Problem Statement:

CIOs and IT managers that use AIX and IBM i environments love the performance and reliability of their Power Systems infrastructure.

But that infrastructure requires a large capital commitment on-prem which makes their business less flexible than they’d like it to be.

What that means to you:

IBM Cloud gives clients the ability to quickly and easily spin up Power Systems resources in the IBM Cloud.

Clients that are looking for more flexible operating models (e.g., OPEX vs. CAPEX) and technical options can use this option to leverage IBM Cloud for POWER.

Test AIX and IBM i in the Cloud

A separate and secure sandbox environment for Power Systems users to test their own AIX and IBM i workloads, try out new operating system versions or the latest and greatest hardware generation.

Run enterprise POWER workloads in the Cloud

AIX and IBM i applications are no longer restricted to reside on-premise. Help clients build a hybrid cloud environment with the ability to host their AIX and IBM i apps in the IBM Cloud.

IBM Disaster Recovery without double commitment

Currently, AIX and IBM i clients need to build their own data center for DR.  Now, with IBM Cloud, they get those options at a more affordable cost. IBM Disaster Recovery is critical for easy data recovery.

GPU-accelerated Linux for AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning

Easily harness the power of Linux on POWER with the same user experience, services and operational support as x86-based Virtual Server Instances (VSIs) in VPC.

Overview

The Cloud Design Workshop examines a client’s on-premise cloud, IBM i in the Cloud, or Power in the cloud requirements and creates a blueprint for implementing the most suitable solution.

Target Audience

• Clients using AIX, IBM i or Linux on Power who want to implement on-premise/private cloud
• Clients who are interested in Power in the cloud
• Clients who are interested in a subscription/pay-as-you-go model for Power
• Clients who are looking for a hybrid/multicloud solution on Power
• Clients who want to deploy automation or self-service on Power

Benefits

• Clear technical understanding of available on-premise and Power in the cloud solutions and their benefits
• List of target workloads for on-premise and/or Power in the cloud
• List of requirements and next steps for on-premise and/or cloud implementation
• Resulting cloud design is customized for client’s environment and based on best practices

Questions

• Do you want a simpler and faster way to provision AIX, IBM i or Linux on premise?
• Are you considering Power in the cloud or a pay-as-you-go model for Power?
• Are looking for automation on Power or integration with VMware?
• Are you looking for a hybrid/multicloud solution on Power?

Key Features

• Identify and document current AIX/IBM i/Linux on Power pain points
• Technical deep-dive on available on-premise and cloud solutions for Power
• Review current server/storage/network environment and provisioning process
• Identify target workloads for on-premise and/or Power in the cloud
• Evaluate existing VMs for overallocation of resources
• Determine readiness for on-premise cloud or Power in the cloud
• Identify requirements and next steps for on-premise and/or cloud implementation
• Define use cases for on-premise cloud and/or Power in the cloud implementation
• Obtain buy-in of key server/storage/network/application stakeholders
• Create Cloud Implementation Blueprint to document discussions and implementation plan

Deliverables

The Cloud Design Workshop results in a Cloud Implementation Blueprint document for later deployment of an on-premise/private cloud or Power in the Cloud.  Following the onsite portion of the workshop, the Lab Services consultant creates and reviews the document with the client the same week.  The Blueprint then serves as the plan of record (POR) for the follow-on implementation service.

Duration

The service varies depending on the size and complexity of the implementation, but will be customized to specific client requirements.

Resources

Learn more about POWER cloud solutions at
https://www.ibm.com/it-infrastructure/power

Overview

This service will assist a client with moving on-premise Power Systems workloads to Power in the cloud based on a plan jointly developed with the client.

Target Audience

• Clients who are interested in running AIX or IBM i in the cloud
• Clients who are interested in a subscription/pay-as you-go-model for Power
• Clients who are looking for a hybrid/multicloud solution on Power

Benefits

• Move defined set of on-premise workloads to Power in the cloud
• Use standard AIX/IBM i image templates to deploy new workloads in the cloud
• Create your own AIX/IBM i image templates for deployment in the cloud
• Access cloud workloads from on-premise environment
• Connect Power workloads to other cloud services
• Skills transfer on managing AIX or IBM i in the cloud

Questions

• Are you considering Power in the cloud or a pay-as-you-go model for Power?
• Are looking for the flexibility of a hybrid cloud model for AIX or IBM i?
• Are you struggling to find AIX or IBM i skills for on-premise workload management?

