The dawn of this new decade witnessed a significant upheaval in the way businesses operate – whether they were ready for it or not, companies were forced to modernize and deliver services digitally. An integral part of their transformation strategy included cloud hosting – it allowed businesses to make better use of their data and offer a better experience to their users.
Not surprisingly, global spend on cloud is set to exceed $482 million in 2022, according to Gartner, a 54% increase from the previous year. This, in turn, has directly driven demand for cloud infrastructure services – businesses are eager to strengthen core business applications by taking advantage of cloud and reap benefits such as lower costs, improved security and better scalability & flexibility.
IBM’s AS/400 servers can handle a lot, but IBM i shops are also trying to tackle obstacles such as retiring talent, aging hardware, or strained IT bandwidth. They have realized that cloud hosting might be the perfect solution: businesses can keep their IBM i environment and still modernize IT operations & run business-critical workloads.
Here are the top five trends that explain why IBM i cloud hosting isn’t slowing down:
1. Accessing Talented IBM i Experts
As legacy IBM programmers retire, businesses are looking for IBM i experts with specialized skill sets and experience in:
- Backup management
- Operating System
- Programming
- Retention
- Version upgrades
Businesses must also run advanced technologies to remain competitive:
- Business analytics
- CRM
- eCommerce
- ERP
Programmers skilled in IBM i and advanced business applications are scarce in-house and can be difficult to replace when lost. Experts can be found externally via hosting providers, eliminating drawn-out and difficult searches for staff.
2. Obtaining the Benefit of Greater Security
Disaster Recovery is a key reason why businesses prefer to host with IBM i AS/400 hosting takes much of the pressure off in-house equipment and its ability to retrieve data in a breach situation. In addition, outsourcing hosting is more cost-efficient. This is because it can be a financial strain for businesses to try to match and maintain the level of security that hosting provides. For the hosting agent, technologically advanced equipment is a necessity. This allows businesses to reap the rewards of modern technology when they choose to outsource hosting. At Abacus Solutions, we combine stringent security compliances with cutting-edge data center infrastructure to provide the most benefits to customers who rely on us for IBM i hosting.
3. Realizing On-Premise Servers Have Hidden Expenses
Businesses have figured the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the life of their servers. Over time, an on-premise server will cost more than its initial investment.
Expenses include redundant data center security tasks and administration data loss prevention measures such as:
- Disaster Recovery
- Fire suppression
- Firewalls
- Internet security
- Redundant cooling
- Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
The costs of maintaining the server add up and after those incurred costs have been spent, eventually the server itself will expire. This alone could put a business at a disadvantage competitively. AS/400 hosting services enable businesses to keep up without putting out excess funds.
4. Paying for What They Use, Nothing More
IBM i hosting services is the way businesses streamline their operational budget. It’s easier for them to retire their legacy servers and bring in new applications when they just pay for the services they use. Furthermore, as servers age, warranties and their accompanying technical support, end. IBM i AS/400 hosting makes for a smoother cloud transition. With Abacus, customers get a slice of a larger, virtual enterprise cloud infrastructure, making it easy to expand or downsize what they use based on their business needs.
5. Eliminating Diversions that Waste Productivity
When error messages about hardware pop up on-premise, technical staff must stop working on a project and solve the problem. Meanwhile, productivity slows or stops. And as with all types of computer-related equipment, End of Service (EOS) announcements will occur from time to time. AS/400 hosting eliminates the drama, allowing IT staff to focus on development and application.
Your Go-To Cloud Hosting Provider
IBM i trends are growing each day, and for good reason. If you have questions about AS/400 hosting services, we can answer them. Whether you’re transitioning to the cloud or needing management or maintenance services, you can reach out to us at info@freschesolutions.com.
