The Unknown IBM i – Part 2
Bob Losey
Certified IBM Advanced Business Partner at IBM POWER (iSeries/AS400) Specialist | IBM i (i5 OS/OS400) Specialist
“COOL” IBM i Technology We Take For Granted That Saves You $85,000 Per Year
Some of you may recall I posted “The Unknown IBM I” blog on August 15, 2016.
It began:
“Many of you may be old enough to remember the Gong Show and the “Unknown Comic” who wore a paper bag over his head. You could not see his face, so you did not know who he really was. That was part of the gag.
“I have a similar tale. Too bad the punchline of this real story is so true.”
Well, here is Part 2.
This last week I was talking to several technology writers. They all have strong Microsoft backgrounds. Besides writing about technology they all had brought technology projects to life.
As I described some of the high-level difference between IBM i and Windows, I was surprised with their amazement that IBM i had an integrated SQL relational database. To them, this concept was stunning.
I further explained that the IBM i single-level storage and data management architecture.
For example, I explained how the IBM i would manage object within the system. Frequently-needed object stayed in memory for fast access. Commonly-used data and program objects are stored on the physical disk units outside edge for faster access. Infrequently-used objects are stored deeper inside the physical disk drive – closer to the center – because it takes the disk access arms longer to retrieve --- which is infrequent.
In this way, the IBM i manages itself for optimal performance. No extra staff is required for load-balancing or system tuning.
Their response?
“COOL!”
I continued. This is more than just “cool” technology. It has REAL economic advantages that too many technical or business people do not recognize.
It saves business money!
How much?
Depending on skill-level and location, a systems engineer earns between $65,000 - $130,000 per year. Most commonly about $85,000 per year. In most cases, this is an IT staff member an IBM i user does not need.
In other words, most small-to-medium sized IBM i users do not have to pay an extra $85,000 per year to keep their server optimally running.
At that point they offered something I had NOT heard before from folks with a strong Windows background.
“If we had that technology in our past projects, we could have deployed our project faster and with far fewer hurdles than we encountered,” they volunteered.
So, these IBM i features would have made project deployment way easier…not just less expensive.
“Yes!” they said.
They explained they could have benefited from the OS-integrated SQL relational data base without setup delays that could range from several weeks to several months.
They would have also benefited from proper SQL setup and system self-management.
So, I asked, you would have been able to bring your technology projects to life faster and with fewer holdups?
“Yes! We sure wish we had something like that.”
Just as these technologists were unaware…and amazed…with the IBM i capabilities, my sense is that most IBM i users and management are also unaware of the extraordinary IBM i features.
We need to educate and remind our teams about what makes the IBM i so exceptional.
So, when someone suggests “we need to get off the IBM i and go to Windows because the hardware is so much cheaper”, we can remind them that they could be paying lots more in staffing, delays, and extra support to minimize disruption, prevent viruses and malware, improve load-balancing.
Cheaper hardware without IBM i architecture may cost LOADS MORE – in staffing, delays and on-going support.
Some of you may recall I posted “The Unknown IBM I” blog on August 15, 2016.
It began:
“Many of you may be old enough to remember the Gong Show and the “Unknown Comic” who wore a paper bag over his head. You could not see his face, so you did not know who he really was. That was part of the gag.
“I have a similar tale. Too bad the punchline of this real story is so true.”
Well, here is Part 2.
This last week I was talking to several technology writers. They all have strong Microsoft backgrounds. Besides writing about technology they all had brought technology projects to life.
As I described some of the high-level difference between IBM i and Windows, I was surprised with their amazement that IBM i had an integrated SQL relational database. To them, this concept was stunning.
I further explained that the IBM i single-level storage and data management architecture.
For example, I explained how the IBM i would manage object within the system. Frequently-needed object stayed in memory for fast access. Commonly-used data and program objects are stored on the physical disk units outside edge for faster access. Infrequently-used objects are stored deeper inside the physical disk drive – closer to the center – because it takes the disk access arms longer to retrieve --- which is infrequent.
In this way, the IBM i manages itself for optimal performance. No extra staff is required for load-balancing or system tuning.
Their response?
“COOL!”
I continued. This is more than just “cool” technology. It has REAL economic advantages that too many technical or business people do not recognize.
It saves business money!
How much?
Depending on skill-level and location, a systems engineer earns between $65,000 - $130,000 per year. Most commonly about $85,000 per year. In most cases, this is an IT staff member an IBM i user does not need.
In other words, most small-to-medium sized IBM i users do not have to pay an extra $85,000 per year to keep their server optimally running.
At that point they offered something I had NOT heard before from folks with a strong Windows background.
“If we had that technology in our past projects, we could have deployed our project faster and with far fewer hurdles than we encountered,” they volunteered.
So, these IBM i features would have made project deployment way easier…not just less expensive.
“Yes!” they said.
They explained they could have benefited from the OS-integrated SQL relational data base without setup delays that could range from several weeks to several months.
They would have also benefited from proper SQL setup and system self-management.
So, I asked, you would have been able to bring your technology projects to life faster and with fewer holdups?
“Yes! We sure wish we had something like that.”
Just as these technologists were unaware…and amazed…with the IBM i capabilities, my sense is that most IBM i users and management are also unaware of the extraordinary IBM i features.
We need to educate and remind our teams about what makes the IBM i so exceptional.
So, when someone suggests “we need to get off the IBM i and go to Windows because the hardware is so much cheaper”, we can remind them that they could be paying lots more in staffing, delays, and extra support to minimize disruption, prevent viruses and malware, improve load-balancing.
Cheaper hardware without IBM i architecture may cost LOADS MORE – in staffing, delays and on-going support.
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