Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i

Transcription

1 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i Introduction If you already tap into the power of System i, you understand its ability to support business growth, simplify IT environments, help reduce costs, enhance the capacity for innovation and improve overall systems management. In this solution brief, we ll explore the many ways you can successfully maximize System i. For example, when reintroducing a software application in a new market, many legacy System i users who stay with the hardware find that it can help their application look more modern and gain stronger sales. But how can you create complete solutions that utilize and maximize System i? With the help of IBM s full range of solution enablement resources such as Enablement Roadmaps, the Virtual Loaner Program and the worldwide IBM Innovation Centers it s easier than ever. Because IBM s solution enablement resources cover all the bases when it comes to developing applications on System i these tools serve as your one-stop shop for comprehensive solution development.

2 2 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i Solution Overview System i hardware is well known for its ability to help users: Support business growth Enhance the ability to innovate Simplify IT environments Reduce costs Deploy new business applications quickly for rapid return on investment Improve overall systems management Today, integration is more important than ever. Businesses around the world need it to help automate to gain efficiencies in core business processes. It s important for Solution Developers, as well. They need to provide applications that integrate with partner solutions, in order to maximize marketplace potential and customer value. And, Solution Developers must regularly enhance applications and incorporate new functionality and technological advancements. In an marketplace where change is constant, continually meeting the needs of today s businesses remains a huge challenge. System i can help. Market Overview/Opportunity For years, System i hardware has played a key role in the success of Solution Developers. But what you may not know is that System i can also help generate new value by enabling you to integrate software with a wide range of technologies, such as PDAs and RFID infrastructure extending the longevity of and broadening the market for your applications. With System i, it s easy to embrace an on demand business model. By using it to modernize your solutions, you can more quickly and flexibly respond to emerging market opportunities and competitive threats. Long used for green screen application development, System i is still versatile and relevant today. Robust performance, capacity and speed make it an ideal platform on which to develop the newest GUI-based applications. Now, Business Partners can take advantage of a wide range of tools to help modernize applications on the System i.

3 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i 3 Solution Enablement Resources The full range of solution enablement resources available exclusively to IBM PartnerWorld members are designed to help empower your business. These resources help you more easily and quickly develop solutions on System i. Developing powerful solutions can be an arduous task. Without the proper information, assistance and technology resources, solution development can be difficult if not impossible. Solution enablement resources provide an immediate connection to the help you need to build and sell IBM-based solutions and products on demand. The IBM approach to providing these resources helps partners manage the complete solution lifecycle from initial conception through delivery and ongoing customer support. No matter where you are in the development of a solution, you can at any point begin taking advantage of these resources to strengthen a solution on System i by reducing development costs and improving time to market. Solution Specifics These solution enablement resources put IBM technology, experience and expertise at your fingertips. Using them, you can manage the complete solution development lifecycle, from forming your strategic vision, executing product development, going to market, conducting solution validation and testing to performing solution enhancement and redevelopment. Let us help you get on the fast track to rapid development and shorter time to revenue using the full scope of our Solution Development Resources. Product Development (Technical) The Solution Developement Lifecycle Strategic Vision (Executive) Go to Market (Sales/Marketing) Enhancement/ Redevelopment (Executive) Enablement Roadmaps These self-guided pathways incorporate expert advice, market trends and related information to help you better plan, develop and execute a new solution development initiative. With Enablement Roadmaps, you can more easily integrate new functionality into existing solutions and more efficiently port an application to a new platform. Customer Support (Sales and Technical)

4 4 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i Application modernization is an investment journey that takes existing System i business applications and integrates them with the pervasiveness and open architecture of the Web, allowing for almost unlimited possibilities for generating new business value. To help guide System i customers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) on this journey, IBM provides the System i Developer Roadmap. This is a set of discrete, achievable steps that modernizes the skills of your developers and the capabilities of your applications, helping you generate new revenue and save money while mitigating risk. Each step in the Roadmap provides business value. So, based on your business needs, you decide which steps to implement. The System i Developer Roadmap: This roadmap provides a step-by-step approach to taking an RPG, COBOL, C, C++ and Java application and building the necessary extensions to help you adopt and integrate the latest technologies. The roadmap gives you and your customers the explanation and positioning of these technologies, tools and products, along with the learning path to begin growing your skills. There are various paths and packages an ISV can follow based on customer requirements and industry needs. For more information: descript.html System i5 Application Innovation Roadmaps: These roadmaps can help you extend your IBM System i5 solutions using the technologies described in the System i Developer Roadmap. Application Innovation Roadmaps can help you create a browser-based graphical interface to your System i application. They can also help you understand how to use the WebSphere Portal to provide a consolidated and consistent user experience. What s more, you can modularize your code for reuse and extend your applications with Web services. For more information: kname=learn&vichsublinkname=executivesummaries IBM Innovation Centers Partners can obtain comprehensive, no-cost, hands-on assistance in streamlining the solution development and selling process by accessing IBM Innovation Centers. Using this resource, you can save time and money in developing a compelling solution. The IBM Innovation Centers can be extremely useful if you need help developing and testing an application on System i. Why? Because you get the

