Enterprise Technology FAQ

An IBM reseller is a company authorized by IBM to sell IBM products and services. IBM resellers range from large national solution providers to regional specialists focused on specific IBM product lines like IBM Power Systems or IBM i. IBM's formal program is called the IBM Business Partner program, with tiers including Business Partner, Gold, and Platinum based on technical expertise and revenue commitments.

You can find IBM Power support providers through IBM's Business Partner locator or through independent directories like BigTech Reseller. When searching, look for IBM Business Partners with specific IBM Power or IBM i specialization, not just general IBM partner status. Ask about their experience with your specific IBM Power model and IBM i version, and confirm they have IBM i-certified engineers on staff.

Yes. The AS400 platform is now called IBM Power Systems running IBM i, and IBM actively develops and supports it. IBM i 7.5 is the current release. IBM Power10 is the current hardware generation. IBM has committed to long-term roadmap support for IBM i, and the installed base remains large across manufacturing, distribution, and financial services. Finding IBM i support is more about finding specialized resellers with IBM i expertise than platform availability.

IBM FlashSystem is IBM's family of external all-flash storage arrays, built on Storage Virtualize software and populated with FlashCore Module (FCM) NVMe drives. It attaches to servers, including IBM Power and IBM i environments, over Fibre Channel SAN. When comparing resellers, ask which FlashCore Module generation (FCM1 through FCM4) and capacity they are quoting, and whether Storage Virtualize licensing for replication, encryption, and tiering is included or sold separately.

A VAR (value-added reseller) typically sells you technology products plus implementation services for a specific project. An MSP (managed service provider) manages your technology on an ongoing basis under a monthly subscription model. Some companies are both: they sell and implement technology (VAR function) and then manage it long-term (MSP function). For enterprise buyers, the distinction matters for contract structure, ongoing cost, and where day-to-day IT responsibility sits.

Start by confirming each reseller can quote on equal terms: the same workload, capacity, and performance requirements sent to IBM FlashSystem, Dell EMC (PowerStore/PowerMax), and HPE (Alletra/Primera) resellers. Ask each about consumption model (capital purchase vs. pay-as-you-go), what replication and encryption licensing is bundled versus separate, and their specific IBM, Dell, or HPE partner certification tier. For IBM FlashSystem specifically, confirm the FlashCore Module generation and part number being quoted, since capacity and generation both affect price and compatibility. Also confirm the installed FlashSystem model itself: the newest FlashCore Module generation, FCM5, only fits the current FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600, so a quote against an older array needs to be a platform refresh conversation, not a drive swap.

This splits into two categories, and buyers often ask for one when they actually need the other. General-purpose API management platforms, most notably IBM's own API Connect, will front an IBM i backend the same way they front any other system, and are the right choice when the requirement is broad API governance, rate limiting, and developer portal features across multiple systems, not just IBM i. IBM i-specific vendors solve a narrower, more common problem: exposing existing RPG or COBOL program logic as callable APIs without a full rewrite. Profound Logic and Rocket Software both offer modernization tooling with API-enablement capability built specifically for IBM i applications, and smaller specialist vendors focused specifically on IBM i API and integration work, such as Eradani, also operate in this space. Before a reseller quotes either angle, confirm which problem the buyer actually has: standing up new APIs that call existing RPG logic (favor an IBM i-native modernization vendor) versus governing and securing APIs across a mixed environment that happens to include IBM i (favor a general-purpose platform like API Connect).

Google can show total search clicks for a site or page while hiding some of the searches that created those clicks. The missing difference is called a Disclosure Gap: what Google shows in total search traffic versus what it hides from the search query details. For B2B technology vendors, this matters because rare but valuable buyer searches can be hidden from the keyword table while still appearing in page or date totals.