IBM to Resurrect Just-Killed Power Systems Rebate Deal?

It’s back. . . . Well, I think it is, anyway. A long-running rebate deal that IBM has offered in one shape or form or another for the past zillion years, and which was withdrawn from the Power Systems catalog in May, is apparently being reintroduced.

Stephanie Carmel, worldwide vice president for ISV solutions at IBM, was speaking on a Webcast hosted by Power Systems i disaster recovery and high availability software maker Vision Solutions, and she said that IBM would be announcing in June a new Power Systems rebate offer that will give customers rebates on Power Systems deals, ranging from $500 to $250,000, when they buy a new Power Systems machine (including the new JS23 and JS43 blade servers). To take part in the deal, customers have to do one of three things aside from buying new iron:

1. Pick from a list of pre-approved software solutions from a list of independent software vendors and it has to be the first time this solution is installed at the site, or
2. Migrate from non-IBM systems to a Power box and buy a new ISV package, or
3. Migrate from non-IBM systems to a Power box and buy migration services to move a software to the new box

According to the presentation by Carmel, the deal applies to systems that are acquired outright or leased, and customers can only get one rebate per solution. (A solution means the Power System plus the ISC software.) Customers have a maximum of six months to get the new hardware and software installed, and they have to get their paperwork in to IBM within two months after the solution is fully installed. What is not clear is if IBM intends to give this money upfront as an instant rebate, as it often does. Given all the rules about paperwork, I would guess so. (Carmel did once refer to it as an instant rebate when she was talking.)

I looked through IBM’s announcement databases and did not find this new Power Systems rebate deal, and calls to the public relations people on Friday inquiring about the rebate were not returned by press time. I think the deal will probably be announced on June 30, which is the last day of the second quarter and the day before the long run to the end of 2009.

I’ll let you know the details as soon as I learn more.

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