As a long time exponent of the virtues of the AS/400, iSeries and now POWER servers, I am very aware that the true majesty of these superb systems lies in their ability to provide ‘Enterprise Class’ performance and reliability without the need for an ‘Enterprise Size’ IT department. We all know the anecdotes – the iSeries that has sat in the corner for years and only needs the backup tape changing, yet it supports the company’s core business applications – whilst the small cluster of Intel servers, or the desktop environment, requires a team of ten to keep it operational.
Maybe I do have ‘rose tinted glasses’ for the i/OS workhorse, but with the POWER i system, OS and database seamlessly designed and integrated from inception, it is little wonder that the POWER i requires so little support and is therefore extremely cost effective.
So why does the POWER i get regularly overlooked when companies consider a platform for a new application?
It is surely not the lack of available middleware and applications. The breadth of the existing software for the POWER i, and the availability of programming and support resources are second to none.
In my opinion, the main reason that the POWER i is not the platform of choice more often is that the initial cost is perceived as high. Sure, when you compare the POWER server with an Intel System (no OS, no database, no backup solution, no consideration for support etc etc), the POWER system will look expensive. It is the Total Cost of Ownership that makes the POWER system desirable. Unfortunately, that can be difficult to calculate, until now:
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/advantages/x86/tool/index.html
Are you an FD or budget holder for an IT department reliant on Intel systems? Why not input the details and see how much money you could be saving. It is unlikely the army of support staff you currently employ will want to see the answers.
If you want to understand how a POWER server could consolidate your x86 environment and save you money, contact a POWER specialist at Covenco or Applied Technologies –
https://www.covenco.co.uk/blog
