Metafile Selling Monthly Subscriptions to Content Management System

July 15, 2008 Alex Woodie

Metafile, the Rochester, Minnesota, developer of content management and imaging software for OS/400 and other platforms, recently launched a new scaled-down version of its MetaViewer software that’s designed to appeal to smaller businesses. The new software, called the MetaViewer Startup Financial Automation Solution, also offers a fixed monthly subscription, thereby decreasing startup costs.

Many AS/400 shops over the years have adopted Metafile’s MetaViewer software to speed the process of pulling up old files and reduce the paper chase. The Windows-based software automatically captures spool file output from OS/400 systems, indexes its contents, and then stores it in an archive, which can be searched from any Web browser. When a customer service representative or other worker needs to pull up a certain file, they type in a key word or other known aspect of the document in question, and–presto–the document is retrieved from the archive and displayed on the screen.

This spring, Metafile started selling a new version of the MetaViewer that the company says is easier to set up. MetaViewer Startup Financial Automation Solution is based on the same software as the standard MetaViewer product, but does require the commitment of time, money, and hardware.

According to Metafile, MetaViewer Startup can be set up in less than 90 minutes. The only requirement is a single on-site blade server. After that, ongoing administration is done remotely by Metafile, which minimizes the strain on the IT department, the company says.

“Billion-dollar companies utilize the standard MetaViewer solution,” says Nick Sprau, Metafile’s vice president of marketing. “This product introduces similar benefits to smaller firms or departments who can start small and expand to our full suite of services as the need arises. This is all available with no upfront costs or need for ongoing IT resources.”

In other news, Metafile has formed a partnership with Tax Back International to assist MetaViewer users with compliance with Value Added Tax (VAT) laws. “MetaViewer, Metafile’s specialty, is providing robust workflow automation and content management solutions for our clients,” says Metafile CEO Allan Sprau. “Compliance with VAT laws, while vital, has until now not been an area where we had focused our primary efforts.”

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Do the Math When Looking at IBM i Hosting for Cost Savings

COVID-19 has accelerated certain business trends that were already gaining strength prior to the start of the pandemic. E-commerce, telehealth, and video conferencing are some of the most obvious examples. One example that may not be as obvious to the general public but has a profound impact on business is the shift in strategy of IBM i infrastructure from traditional, on-premises environments to some form of remote configuration. These remote configurations and all of their variations are broadly referred to in the community as IBM i hosting.

“Hosting” in this context can mean different things to different people, and in general, hosting refers to one of two scenarios. In the first scenario, hosting can refer to a client owned machine that is housed in a co-location facility (commonly called a co-lo for short) where the data center provides traditional system administrator services, relieving the client of administrative and operational responsibilities. In the second scenario, hosting can refer to an MSP owned machine in which partition resources are provided to the client in an on-demand capacity. This scenario allows the client to completely outsource all aspects of Power Systems hardware and the IBM i operating system and database.

The scenario that is best for each business depends on a number of factors and is largely up for debate. In most cases, pursuing hosting purely as a cost saving strategy is a dead end. Furthermore, when you consider all of the costs associated with maintaining and IBM i environment, it is typically not a cost-effective option for the small to midsize market. The most cost-effective approach for these organizations is often a combination of a client owned and maintained system (either on-prem or in a co-lo) with cloud backup and disaster-recovery-as-a-service. Only in some cases of larger enterprise companies can a hosting strategy start to become a potentially cost-effective option.

However, cost savings is just one part of the story. As IBM i expertise becomes scarce and IT resources run tight, the only option for some firms may be to pursue hosting in some capacity. Whatever the driving force for pursing hosting may be, the key point is that it is not just simply an option for running your workload in a different location. There are many details to consider and it is to the best interest of the client to work with an experienced MSP in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each option. As COVID-19 rolls on, time will tell if IBM i hosting strategies will follow the other strong business trends of the pandemic.

When we say do the math in the title above, it literally means that you need to do the math for your particular scenario. It is not about us doing the math for you, making a case for either staying on premises or for moving to the cloud. There is not one answer, but just different levels of cost to be reckoned which yield different answers. Most IBM i shops have fairly static workloads, at least measured against the larger mix of stuff on the public clouds of the world. How do you measure the value of controlling your own IT fate? That will only be fully recognized at the moment when it is sorely missed the most.

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