Are you heavily invested in AS400 iSeries, but fed up with legacy system bottlenecks?
Has AS400 iSeries system vulnerabilities heavily affected your business continuity?
Are you struggling to adopt new technologies, impeding your AS400 modernization efforts?
Relax, there are 3 solutions to your problem:
1. Do nothing and wait until the system breaks
2. Get 3rd party AS400 support and maintenance services
3. Get a new on-premises server
- Take the first step if you can afford to lose on your AS/400 setup
- Take the second step if you want immediate, cost-effective support and a performance boost
- Take the third step if you can bear the time it takes for the new setup to run efficiently
In this blog, we are going to explore the second step. Every essential detail you must know about engaging with the third-party AS400 support and maintenance service provider.
Let the exploration begin
But first, What are the key AS400 Support Services offered in 2023?
There are currently 6 key services in the market. Each service deals with different aspects of iSeries:
- AS400 application support to manage and optimize AS400 applications
- AS400 production support to ensure flawless operations of the production system
- AS400 technical support for all-in-one technical aid
- AS400 maintenance for regular maintenance activities and up-to-date performance
- AS400 troubleshooting to spot and resolve any malfunctioning
- AS400 support teams for on-demand support designed to meet your AS400 system’s specific shortcomings and needs.
Why is AS400 Support and Maintenance a Good Investment?
In a dynamic business landscape, the IBM AS400 support empowers you to lead with confidence, unlocking the full potential of your AS400 system.
For instance, you are an e-commerce giant heavily invested in AS400 for day-to-day operations. You are facing a rise in demand during the sales season. Your AS400 iSeries is the lifeblood of your order processing, and your website witnesses an error.
Your customers are panicking, and your team is seeking a quick and reliable solution that will prevent the lag and ensure uninterrupted order processing.
This is when AS400 support and maintenance services come into the picture with a sense of relief. The support professionals leverage their wealth of knowledge and promptly resolve the issue as you can feel the burden lifted off your shoulders, knowing that your AS400 operations are in capable hands.
Thus, AS400 support services have proven to be a worthy investment for your business.
Now that you know the criticality of AS400 maintenance & support, are you aware that many business leaders are leveraging outsourcing IBM iSeries as a strategic move?
Let’s uncover the WHY.
Why have Businesses Started Outsourcing IBM iSeries Support & Services and you should too?
There are multiple reasons why businesses today find outsourcing support services an attractive solution.
Follow the lead from here –
Void of iSeries Experts
The key driver for outsourcing AS400 support services is the drop in the AS400 experts, as the younger generation is reluctant to learn the language and the veterans are retiring or planning to retire soon.
Business leaders have realized the need to modernize digital operations, but recruiting has become a significant challenge, making outsourcing a suitable choice.
iSeries Help Desk Support
From the standpoint of iSeries, CIOs, and CTOs need a dedicated help desk platform to tackle their IBM iSeries challenges.
Instead of hiring skilled engineers to create a help desk system, outsourcing AS400 maintenance services can provide multi-level, expert helpdesk support that will dedicatedly handle their ticket requests.
Advance iSeries Functionality
As leaders are adding modern functionalities to the legacy system such as scalability improvements, bigger data management, and integration of cloud services, their IT teams are falling short of time.
IBM iSeries support services outsourcing provides the required support for mission-critical operations by enabling a 24/7 support model.
Fall in Operating Costs
IT project cost is a major factor in deciding the company’s ROI. Business leaders have been looking for strategic moves to reduce the project cost and boost ROI.
Outsourcing the AS400 services has made it possible to reduce the costly staffing hours, hardware, maintenance, upgrades, office space, and other overhead costs.
Now let’s look at the benefits of highly customized AS400 support services.
What’s the Power of Customized AS400 Support plans for your Business Needs?
Let’s explore the potential of tailor-made AS400 solutions for your organization.
Cost Efficiency
360-degree customization of AS400 support services allows you to pivot resources efficiently and minimize useless features and services while maximizing the quality of support.
Imagine this: A variety of your applications run on the AS/400 platform. By customizing, you can tailor-make the support each application shall receive, with mission-critical operations receiving 24×7 support and non-critical operations sustaining with standard support.
