IBM Power Archives

Brace Yourself: Another Power Systems Price Hike Coming May 1

April 20, 2026 Timothy Prickett Morgan

A few weeks ago, when we talked about the price increases on main memory and flash for Power Systems machines as well as some other price increases, we told you that this would probably not be the end of it. The market for DRAM and flash is so crazy right now that demand is well exceeding supply and that is driving up prices almost continuously. That’s because supply cannot be increased for either.

To that end, Sam Werner, general manager of IBM Storage, and Ivo Körner, vice president of worldwide sales for IBM Power, Cloud, and Storage, sent out a …
Read more
GiAPA Tracks SQL Performance Issues On IBM i

March 16, 2026 Alex Woodie

Tracking down SQL performance problems with IBM i applications sometimes can be difficult, thanks to the mysterious ways that IBM’s Db2 query optimizer works. To help shine a light on changes the optimizer may suddenly make to query access plans, the IBM i performance experts behind GiAPA developed a new tool, dubbed SQL Observer.

The Db2 query optimizer is a wonder of software engineering. The IBMers who developed it deserve a ton of credit for creating a smart piece of software that keeps SQL queries running so efficiently. Users simply submit the query they want to run, and the …
Read more
IBM Power Offsite Data Protection That Fits The Way IBM i Shops Already Work

January 26, 2026 Don Gentile Steven Dickens

For decades, IBM Power systems have supported some of the most critical systems of record in the global economy. Banking, insurance, healthcare, retail, and government organizations all rely on IBM i environments for stability, data integrity, and predictable operations. These are not necessarily the world’s flashiest workloads, but they are essential for keeping the lights on, transactions flowing, and making sure the trains run on time.

Yet even in these well-managed environments, Offsite data protection remains a persistent challenge. Local backup and availability are rarely the issue. Most IBM Power shops have mature backup routines and, in many cases, high-availability …
Read more
How FalconStor Is Reinventing Itself, And Why IBM Noticed

July 14, 2025 Victoria Grey

If you are like me, you are a fan of podcasts, and one of my favorites is IBM Transformers, hosted by Ann Funai. It’s a must-listen for anyone navigating digital transformation or leading change in enterprise IT. With a thoughtful blend of personal stories and practical insights, Transformers goes beyond buzzwords to explore how leaders actually make transformation happen.

Ann Funai, IBM’s chief information officer and vice president of Business Platform Transformation, brings both empathy and experience to every episode. A seasoned technologist and executive (check out her impressive background on LinkedIn), Funai knows how to ask the right …
Read more
Vendors Fill In The Gaps With IBM’s New MFA Solution

July 14, 2025 Alex Woodie

The new multi-factor authentication (MFA) capability that IBM has built into the IBM i operating system is a real gamechanger in terms of securing the system and preventing unauthorized access to applications and data. However, it lacks some key capabilities that some customers are looking for in an MFA solution, which third-party vendors are eager to fill.

The native MFA function that Big Blue delivered with IBM i 7.6 is being praised almost universally throughout the IBM i community as a massive security improvement. The MFA functionality, which uses randomly generated time-based one-time passwords (TOTP), is built directly into …
Read more
CloudSAFE And Focal Point Solutions Group Combine Services, Unify Brands

November 27, 2023 Doug McMaster

IT solutions providers Focal Point Solutions Group and CloudSAFE are unifying under the CloudSAFE brand. Both providers have a history of delivering outstanding IT services, so joining forces follows a natural progression for both organizations.

“This unification represents a transformative step forward not just for us, but for our customers. By merging Focal Point’s specialized expertise in IBM technologies with CloudSAFE’s comprehensive IT service offerings, we are uniquely positioned to meet and exceed our customers’ evolving IT needs,” says Ron Venzin, chief executive officer at CloudSAFE.

Creating A Comprehensive Service Provider

Focal Point’s specialization in IBM technologies, including IBM i, …
Read more
AWS Inks Deal With Connectria To Have a Power Play

November 15, 2023 Timothy Prickett Morgan

The long road of history has not been made impassible by the charred marketing tanks and flaming sales assault vehicles of those who have tried to breach Fortress Rochester, but there are a whole lot of rusting machines off on the horizon cluttering the road and more than a few smoking machines nearby as well as some sizable holes in the ramparts out on that cornfield in Minnesota.

While the proprietary minicomputer businesses and the Unix server businesses of the competition of the AS/400 and IBM i platform have all been destroyed and that IBM is indeed the last bastion …
Read more
IBM Power: Hosted On-Premises Or In The Cloud?

May 22, 2023 Jason Hardy

According to TechTarget’s The History of Cloud Computing Explained, “The term cloud came into widespread use in 2006 when Amazon launched AWS with the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service.” Since that time, there have been endless debates as to whether it is better to host IT infrastructure on-premises or in the cloud. From my perspective, the answer is a definite “it depends.”

How do you figure out what’s best for you? Check out the three questions you need to ask as you evaluate on-premises versus in the cloud, my three questions you need to ask as you determine if …
Read more
The IBM Power Trap: Three Mistakes That Leave You Stuck

January 30, 2023 Jason Hardy

IBM Power has long been known as a stable, reliable hardware platform and as a result companies have leveraged it to run their most critical business applications. For many, it has become so ingrained in their business that they would never choose to migrate away from it.

But for some, IBM Power has become a trap from which they can’t escape. This is not a malicious trap that suddenly jumps up and grabs you but rather a trap that is triggered by a series of decisions made over time with each compounded by the previous. So, what are these decisions …
Read more
Kyndryl Wants to Connect Your IBM i to Microsoft Azure

October 12, 2022 Alex Woodie

Kyndryl, the former IBM division known as Global Technology Services (GTS), last week unveiled an expanded partnership with Microsoft that will see it helping IBM i and System z customers integrate their applications and data with Microsoft Azure, specifically its low-code, no-code development platform called Power.

Kyndryl’s alliance with Microsoft will make it easier for companies to leverage the valuable data and business logic contained in their midrange and mainframe assets as they develop new applications in the Microsoft Power Platform, which is a low-code, no-code development environment.

“Basically, it provides a low-code, no-code environment in Azure for programmers,” …
Read more

Content archive

Recent Posts

Subscribe

Pages

Search

Creating A Comprehensive Service Provider

Content archive

Recent Posts

Subscribe

Pages

Search