Unlocking the Power of Skytap: Revolutionizing Cloud Migration and Modernization

In today’s fast-paced business environment, staying ahead of the technology curve is crucial. Organizations worldwide are shifting from legacy systems to cloud-native architectures, seeking agility, scalability, and cost efficiency. However, the journey to the cloud can be daunting, especially for businesses running complex workloads on legacy systems. This is where Skytap shines, offering a seamless bridge between traditional IT environments and modern cloud solutions.

What is Skytap?

Skytap is a cloud service designed specifically to support traditional workloads like IBM Power Systems (AIX, IBM i) and x86 applications. Unlike other cloud platforms, Skytap provides a unique environment that replicates on-premises infrastructure, allowing businesses to migrate and modernize their legacy applications without rewriting or rearchitecting them. Skytap also supports multi-tenant architecture and networking configurations that mimic on-premises setups, ensuring minimal reconfiguration for enterprises.

Key Features of Skytap

1. Native Support for Legacy Systems Skytap enables enterprises to run mission-critical applications built on IBM Power Systems and x86 infrastructure directly in the cloud. This eliminates the need for extensive re-platforming or expensive rewrites. Skytap provides direct access to IBM i, AIX, and Linux on Power environments, including native features such as Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) and Logical Partitions (LPARs).
2. Seamless Migration With Skytap, organizations can lift and shift their existing workloads to the cloud with minimal disruption. The platform supports P2V (Physical to Virtual) and V2V (Virtual to Virtual) migrations, preserving application compatibility, reducing downtime, and ensuring business continuity.
3. Integrated Dev/Test Environments Skytap empowers development and testing teams with on-demand, scalable environments. Developers can create, clone, and manage environments in minutes, accelerating the software development lifecycle. Skytap supports snapshots and environment templates, enabling teams to rapidly replicate production environments for testing without impacting live systems.
4. Hybrid Cloud Capabilities Skytap integrates seamlessly with other cloud services, enabling hybrid cloud architectures. For instance, organizations can combine Skytap with public cloud platforms like Azure to create robust, flexible infrastructures while maintaining secure on-premises connectivity through VPN or dedicated links.
5. Simplified Disaster Recovery With built-in disaster recovery features, Skytap ensures that critical workloads remain secure and accessible, providing peace of mind in the event of an outage. Skytap supports asynchronous replication and automated failover, ensuring minimal data loss and recovery times.
6. Advanced Networking Features Skytap offers advanced networking options, including VLANs, virtual network interfaces, and customizable routing tables. These features enable organizations to replicate complex on-premises network configurations, ensuring seamless integration into existing IT ecosystems.

Why Choose Skytap?

• Cost Savings By migrating to Skytap, organizations can eliminate the high costs associated with maintaining on-premises hardware and legacy infrastructure. Skytap’s pay-as-you-go model ensures that businesses only pay for the resources they use.
• Rapid Time-to-Market Skytap accelerates cloud migration timelines, enabling businesses to quickly reap the benefits of cloud computing. Automation tools and APIs simplify deployment and reduce manual intervention.
• Enhanced Scalability The platform allows businesses to scale resources up or down based on demand, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency. For example, workloads can be adjusted dynamically during seasonal peaks or high-traffic events.
• Preservation of Legacy Investments Skytap protects existing investments in legacy applications by providing a platform where they can thrive without significant changes. This includes support for legacy middleware and databases that are often challenging to modernize.

The Future of Skytap

As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation, the demand for platforms like Skytap is only set to grow. Its unique ability to bridge the gap between traditional and modern systems positions it as an invaluable tool for organizations navigating the complexities of cloud migration and modernization. With ongoing advancements in features such as AI-driven optimization and Kubernetes integration, Skytap remains at the forefront of cloud innovation.

Final Thoughts

Skytap is more than just a cloud platform—it’s a strategic enabler for businesses looking to future-proof their IT infrastructure. With native support for IBM Power systems, it simplifies the migration and modernization of legacy applications, empowering organizations to innovate faster, reduce costs, and remain competitive in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Recently, Kyndryl acquired Skytap, further enhancing its capabilities and expanding its portfolio to help businesses seamlessly transition to the cloud. This acquisition underscores the commitment to delivering innovative solutions for modernizing IT environments and driving customer success.

If your organization is ready to unlock the potential of the cloud without leaving behind your legacy workloads, Skytap is the solution you’ve been waiting for.