05
Thu, Dec
6 New Articles

In My Humble Opinion

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

To paraphrase the above quote, it's not about old technology or new technology or any particular kind of technology; it's the profitable use of technology that is or should be the primary focus of IS.

Most companies are in business to make money, and technology-old, new, or whatever-is just one resource used to accomplish that goal. Often, IS gets caught up in a pointless and heated "old vs. new" debate. What is needed is a stable, reliable, accurate, and cost-effective tool that does what the user wants when he wants and at a price he can afford.

To illustrate, let's compare the "old" IBM with the "new" IBM. Let's look at a fictional account of how IBM changed its stance on the S/36 and how its innovative use of this "old" technology is winning new customers, retaining old ones, and-not incidentally-contributing to the bottom line.

The time is several years ago, and the company is IBM. The situation is grim: Sales are way down, and the red ink from highly visible losses dominates the news. Critics openly call for the dismantling of IBM and the elimination of its AS/400 and mainframe divisions. Lou Gerstner, the new CEO and chairman of the board, is attending his first staff meeting. Lou walks into a large room filled with blue suits and begins the meeting.

"Gentlemen, this company is awash in a sea of red ink. Unless something is done quickly, IBM could end up in Chapter 11. Getting costs down is our first short-term priority, but, for the long term, this company needs new strategies, new tactics, and a commitment to customer satisfaction. With that said, I want to hear what you have to say."

Division executives deliver well-rehearsed briefings on new technology projects. But, every so often, there is a minor disturbance at the fence that circles the grounds. Lou finally walks over to the window to find out what is going on. Looking out, he sees well-dressed executives- sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs or small groups-run up to the fence, lob packages over, and leave. Intrigued, Lou asks the assembled blue suits what is going on.

After a few awkward seconds, one of the suits answers, "System/36 owners. They are a constant nuisance and ought to be locked up."

"That's right," concurred another. "They refuse to accept that we don't do the S/36 anymore. They need to migrate to the AS/400."

"What is a S/36, and what exactly do they want?" asks a still-puzzled Lou.

"The S/36 is an old system that IBM hasn't manufactured in years. What they want is a new S/36 that will run their old software faster and still give them access to some of the newer communications and programming technology. We still have some maintenance contracts, but our primary focus continues to be the AS/400, which has a S/36 environment just for them. Our sales reps will be happy to migrate them over. If they don't want to do that, we can always sell them a LAN or a UNIX box."

"What are they throwing over the fence?" asks a bemused Lou.

"Money," replies a suit, "and a note explaining who they are and what they want. There is also a PO attached and the name of someone in Purchasing to contact. We have a full-time employee who gathers it up and returns it."

Lou asks, "Can we do what they want? Can we sell them a faster, smaller, more efficient computer that will run their old software without change yet give them access to advanced technology?"

"Absolutely," replies the suit from Rochester. "We have had SSP, the S/36 operating system, up and running for several years on AS/400 hardware. While not quite as easy as a save and restore, migrating to the AS/400 is still quite simple. Batch throughput and interactive response times are three to five times faster. Main memory and DASD limits have for all practical purposes been removed. New capabilities include running multiple virtual machines on the same hardware and running OS/400 at the same time. And it doesn't require a rewrite of the application software; that problem almost killed DEC's ALPHA-based system. All in all, it's a good business system- highly reliable, stable, and cost effective."

Lou asks in a slightly annoyed voice, "Then, why don't we sell it to them? Sounds like a win-win situation to me: IBM makes money, and loyal customers remain happy."

"That's old technology," replies one suit snidely. "We don't do old technology."

"That's right," chimes in another. "IBM is the premier new-technology company in the world."

"Why, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Microsoft would have a field day with something like that!" cries a third. "I can hear them laughing at our selling, again, such an outdated technology. And the press! I can just see the negative headlines now."

Lou says in a firm and commanding voice, "This is precisely what I mean when I talk about a new strategy and a new focus on customer satisfaction. Go invite those S/36 owners in. I will be in to talk to them. Have the guards gather up that money and forward it to Sales and Order Entry; we are going to sell some computers. As for HP and Microsoft, if making a profit and keeping loyal customers happy is a cause for their laughter, I'll cry all the way to the bank."

Fictional, yes. Far-fetched...umm... maybe. The old IBM stonewalled at best and totally ignored at worst the S/36 base for years. The new IBM, with its focus on customer satisfaction, delivered an Advanced System 36 that, by all accounts, is taking the established base by storm.

Customers benefit by having a well-defined upgrade path, access to new technology, and the ability to continue to operate in a way that works best for them. The introduction of the AS/36 is not the only reason for IBM's successful turnaround, but it exemplifies the change in attitude that puts customer needs over the ego of new technology. IBM's adaptation of an old technology, SSP, to new technology, RISC-based AS/400, benefits everyone involved, except, of course, IBM's competitors.

Mark Suhr is an ITS manager for Anacomp Magnetics. He has 10 years experience in the IBM midrange environment, including the S/36. He can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: