IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS)

Move your IBM Power workloads to the cloud - with the IBM expertise to get you there

IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) provides IBM Power infrastructure within IBM Cloud, allowing organisations to run IBM i, AIX and Linux on Power workloads without owning and managing the underlying physical Power servers.

For organisations looking to move away from ageing Power hardware, reduce data centre dependency or adopt a more flexible cloud model, PowerVS can provide a natural destination for existing IBM Power workloads.

But moving an IBM i or AIX environment to the cloud isn't simply an infrastructure project.

That's where Baby Blue can help.

With more than 30 years' experience working with IBM midrange technologies, from AS/400 and RS/6000 through to today's IBM i, AIX and Power Systems, we can help you assess, migrate and then manage your environment once it is running in PowerVS.

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What is IBM Power Virtual Server?

IBM Power Virtual Server provides virtual IBM Power infrastructure within IBM Cloud.

Rather than purchasing a new physical Power server, organisations can provision the processor, memory and storage resources required for their IBM i, AIX or Linux workloads and consume them as a cloud service.

PowerVS can provide an option for organisations that want to:

Move IBM i or AIX workloads out of an existing data centre
Replace ageing IBM Power infrastructure
Avoid another major hardware refresh
Introduce a more flexible consumption model
Create additional development, test or DR environments
Scale Power resources as requirements change
Bring IBM Power workloads into a broader cloud strategy

Importantly, this is still IBM Power architecture. Your IBM i and AIX workloads remain on the platform they were designed to run on.

We Can Help You Get There

The infrastructure may be in the cloud, but successful migration still requires an understanding of IBM Power, IBM i and AIX.

Baby Blue can provide the specialist skills required throughout the migration.

Assessment & Planning

Before moving anything, we can review your existing environment and help determine what needs to happen before migration.

This can include:

Current Power hardware and LPAR configuration
IBM i or AIX operating system levels
PTF, Technology Level and Service Pack requirements
Processor and memory utilisation
Storage requirements
Application dependencies
Database requirements
Network connectivity
Backup and recovery
High availability and disaster recovery
Migration method and downtime requirements

Older environments may also require an IBM i or AIX upgrade before migration, something our IBM specialists can plan and deliver as part of the overall project.

PowerVS Design & Build

We can help design the target PowerVS environment around the workload rather than simply replicating the existing physical infrastructure.

This can include:

LPAR sizing
CPU and memory allocation
Storage design
Network and connectivity requirements
Backup strategy
Resilience and DR requirements
Security considerations
Development and test environments

Migration to PowerVS

Once the target environment is ready, our IBM specialists can plan and deliver the migration.

The appropriate migration method will depend on the operating system, application, database, data volumes, connectivity and acceptable downtime.

Our focus is on creating a controlled migration with clear testing, validation and rollback planning, rather than simply moving data from one system to another.

Already Using PowerVS?

You don't need to be planning a new migration to use Baby Blue.

If you already have IBM i or AIX workloads running in PowerVS but lack the internal skills to manage them, we can take over or supplement the day-to-day administration of the environment.

This can be particularly useful for organisations or service providers that have adopted PowerVS but don't maintain specialist IBM i or AIX skills internally.

Ongoing PowerVS Management & Support

Once your workload is live, Baby Blue can continue to provide the specialist operating system and infrastructure management required to keep the environment running effectively.

Our services can include:

IBM i administration
AIX administration
Monitoring and health checks
PTF, Technology Level and Service Pack management
Performance monitoring and tuning
Capacity management
User and security administration
Backup and recovery management
High availability and DR support
Operating system upgrades
Troubleshooting and incident support
Application and connectivity support
Regular technical reviews

Support can be provided as a fully managed service, flexible resourcing or token-based support, depending on how much assistance you require.

For End Users and Service Providers

Baby Blue works with both organisations running their own IBM environments and IT service providers that need additional IBM expertise.

If you're an outsourcer, MSP or cloud provider delivering a wider transformation programme but don't have deep IBM i or AIX skills internally, we can provide the specialist Power resource required for that part of the project.

We can work alongside your existing cloud, network, application and infrastructure teams to deliver the IBM element of the migration and provide ongoing support after go-live.

IBM Power Expertise - Wherever Your Power Runs

Moving IBM Power into the cloud doesn't remove the need for IBM Power skills.

Whether your environment is running on physical Power Systems, IBM Power Virtual Server or across a hybrid combination of both, Baby Blue can provide the IBM i and AIX expertise required to plan, migrate, manage and support it.

Considering IBM PowerVS?

Talk to Baby Blue about your existing IBM Power environment and we can help you understand what would be involved in moving it to IBM Power Virtual Server.