5 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i 5 direct face-to-face or remote help you need along with sales and marketing support. You have access to System i expertise and the equipment needed to experiment on the architecture. And, you can leverage technical consultants to help you build and test your applications on the hardware. Virtual Loaner Program With IBM s Virtual Loaner Program (VLP) you can quickly and easily port and test an application in order to expand sales opportunities and improve your competitive advantage. If you lack the in-house equipment required to experiment with System i and you need fast, easy access to this cutting-edge technology to test your solutions the VLP can help. With the VLP, you can obtain no-cost, remote, self-service access to secure System i servers and gain access to IBM Software Group software. What s more, the VLP enables you to maintain complete control from a remote location and eliminates the need for extensive pre-planning. The Virtual Loaner Program is a unique resource, enabling users to develop, test, certify and support applications on System i. It can help you expand sales opportunities while improving overall competitive advantage and flexibility. Purchase and Leasing When you need a cost-effective means to acquire System i architecture for in-house use, the IBM Purchase and Leasing Program can help. Through the IBM Purchase and Leasing Program you receive special pricing on a wide range of systems and storage platforms for solution development, testing and demonstration. And with the Purchase and Lease Program, it s easier than ever to keep development costs down and fully support your application development. Sizing Guides With IBM Sizing Guides, you can make the best use of your time and your customers resources by quickly determining the right hardware configuration for any solution. If System i architecture is a new platform for your technology staff, sales people or customers, Sizing Guides are the perfect tool to reduce the learning curve. This resource can help you understand the requirements of System i architecture so that you can successfully deliver the availability and scalability your customers will expect from the technology.

6 6 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i These guides can help you and your customers gain a competitive advantage, acquire cost savings, achieve fast and easy results and obtain additional leads and visibility. IBM Rapid Port Services Rapid Port services are designed to help you port commercially available applications to IBM server platforms in response to significant and qualified sales opportunities. When there is a new sales opportunity that requires you to quickly enable an application for System i, the IBM Rapid Port team can help. By using IBM Rapid Port resources, you can validate your application, thereby gaining the credibility you need with your customers and expanding your sales opportunities. What s more, your high-profile or fast-turnaround sales opportunity can greatly benefit from IBM Rapid Port services because of our quick response times. Techline When you lack in-depth System i expertise or are new to the architecture, you can use Techline to gain comprehensive technical pre-sales support on the full range of IBM hardware and software products. As a result, you ll be able to offer better support for your customers along with faster responses. Additional Resources VIRTUAL INNOVATION CENTER FOR SOFTWARE: Partners can use the Virtual Innovation Center for Software (VIC for Software) to access online training, technical support and sales and marketing resources for IBM software, such as DB2, Lotus, Rational, Tivoli and WebSphere. PARTNERWORLD INDUSTRY NETWORKS: PartnerWorld Industry Networks (PWIN) offers a rich set of benefits and resources designed to help you grow your business in the industries and markets you serve.

7 Solution Brief: Developing Solutions for System i 7 Conclusion Those who already tap into System i know that it can simplify IT environments, help reduce costs, improve overall system management, enhance the capacity for innovation and support business growth. System i has proven its ability to power legacy software, as well as today s most advanced applications. Luckily, maximizing the power and longevity of System i is easy with the help of IBM s solution enablement resources. As you ve seen, creating complete solutions that utilize and maximize System i is made simple with IBM s help. And because IBM s solution enablement resources cover all the bases when it comes to developing applications on System i, these tools serve as a comprehensive resource for solution development. For more information, please visit the IBM Solution Development website at: com/vic/hardware/portal/programs

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