Systems Services

NEW! Cloud on Power Systems

Lab Services and Training can assist with the deployment of a private cloud on a Power Systems environment through a couple of service offerings. The “Implementing Cloud on Power Systems” service implements a full private cloud solution using IBM Systems Director, VMControl Enterprise Edition, Tivoli services management, system pools and SAN integration. It allows the client to leverage the benefits of cloud computing for production, test and development workloads. “Cloud on Power Systems Proof-of-Concept” provides a more deliberate approach by creating a basic, private cloud on Power Systems using IBM Systems Director, VMControl Enterprise Edition, system pools and SAN integration. It allows the client to experience the benefits of cloud computing on Power Systems in a proof of concept (PoC) environment.

IBM Power Systems PowerCare

PowerCare service options provide Power Systems Models 595, 780, and 795 clients with technical leadership and consulting at no charge. Manage and minimize system implementation risks and optimize and maximize availability of your system with a service option addressing High Availability, IBM Systems Director and VMControl, Systems Director Active Energy Manager, security, or performance optimization. Or, the newly added PowerCare Technical Training option can bring a subject matter expert to your site to raise the knowledge level of your technical team on one of several Power course topics.

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Systems Director Services

These hands-on skills transfer and implementation services are designed to help customers install, configure and exploit the capabilities of IBM Systems Director Enterprise, Express and Standard Editions. Includes guidance with related software products.

Performance Tuning (System, Application and Database)

Performance consulting services range from the analysis of applications like AIX, RPG, Linux, IBM WebSphere®, Java™ and SQL based environments, to system tuning at memory, disk and processor levels. Typical deliverables include performance optimization and resolution of issues plus a summary report of the engagement.

Performance and Scalability Services

Plan and prepare for changes in the data center when using the IBM i operating system on Power Systems hardware with help from IBM Systems Lab Services and Training. Whether assessing how an application performs when moving to the next release, determining the impact of application changes or understanding the benefits of new hardware, our team provides the hardware located in the Performance and Scalability Services Center, configured to your specifications, to test applications and evaluate performance benefits and scalability capabilities.

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IBM i Solid State Drive Performance Services

Lab Services provides three proof-of-concept options to help evaluate the benefits and return on investment in solid state drive (SSD) technology. Options range from data collection and analysis service to determine if SSD will provide a benefit to hardware configured to client specification in the Performance and Scalability Services Center.

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Virtualization Services for AIX on Power Systems

Our experienced consultants can help deploy IBM PowerVM™, N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV), Active Memory Sharing (AMS), Live Partition Mobility and others to help increase system resource utilization and fully exploit your investment.

Application and Database Modernization Consulting (SOA Implementation)

Understand your current application architecture and learn about other technologies available and plan a roadmap to achieve your goals. We’ll install and configure enterprise solutions, help implement a services strategy to externalize data and business logic in a secure manner and offer tuning suggestions to can increase performance and scalability.

Linux on Power consulting, Custom Application Development and Implementation Services

Lab Services delivers top-notch consulting for Linux on Power Systems. Available services include architecture, application deployment and porting, performance analysis and tuning, virtualization (PowerVM), middleware consulting, implementation, training, health checks and integration with IBM i.

Security on Power Consulting and Implementation Services

If you’re concerned how to correctly implement a security requirement, or need resources to supplement your current security-focused team, Lab Services provides general and custom consulting. Services include password elimination and single sign-on, data and tape encryption, system auditing setup and analysis, system security assessments, breach analysis and penetration testing and WebSphere Application Server (WAS) security health checks.

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System Consolidation and Migration Service

Often requiring knowledge across a spectrum of technical topics, system consolidations and migrations can be complex tasks. When the mix includes multiple operating systems (and versions of them), systems, software and hardware and systems management issues (like virtualization), Lab Services can deliver the experience and insight into IBM products to help you succeed seamlessly.

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SAP on IBM i Center of Excellence

Leverage our longtime partnership with SAP to your SAP on IBM i solution. The philosophy of the SAP on IBM i Center of Excellence is one of self-reliance. From pre-project planning and architecture, through go-live and production support, our SAP certified consultants provide the critical bridge between the IBM i platform and your SAP applications.

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High Performance Computing Consulting and Implementation Services

Lab Services consultants can assist with the design, architecture, installation and implementation of a High Performance Computing environment and applications that run in that environment. Our experts are skilled in Linux and the Power Systems and even BlueGene platforms.

