IBM Power Systems Maintenance

Protect Your IBM Power Investment

Whether your business relies on the latest IBM Power11 platform or a long-established IBM Power8 or Power9 server, reliable hardware maintenance is essential to keeping your business running.

At Baby Blue, we provide specialist IBM Power Systems Maintenance solutions designed to maximise uptime, reduce business risk and protect your investment. Whether you're looking for genuine IBM Hardware Maintenance or a cost-effective alternative for older systems, our team can help.

As an IBM Business Partner with decades of experience supporting IBM infrastructure, we understand that every environment is different. Some organisations require full IBM support with firmware entitlement, while others simply need a dependable maintenance solution for hardware that IBM no longer supports.

Whatever stage your infrastructure is at, we'll help you choose the right maintenance strategy.

Supporting IBM Power Systems Old and New

IBM Power has evolved considerably over the years, but many organisations still use the terminology they are familiar with.

Whether you refer to your server as an IBM Power System, AS400, iSeries or RS6000, we'll understand exactly what you're talking about.

We support hardware including:

Current IBM Power Systems

• IBM Power11
• IBM Power10
• IBM Power9
• IBM Power8

Previous Generations

• IBM Power7+
• IBM Power7
• IBM Power6
• IBM Power5

Legacy IBM Platforms

• AS400
• AS/400
• iSeries
• System i
• RS6000
• RS/6000
• pSeries
• System p

Alongside systems running:

• IBM i
• AIX
• Linux on Power

IBM OEM Hardware Maintenance

As an authorised IBM Business Partner, Baby Blue can provide genuine IBM Hardware Maintenance for supported IBM Power Systems.

IBM Hardware Maintenance offers much more than hardware replacement. It provides access to IBM engineering expertise together with ongoing firmware and Machine Code updates that help maintain security, reliability and system stability.

Benefits include:

• Genuine IBM replacement parts
• IBM certified engineers
• 24x7 or business hours support
• IBM firmware updates
• IBM Machine Code updates
• Hardware diagnostics
• Technical support
• Manufacturer-backed service

For many organisations operating in regulated industries, maintaining access to IBM firmware and Machine Code is becoming increasingly important for security, compliance and cyber resilience. IBM continues to enhance Power with innovations such as autonomous operations, cyber resilience and hybrid cloud capabilities across the latest Power11 family.

Returning from Third Party Maintenance to IBM

Third Party Maintenance (TPM) has become an increasingly popular way of reducing maintenance costs once systems move beyond their initial support period.

However, many customers later discover they no longer have entitlement to IBM firmware or Machine Code updates.

This can become a challenge when:

• Security vulnerabilities are identified
• Firmware upgrades are required
• Compliance requirements change
• Hardware upgrades need current firmware levels
• IBM support becomes necessary

Baby Blue specialises in helping organisations return to IBM support where appropriate.

We can review your current environment and advise on the most cost-effective route back to IBM Hardware Maintenance, helping you regain entitlement to firmware and Machine Code while avoiding unnecessary hardware replacement.

Where available, we can also advise on IBM maintenance reinstatement programmes and ensure your systems meet the necessary requirements before returning to IBM support.

Support Beyond IBM End of Standard Support (EOSS)

Many businesses believe that once IBM declares a system End of Standard Support (EOSS), replacement is the only option.

In reality, that is rarely the case.

If your IBM Power server is no longer supported by IBM, Baby Blue can often provide an alternative maintenance solution through trusted Third Party Maintenance partners.

This enables organisations to:

• Extend the life of existing hardware
• Reduce operational costs
• Delay unnecessary capital expenditure
• Continue running stable production environments
• Plan upgrades at a time that suits the business rather than an IBM support deadline

For many organisations, extending the life of an existing Power System for several years can deliver significant savings while allowing budgets to be allocated more strategically.

More Than Hardware Maintenance

Our expertise extends far beyond replacing failed components.

Our IBM Power specialists can also assist with:

• IBM i administration
• AIX administration
• Operating system upgrades
• Firmware planning
• Hardware refresh planning
• Processor, memory and storage upgrades
• Health Checks
• Security Reviews
• Performance optimisation
• Disaster Recovery planning
• High Availability solutions
• Cloud migration
• IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) planning

Because we work across the complete IBM Power lifecycle, we can support your infrastructure from installation through to upgrade, migration and eventual replacement.

Why Choose Baby Blue?

With over 100 years of combined IBM experience across our technical and commercial teams, Baby Blue understands the challenges facing organisations running mission-critical IBM Power environments.

Customers choose us because we provide:

• IBM Business Partner expertise
• Independent advice focused on your requirements
• Genuine IBM Hardware Maintenance
• Third Party Maintenance solutions
• IBM i specialists
• AIX specialists
• Hardware supply and upgrades
• Flexible maintenance options
• Professional Services
• UK-based expertise

Whether you're maintaining a single IBM Power server or supporting an enterprise estate across multiple locations, we can build a maintenance solution around your business.

Looking to Upgrade Your IBM Power Environment?

If your existing server is approaching capacity, reaching End of Standard Support or you're planning your next hardware refresh, Baby Blue can also supply new and refurbished IBM Power Systems.

Our specialists can help you select the right platform, migrate your workloads and ensure your new infrastructure is sized correctly for both current and future requirements.

Explore our IBM Power Systems Supply page to learn more about new and refurbished IBM Power servers, hardware upgrades and migration services.

Ready to discuss your IBM Power maintenance requirements?

Whether you need IBM Hardware Maintenance, Third Party Maintenance, assistance returning to IBM support or simply independent advice on the best way forward, our IBM specialists are here to help.