IBM is offering a new package of outsourcing services to help small- and medium-sized businesses manage, maintain and support AS/400 servers.
Called Midrange Express, the service package is offered through IBM Global Services and IBM Business Partners, and is available now in the US, Canada and parts of Europe, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region, said Scott Ferber, director of marketing for IBM's SMB Services Worldwide. The basic service costs $US4,000 monthly for US clients and varies in other regions, but it will be comparable, IBM officials said.
The base service package includes monitoring, help-desk support, daily backups and account management. Optional services include disaster recovery, batch job management, capacity and performance planning, system software upgrades, user profile administration, extended-hours help and security auditing.
Small- and medium-sized businesses that use AS/400 servers increasingly find it is less costly and more efficient to outsource management, maintenance and support services, Ferber said. IBM currently manages more than 1000 AS/400 servers globally for customers, he said.
Such service "allows them more time to focus on their core business," said Ferber, noting that IBM already manages more than 1000 AS/400 servers for customers worldwide.
Businesses that opt for the Midrange Express service will be assigned a single IBM contact with whom to work on AS/400 management and support.