Key Features

• Technical deep-dive on Power in the cloud capabilities
• Determine readiness for Power in the cloud
• Identify target workloads
• Prepare workloads for move to the cloud (via PowerVC images or mksysb)
• Move workloads to cloud
• Validate existing workload operation in the cloud
• Configure secure connection to cloud workloads from on-premise environment
• Demonstrate deployment of new Power workloads in the cloud
• Create and upload a custom AIX or IBM i image template
• Demonstrate accessing other cloud services from Power cloud workloads
• Provide skills transfer on administration and troubleshooting in the cloud

Deliverables

After the implementation, the details of the Power cloud solution are documented and provided to the client.

Duration

The service varies depending on the size and complexity of the implementation, but will be customized to specific client requirements.

Resources

Learn more about POWER cloud solutions at
https://www.ibm.com/it-infrastructure/power

Overview

This service will assist a client with advanced management of Power workloads in the cloud based on a plan jointly developed with the client.

Target Audience

• Clients who are running AIX or IBM i in the cloud
• Clients looking to address performance, high availability (HA), backups or security for Power workloads in the cloud
• Clients who are looking for a hybrid/multicloud solution on Power

Benefits

• Fine-tune performance for cloud workloads
• Configure backups to or from the cloud
• Configure HA between on-premise and cloud workloads
• Leverage other cloud services from Power cloud workloads
• Extend existing on-premise automation to AIX or IBM i in the cloud
• Create a multicloud solution with on-premise and cloud workloads

Questions

• Are you AIX or IBM i in the cloud?
• Are looking to perform cloud backups?
• Are you looking to address performance or HA for your Power cloud workloads?
• Are you looking for a hybrid/multicloud Power solution?

Key Features

• Evaluate and fine-tune performance of Power cloud workloads
• Extend Ansible, Chef or other on-premise automation to AIX or IBM i in the cloud
• Extend VM or container on-premise management to Power in the cloud with IBM Cloud Private (ICP) and Cloud Automation Manager (CAM)
• Configure cloud backups
• Configure access to Watson or other cloud services from Power cloud workloads
• Configure a cloud HA solution
• Configure programmatic/API access to Power in the cloud
• Configure a secure multicloud solution for AIX or IBM i

Deliverables

After the implementation, the details of the Power cloud solution are documented and provided to the client.

Duration

The service varies depending on the size and complexity of the implementation, but will be customized to specific client requirements.

Resources

Learn more about POWER cloud solutions at
https://www.ibm.com/it-infrastructure/power

Overview

IBM Systems Lab Services will implement an OpenShift cloud-native solution based on a plan jointly developed with the client.

Target Audience

• Power client looking to get started with containers and cloud-native applications
• Power clients interested in Kubernetes
• Power clients investigating private cloud options

Benefits

• Leverage containers for app modernization
• Provide new value from enterprise data via microservices
• Get started with new cloud-native apps
• Leverage IBM’s middleware and analytics apps in containers
• Leverage open-source apps in containers

Questions

• Are you investigating cloud-native apps or containers?
• Are you looking to provide microservices to your clients?
• Are you investigating different private cloud options on Power?

Key Features

• Implement OpenShift on Power with:
• Kubernetes management of pods and services
• Container image management
• Intuitive UI for deployment, management, monitoring of containers
• Easy helm chart deployment
• Rich standard catalog of IBM and open-source cloud-native apps

Deliverables

After the implementation, the details of the OpenShift solution are documented and skills transfer is provided to the client.

Duration

The service varies depending on the size and complexity of the implementation, but can be customized to specific client requirements.

Resources

Learn more about Power cloud solutions at
www.ibm.com/systems/power/solutions/cloud/?link=infr_prod