Enterprise Features

Why Non-Technical CEOs Love IBM iSeries (AS/400)

by Paul Rudo on 10/08/10 at 7:22 pm

I recently having a discussion with an IBM expert about the “cult of iSeries”, when he brought up a good point:

“One thing about system I is how few people it takes to admin vs other operating systems. It is a business OS for businesses.”

To a non-technical executive, this is probably one of the most powerful arguments for implementing an IBM system. If you wanted to build a Windows server for your company, you might have to purchase several separate components:

• Blades
• Storage
• Operating System
• Database
• Antivirus
• Etc…

Since each of these elements would be produced by a different company, you’d need to hire an expert to put everything together and set the configurations you need. After this, you’ll need support staff to manage regular maintenance, upgrades and security patches.

As your business grows, some of these elements will become obsolete and incompatible. This could lead to major upgrades or the need for a complete system replacement.

In fact, Microsoft actually designs their software to be obsolete. Their entire business model is based on getting customers to buy the same software over and over, every few years.

Let’s compare this with an IBM server.

Since the I in “iSeries” stands for “Integrated”, you need to buy everything from IBM. This means that you’re tied into a single vendor, and everything costs more as a result… much much more. But the good thing about this is that everything you buy works together seamlessly. Although you pay more for hardware, you end up making your money back on the Total Cost of Ownership.

When you buy an iSeries server, it already comes loaded with everything pre-installed:

• Hardware
• Operating System
• Database
• Web Server
• Security

You just open the box and press the ON button.

Because everything already works together, you don’t have to fiddle with all sorts of complicated setting. If you want to modify any basic settings on your iSeries server, you can easily do so through a very simple, easy-to-understand user interface… without having to hire any specially-trained IT staff.

And these servers are specifically designed for transaction processing, which makes them ideal for tracking inventory, order-management, payroll processing, and just about any other critical business process.

Another benefit is that iSeries servers are extremely resilient. I’ve met AS/400 owners who claimed they’ve never rebooted their servers in over 5 years. And as far as I’m aware, there has never been an iSeries or AS/400 virus. The fact that these servers are so stable and secure makes them very low-maintenance and dependable.

And iSeries customers are incredibly loyal too. Once you buy your iSeries server, it’s designed to grow with your business. These servers are highly scalable, and upgrading or expanding is incredibly easy. This means that business owners can use their systems longer before having to replace their systems.

iSeries owners hardly ever talk about their servers because they never have to think about them. And this is also why they love their servers so much.

When a non-technical CEO is looking for a new business server, they want a long-term solution that’s simple, secure, maintenance-free, and robust. This is what makes iSeries servers so attractive, and keeps business customers addicted for life.

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