BrentSheets   6535 pts.  |   Jun 25 2009  12:34PM GMT

Moderator Note: Hi Accenture. Your question is very broad and you may not receive many replies. If there is a specific area of how AS/400 stacks up against Windows and Unix that you’re concerned with, then feel free to click “Add to Discussion” and provide more information. Thanks.

Lovemyi   1455 pts.  |   Jun 26 2009  3:44PM GMT

There are many reasons to pick the IBM i over AIX, UNIX, LINUX and Windows from a pure business reason. For starters, it is the reliability that makes the IBM i platform still the best buisness machine for over 30 years.

The fuily integrated database (DB2 compliant), integrated security, full system logging via journals that cannot be comprimised. This is why the IBM i is the only C2 Goverment rated securable machine on the planet. Uptime reliablilty unmatched except by the largest of mainframes.

Total cost of ownership is less than most platforms for major application like ERP and Bank applications due to it’s ease of use and fully integrated yet very open proprietory OS. It can run Unix in an emulation environment and can host a LINUX partition as well on the IBM i OS.

Everyone is still trying to emulate the best parts of the IBM i today, like VMWARE is being used to do what the system has been doing for over 30 years with running multiple applications at the same time and a whole host of other features that other systems are either starting to copy or are doing but none of them have the complete package like the IBM i, System i, iSeries, AS/400, System/38 or what ever they call the platform tomorrow.

Lovemyi

TheHeck   165 pts.  |   Jun 26 2009  3:50PM GMT

The AS400/I-series/System I is one of the most reliable and stable platforms out there. The AS400 is the technological backbone of many large (and small) companies running any number of applications. Simply put, it’s like that 1985 Chevy that starts on a cold winter morning and gets you to where you need to go… It may not be as pretty or as fashionable as some other systems, but performs with very little maintenance.

WoodEngineer   2240 pts.  |   Jun 26 2009  4:14PM GMT

The reason we stay with the AS/400 or what ever you want to call it.

Very reliable.

Secure.

A totally integrated system. By that I mean you don’t have to buy the OS one place, backup software somewhere else and go to a third source for the database. There are tons more items than I could possibly list. related to the integrated OS.

Best cost of ownership in the business. Windows servers may be cheaper on initial purchase but you’ve got ot have one for every little thing, which is vary annoying. Also, WinTel boxes require a lot of care a feeding. We spend very little time keeping our i Series running which allows us to focus on the business applications. The time one spends keeping a system alive is pretty much wasted time as far as doing jobs that add value to the company.

Software developed on the AS/400 just keeps on running year after year. I’m running some handy utilities developed in the 1980’s. Have not had to touch them in all these years and after many operating system upgrades.

Plus, I like to sleep at night.