Software Services are solutions designed and developed by IBM Systems Lab Services and Training in response to client-driven requirements, coded and tested in IBM product laboratories, and at work in client installations. The solutions are typically packaged as part of a consulting services engagement. The services engagement consist of the software license and software maintenance, as well as skills transfer, planning, design and implementation services.

PowerVM Provisioning Toolkit

Is your organization struggling to deploy IBM Power Systems and optimize IBM PowerVM technology? Is it taking longer than anticipated to install and configure virtual I/O servers and client partitions in your environment? If so, this service supports the rapid deployment and configuration of the Virtual IO Servers and client partitions on any POWER6 or POWER7 processor-based servers through the seamless integration of existing interfaces of PowerVM and IBM's award-winning virtualization technologies.

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Optical Media Migration Tool for IBM i

This tool and its associated services are provided for clients running the IBM i operating system and direct attached optical library storage who are considering migration of their optical media data to newer optical media technology or other archive technologies and want the fastest possible copy/transfer capability.

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Virtual Optical Library for IBM i

The image catalog optical media library (virtual optical library) is an alternative to physical optical libraries that attach to the IBM i for use as an archive storage repository with existing applications. Because this offering is based on virtual optical media stored in IFS directories, it has no dependencies on optical library hardware or host system adapters that can no longer be purchased. It is compatible with the latest Power Systems hardware and IBM i operating system versions. It maintains current application interfaces, so it offers a migration path from existing optical library media and preserves optical library enabled application investments.

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IBM i Security Assessment Tool (iSAT)

Generally used in Security Assessment services, the iSAT tool provides the Security Administrator detailed reporting of over 70 areas on the IBM i including application analysis and the IFS. These reports become invaluable to the Security Administrator tasked with securing the IBM i. Besides the reports, database files are provided allowing the Security Administrator to analyze further with other analytical tools and ensure their systems comply with corporate and industry regulation.

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Password Validation Tool

Recently, it was reported that 7% of the most commonly used passwords could be found in a dictionary of 100 words. Other studies have shown as many as 36% of the most commonly used passwords could be found in a list of 5000 words. This means that a dictionary style, brute force attack, could be effective in as much as 36% of password cracking attempts.

This tool includes enhancements to the IBM i operating system that will provide an automated method of reviewing passwords being changed. It reviews changed password to insure that they comply with company and industry standards, forces passwords to be between 3 and 10 characters, validates that the user profile is not included in the new password and allows the security administrator to specify a black list of terms/words that are not allowed to be used as a password.

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RPG Handlers for Interfacing Applications

Do you have a number of older applications written in RPG? Are you looking to integrate interfaces to these applications and still retain all of your RPG code? Through the “IBM Rational Open Access: RPG Edition” tool you can integrate interfaces to other applications with new and legacy RPG applications.

This solution provides a general purpose handler for Rational Open Access: RPG Edition. This handler provides a high speed bridge between object oriented languages like Java and all the file types supported by ILE RPG. It allows your RPG programmers to focus on the business logic using the familiar and powerful file support built into the language, while allowing your interface designers to use standard object oriented interfaces for their work. This handler enhances the proven Lab Services File Format Messaging support with enhanced security options in addition to the simplified programming interface provided by Open Access.

Retail Application Interface Suite

The RAIS solution has been proven over the past 15 years to be a resilient and powerful tool for clients. With its up-to-date communication facilities, it allows for a marriage of both workstation point-of-sale devices and the IBM i on Power environment to create an effective retail solution for sales oriented businesses. It allows you to focus on business matters and provides the tools you need to track sales volumes, inventory, calculate and automate re-order points, and more.

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LPAR Application Interface Programming Toolkit

This toolkit provides CL command and familiar “green screen” interfaces allowing safe, dynamic movement of resources between logical partitions on IBM i. It eliminates the need for custom programming, XML generation, parsing, and detailed knowledge of IBM i hardware and LPAR concepts. The benefits that result are typically a reduction in the cost of dedicated partition resources such as tape units and system towers. It can minimize potential user errors that cause system outages and additionally it allows you to move I/O, processor, interactive CPW, and memory resources easily via familiar CL commands and menus. Finally it removes the need for manual intervention for sharing resources during business operations.

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To see the complete portfolio of IBM Systems Lab Services and Training Software Services, visit our wiki.