Richard,
You cannot run an AS/400 on a Power Server. You cannot run OS/400 on a
Power Server. But you can run IBM i on a Power Server. So if Power Servers
are cool, and IBM i runs on it, then a 30-something CxO will have to have
one!
I agree with you that it is about the applications. When an application is
sold as an AS/400 application, then it is perceived as old. If an
application is sold as an IBM i application, then you are selling the OS,
not the application. When you are selling a solution that requires
specific hardware, there are several approaches. You can sell it to
companies that have the platform already. You can sell a package of
hardware and software. You can sell a SAAS application, and not mention
the OS or hardware. In our world, we trained the users a long time ago to
call ALL their applications by the name of a piece of hardware, and we are
suffering for it. (Had you ever sat in any single one of my presentations,
you would know all of this - and probably been motivated.)
It is my contention that the users should not care about the hardware. We
are not pitching IBM i to the users. I also contend that CxO should not
care about the hardware before the applications. However, some of them
realize that IBM i on Power is a strategic competitive advantage, and they
will be looking for applications that run on IBM i. Those who consider it
an AS/400 are being left behind in the dust of technological change.
Selling IBM i on Power should be to MSPs, ASPs, ISVs, since the future is
cloud. Applications should be sold to businesses, who should not care what
OS or server it runs on. We have an entire community to retrain, because
they think you have to lead with a piece of hardware. Until they are
retrained, selling AS/400s won't work. Selling Power Systems is cool, and
therefore, selling IBM i is cool. If we can only magically train the
laggards to stop using old branding, stop promoting old development
techniques, and stop living in the glorious past, their passion for our
platform may shine through again, and magically, the world will be aware
of how cool IBM i on Power is.
FWIW, this is how the world sees us.
http://www.i4everyone.com/2012/02/22/what-is-the-name/
Trevor
On 5/10/13 3:04 PM, "Richard Schoen" <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I for one would like to hear Trevor say more than "Call it IBM i and the
world will be magically better" :-)
Trevor please provide some empirical evidence that you would provide to a
30-something CIO/CFO who is making a business application decision to
sway them on purchasing an IBM i based solution over any other platform.
It's not about the marketing. It's about the apps and ROI.
Short of RPG, CL and COBOL - PHP, Java and all the rest of the
development environments can run on any OS.
I love the OS as much as you do, but it's not just about the OS any more.
It's more about the Power Servers and running multiple OS's. That's the
cool stuff.
midrange.com
