System iNetwork

Some news stories are just that — news stories. They contain topics that are fairly straightforward and easy to get to. In one way, you can look at IBM's recent 515 and 525 entry level System i announcement as a basic news story.

But it's so much more than that, too. Part of the story is the System i world's reaction to the news, which is at least as important as the news itself. System i pros are invested in the platform, and because of that investment, we share a sense of community, responsibility, and a desire to see the platform continue to succeed. The 515 and 525 models are critical to new account growth.

On the other hand, what do these new boxes mean to existing customers? For many, they're too small to consider. For others, they represent a massive increase in horsepower — CPU and CPW, at least — and a whole new pricing model that may or may not work for their own organizations.

Dave Bauer sent me a note where he priced out an upgrade from an 810 to an existing 520 or a new 525. The new 525 came in $39,000 more expensive than a 520. Yeah, can you imagine what his client was thinking?

On the other hand, Bill Clark priced out a similar upgrade from an 810 to a 520 or 525 for 100 users and ended up with a 525-based solution that was more than $26,000 less than a 520-based upgrade.

So which is correct? Is the 525 a better deal or not?

It depends. Because of the diversity in the System i world, this is the kind of question that's best explored with a blog . . . so now you know why we've launched Maxed Out.

In future posts, I'll bring you a combination of news, opinion, and shared conversations with industry experts. Through it all, I encourage you to post your reactions, thoughts, and your own experience — whether or not it differs with my own.

The first big news I'll be covering will come out of the COMMON conference in Anaheim. If you're there, too, check in . . . post a response, and if you're not, feel free to offer up your perspective from the comfort of your office.

Best,

--Chris

* OK, perhaps embrace is the wrong word, especially since I typed the word "passion" in the paragraph above. I really mean include, even when I might disagree with someone's comments.