IBM i (iSeries / AS400) Users – “When Assessing IBM i Online Backup Options, How Do You Filter Misinformation?”
The purpose of this blog is to report how a replacement online IBM i backup solution got misguided with disappointing results. Additionally, I am providing suggestions to help future buyers get the online backup solution they want.
Disclaimer: IBM i is an operating system. iSeries and AS400 are servers. I use these terms interchangeably to make it easy for folks to find this information on the web.
Let me begin by saying that responsible solution providers take the effort and energy to clearly understand what a prospective client needs to satisfy their issues. And then explains in a way for the client to understand the proposed solution and how it works to make informed choices.
This is much like a doctor who diagnoses before he prescribes. Additionally, the doctor can offer potential outcomes for each suggestion so the patient can pick the one they prefer.
Background – Misinformation And Delays
A few weeks ago, a prospective client I had spoken to last year called me back. When we first spoke a year ago, he was looking for a hosted online backup solution to replace the solution he had in place with a hosting firm that had filed for bankruptcy.
At that time, after some extensive discovery, I explained how our online backup solution could satisfy his needs, backup and recovery time estimates and a range of costs depending on the options he wanted.
Then he stopped responding.
I finally heard back from him a year later.
He confessed that he did not know of Cloud400 and that he “felt” safer with a more prominent supplier. Even so, it had taken months for these prominent supplier to respond. When the big computer company finally responded, they referred him to a business partner who also took months to respond. Once they connected, it took more months to get a solution and pricing. And, more months to get it set up.
That is when this prospective client found out the solution did not really work as it was presented or advertised.
The solution had several disappointments that were not fully explained:
1)????? While the big computer company offered a key piece of backup software, the software that actually “saved” the system came from a third-party.
2)????? Neither the business partner nor the third-party software provider explained how much storage would be required for the daily backups. Turns out it was a lot.
3)????? Neither the business partner nor the third-party software provider revealed how long the replication from the on premise server to the hosted environment would take. Longer than 8 hours, which is way longer that this user had expected compared to his previous solution.
I feel badly for users that have this kind of experience.
What Went Wrong?
The prospective client wanted something similar to what he had … and, the providers:
1)????? Did not take the time to thoroughly understand how his original products worked,
2)????? Did not talk to each other to understand how their combined solution worked differently, and
3)????? Did not explain any of that to the user for him to understand the consequences.
This reminds me of an expression, “To the man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
There Is More To This Story
I shared this recent story with several of my disaster recovery solution architects.
“Bob, you have not heard the least of it.”
My colleagues went on to explain how many backup hosted solution providers misrepresent their capabilities.
“Bob, there are guys out there that lie.”
While I am not convinced these competitors intentionally lie, I acknowledged that there is a lot of misinformation out there.
How come?
Most of these folks are “selling” what they are told to sell based on their company specification sheets. These sellers tend to be young. Few if any have decades of IBM i hands-on experience to question what they are being taught.
Above all, they are NOT installing the solutions themselves to learn how their solutions really work as well as their product limitations. They do not live with their mistakes, or have to make up for their errors.
So, How Do You Filter Misinformation?
I wish I had a simple answer. I really don’t.
In the IT world where there are constant demands of your time and interruptions to your schedule, I understand it is extremely difficult to reflect on selecting the ideal solution.
I do have some suggestions.
1)????? It is OK to be skeptical.
2)????? Find experts that have long hands-on expertise that know what they are talking about. My sense is that many of my readers can discern the experts from the “fancy talkers”.
3)????? Ask the solution providers how their product works.
a.?????? Do you save your backup to your internal IBM i storage? If so:
???????????????? i.????? How much space do you need?
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??????????????? ii.????? How long does it take to send your backup offsite?
??????????????? iii.????? How do you backups get compressed to take up less storage space?
b.?????? Do you save your backups to an appliance, like a Virtual Tape Library (VTL)? If so,
?????????????? ? i.????? How does the VTL work?
??????????????? ii.????? What server attach feature do you need to support the VTL?
??????????????? iii.????? How long does it take your backup to be replicated to the offsite host backup?
4)????? How long does it take to recovery your system from unexpected downtime? From what point of your backup can you recover?
5)????? Try to find more than one expert to educate you. You may need 2-3 or more so you feel you can get up to speed quickly.
6)????? Question what you are being told.
a.?????? Talk to references that have recently installed the solution
b.?????? Talk to references that have had the solution for a few years
7)????? Does what you are being told make sense … or sound too good to be true?
8)????? Read a lot. Google is a great resource to uncover what you may want to know … or find someone to help you find what you need to know.
9)????? Can you get a proof of concept?
10)?? Can you articulate a clear picture of what your ideal solution looks like so your teammates also know what you want?
Be Prepared To Provide More Specific Information So You Can Assess Your Provider’s Expertise
Let them know the following:
1)????? What is your IBM server (i.e. 8286-41A, 9009-41A, etc.), IBM i OS version (example: V7.4, V7.5), current tape drive (example: LTO7),? current tape drive interface (example: EJ10, EJ2B)
2)????? Provide WRKSYSSTS screenshots for each LPAR to be supported.
3)????? Explain how you conduct your current backup and what changes you may wish to make.
a.?????? How many daily backups are saved and what % of a full backup is saved daily (example: 100%, 30%, 10%)?
b.?????? How many weekly backups are retained and what % of full backup is saved weekly?
c.?????? How many monthly backups are saved?
d.?????? How many quarterly backups are saved?
e.?????? How many annual backups are saved?
4)????? Do want your backups saved offsite at another location?
a.?????? If yes, what is the available bandwidth between sites?
5)????? Is there a business requirement for Encryption at Rest (aka disk encryption)?
6)????? Is there a business requirement for Immutability?
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