IBM Power Cloud and Modernization Advisory
Compare IBM Power Virtual Server, managed IBM i and AIX hosting, private cloud, disaster recovery, hardware refresh, and modernization options—before committing to a provider or migration plan.
Independent guidance for IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power, DB2, Oracle, SAP, and business-critical workloads.
Where do you start?
Pick the situation closest to yours.
See what actually drives cost and where the room to reduce it is.
Learn more →Decide between a Power11 refresh and moving to cloud or hosting.
Learn more →Modernize IBM i applications without a risky full rewrite.
Learn more →Decision matrix
A starting point for comparison — actual fit depends on workload, licensing, application support, geography, architecture, and provider terms.
| Option | Best for | Capital expense | Operating model | Migration effort | Control | Scalability | Typical risks | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep IBM Power on-premises | Stable workloads with existing capacity | High (owned hardware) | Self-managed | None | Full | Limited by installed capacity | Aging hardware, refresh cost cycles | Compare refresh options → |
| Upgrade to Power11 | Teams keeping infrastructure in-house | High (new hardware purchase) | Self-managed | Low–medium (OS/app validation) | Full | Limited by installed capacity | Still a fixed-capacity asset to refresh again later | Compare refresh options → |
| IBM Power Virtual Server | Teams wanting IaaS without owning hardware | Low (consumption-based) | Self-managed OS on IBM-run infrastructure | Medium | High | High | Network/latency design, licensing portability | See PowerVS overview → |
| Managed IBM Power hosting | Teams offloading infrastructure and OS management | Low (subscription) | Provider-managed | Medium | Medium | Medium–high | Provider dependency, contract terms | See managed hosting overview → |
| Power Virtual Server Private Cloud | Regulated workloads needing dedicated infrastructure | Medium | Self-managed on dedicated cloud infrastructure | Medium–high | High | Medium | Higher cost than shared cloud options | See PowerVS overview → |
| Colocation | Teams exiting a data center but keeping owned hardware | Medium (existing hardware + facility fees) | Self-managed | Medium (physical relocation) | Full | Limited by installed capacity | Physical logistics, facility contract terms | Compare on-prem vs cloud → |
| Disaster recovery as a service | Teams with DR gaps but no plan to relocate production | Low–medium | Provider-managed DR target | Low–medium | Medium | Medium | Untested failover, RPO/RTO mismatches | See DR options → |
| Replatform or refactor applications | Teams modernizing the application itself | Varies (labor-intensive) | Depends on target platform | High | Varies | Varies | Scope creep, application compatibility gaps | Compare migrate vs modernize → |
By operating system
Each platform carries its own dependencies, tooling, and migration considerations.
LPARs, DB2 for i, BRMS, HA/DR, licensing, and third-party application dependencies.
Learn more →mksysb migration, NIM, PowerHA, Oracle and SAP dependencies, storage and network architecture.
Learn more →Application compatibility, containers, Red Hat, SAP, and modernization paths.
Learn more →Our approach
A measured path from current-state documentation to a sourced, validated plan.
Capture workloads, LPARs, dependencies, and the operating model behind them.
Weigh on-premises refresh, PowerVS, managed hosting, private cloud, and modernization paths against your requirements.
Pressure-test cost estimates and migration complexity before committing to a path.
Connect with the right providers or implementation partners for the chosen path.
Why now
Most engagements start because one or more of these has become urgent.
Support windows and part availability are closing in.
An upcoming renewal is a natural decision point.
A lease, facility, or colocation exit is forcing a decision.
Current DR can't meet the recovery objectives the business needs.
IBM i, AIX, and Power expertise is harder to hire and retain.
M&A activity is bringing multiple Power estates together.
Workload growth is outpacing installed capacity.
The platform needs to support a broader modernization effort.
New requirements demand a different operating model.
Capital budgets favor an operating-expense model instead.
Share the basics of your IBM Power environment. We will help narrow the practical options based on workload, operating system, recovery requirements, timeline, and budget.