Scalable Support for Growth
Instead of a standard support plan, customization brings you the benefit of flexibility and scalability, ensuring that your ecosystem is supporting emerging business needs.
For instance, imagine your local business is hitting the international waters, necessitating more use of AS/400 to manage the operations. With the help of customized AS400 support and maintenance services, your business can handle the increased workload and ensure seamless operations during your expansion phase.
Targeted Support for Critical Applications
Customized AS400 support plans enable targeted support for critical applications that need a high level of expertise and resources.
For example, imagine a banking app relying on IBM iSeries for secure transactions. A customized service approach will prioritize the application security more than a one-size-fits-all support plan. With more focus on real-time threat detection, strict security checks, and quick response mechanisms.
Now, that you are clear with the necessity of AS400 support services, let’s understand what difference their absence will make.
What will happen to your Business without AS400 Support Services?
The absence of dedicated AS400 Support and Maintenance Services will result into
- Challenges in scaling the system
- Downtime, owing to unresolved issues
- System instability and poor user experience
- Struggle in implementing the necessary upgrades
- Slow processing AS400 iSeries system and reduced efficiency
- Vulnerable system due to lack of necessary updates and patches
Having emphasized the need for a third-party service provider, let’s talk about the need for the best AS400 solutions partner.
Why is it Necessary to Choose the right AS400 Support Partner?
You may wonder ”Since all service providers offer identical services, should I consider aligning with a partner solely depending on the cost-effectiveness?”
Although the services are identical, you should consider the expertise, skill set of the AS400 professionals, reliability, and success rate of the iSeries consulting partner to guarantee a worthy investment and a strategic leverage.
But how to shortlist a reliable partner for customized AS400 support and maintenance services?
Top 7 Questions CIOs/ CTOs should ask their AS400 Support Service Providers
Consider asking these questions to your prospect AS400 support maintenance professional services provider and you can easily assess their qualities.
1. What unique value do you offer compared to other IBM AS400 support service vendors?
2. Can you elaborate on your disaster recovery and backup plans to guard my AS400 ecosystem and data?
3. What is your guaranteed response time for critical AS400-related issues? How do you prioritize them for timely resolution?
4. How do you ensure the security of our AS400 systems and adherence to the current industry standards and regulations?
5. Do you offer pilot projects for us to assess the quality of your services and our compatibility before committing?
6. What is your pricing structure, and a detailed breakdown of the cost? How do you justify these costs?
7. Can you provide a clear synopsis of the Service Level Agreements you offer, especially the response times and availability for dedicated support?
See How Integrative Systems Puts You Ahead of the Game
With 20+ years of offering AS400 solutions, 1150+ projects delivered, and deep knowledge of the technology our team brings a distinct, strategic advantage to your business.
Our wealth of knowledge and expertise around AS/400 iSeries tech allows us to anticipate challenges, offer customized solutions, and meet your special needs.
From the moment we engage with your business to tying the final knots of the project, we undertake a value-driven collaboration. Here’s an overview of our meticulous AS400 support journey with you:
1. Begin with assessing your AS400 ecosystem and customize a practical integration plan
2. Next, implement 24/7 monitoring tools to optimize and improve the performance
3. Furthermore, ensure the scalability of the AS400 support services and future-proof the AS400 setup to deal with emerging technologies
4. Provide prompt support to address your AS400 iSeries-related issues to minimize downtime.
5. Regularly look for ways to optimize resources, while uplifting the quality
Reap the benefits of AS400 Support with Integrative Systems
Being an IBM Silver Business Partner and listed in INC 5000, we have helped our clientele from various verticals to maximize the potential of their AS400 systems.
At Integrative Systems, we believe in helping you succeed first.
With this core belief, we practice a client-centric approach, view customers as partners, and adhere to the highest standards of values.
If you are seeking a reliable partner for dedicated IBM iSeries services for your enterprise, we are just a text away.
Drop us a line at [email protected] and our experts shall reach out to you to understand your needs, propose a suitable solution, and empower you to take the final call.
