie Awards, four business books, and a collection of poetry to his credit, Chris began his newspaper career as a reporter in northern California, later worked as night city editor for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and went on to edit a national cable television trade magazine. He was Communications Manager for McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, Calif., before it merged with Boeing, and oversaw implementation of the company's first IBM desktop publishing system there. An editor for MC Press Online since 2007, Chris has authored some 300 articles on a broad range of topics surrounding the IBM midrange platform that have appeared in the company's eight industry-leading newsletters. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: