Subscription-Based Change Management Added To IBM i MSP Menu

August 9, 2017 Dan Burger

Software subscriptions can be a good solution for companies looking for operational benefits using cloud hosted services for their development systems, as well as their backup systems. Because this type of IT strategy is forecasted to become increasingly common – companies will search for greater efficiencies and cost savings – IBM i vendors Midrange Dynamics and iTech Solutions have partnered to provide a new set of subscription services.

iTech will add subscription-based Midrange Dynamics Change Management Software (MDCMS) to the portfolio of solutions that the Power Systems solutions and services company offers.

The subscription includes codes for HA/backup systems, as an additional item in their cloud bundle. It can also include the company’s MDWorkflow project management solution and MDOpen Eclipse plug-in.

Midrange Dynamics has offered a software subscription option for several years, while continuing a traditional software licensing model. Lower cost of acquisition was initially the main reason chose software subscriptions but the decision-making process is changing, according to Midrange Dynamics managing director Michael Morgan.

“Subscriptions are increasingly popular with our customers who are moving away from purchasing and maintaining their own Power Systems hardware and software,” Morgan says. “They also are a good fit for businesses who may be considering a move off the platform and need the flexibility to maintain their applications through what can be a lengthy transition period.”

“We are seeing an increasing number of companies taking advantage of the cloud to meet a variety of needs and requirements,” says Pete Massiello, president of iTech Solutions Group. “Some are moving their entire systems to the cloud, others are moving specific functions, and others are using the cloud for high availability. The cloud provides that level of flexibility.

From a system administration perspective, Massiello says clients may have iTech handle it or they can continue to perform that function themselves. “We have the knowledge and experience to help clients better manage their Power System and IBM i environments. That is why we are excited to team up with Midrange Dynamics. It’s an opportunity to bring change control to our customers with a very affordable solution that is really plug-and-play.”

There are pros and cons with cloud pricing. On the plus side, the first-year investment is significantly lower, and it provides the flexibility to add or remove developers without affecting the cost. The partnership with iTech places MDCMS as a line item along with other service charges, which means it’s a portion of an operational budget and probably bypasses the procurement approvals required of capital budget items.

On the flip side, subscription pricing adds to the total cost of the software after five years and there is no permanent licensing of the product, a requirement for some companies.

In addition to a traditional software license purchase, Midrange Dynamics offers MDCMS pricing options that include a user-based annual subscription (the least expensive option for those making it an operational expense rather than a capital budgets) and three-year financing (for those opting to spread the cost over several years). All three pricing models are available to iTech cloud customers.

iTech’s commercial-grade Tier 3 hosting service, called iInTheCloud, is designed for scalable, flexible, and highly available IBM Power Systems servers.

“Our foundation is built on IBM Power Systems hardware running IBM i, so we can quickly provision cloud-based partitions and adjust resources as required to meet our clients’ changing needs,” says Massiello.

Prior to this partnership, Midrange Dynamics referred customers to iTech Solutions when the solution fit the situation, Morgan says.

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