IBM i Hosting
IBM i Cloud Hosting with High Availability and Disaster Recovery
Run your IBM i environment in an exclusive LPAR within Paragon’s production data center, with continuous infrastructure monitoring, high-speed backups, and optional SAN-level replication to our geographically separate HA facility.
Why host
Keep IBM i. Move the Infrastructure Responsibility.
Your IBM i applications may be critical to the business, but your organization does not have to own and maintain the physical infrastructure behind them.
Paragon hosts each customer in an exclusive production LPAR sized for its processing, memory, storage, and workload requirements. We manage the data center infrastructure, IBM Power platform, enterprise SAN storage, backups, and continuous monitoring while the customer continues using the applications and processes it depends on.
For organizations that require rapid recovery following a disaster, Paragon can replicate data at the SAN level to a geographically separate HA data center. Because replication is handled by the storage infrastructure, it is fast and does not consume processor resources within the customer’s production LPAR.
Hosting can eliminate an upcoming hardware purchase, reduce the burden on internal IT, strengthen backup and recovery capabilities, and provide access to experienced IBM i administration when additional support is needed.
IBM i Hosting Can Help You
- Avoid purchasing and maintaining IBM Power hardware
- Reduce data center and infrastructure responsibilities
- Protect data with high-speed local and offsite backups
- Add SAN-level replication and rapid recovery capability
- Receive continuous infrastructure monitoring
- Add 24 x 7 support or Managed Services when required
- Continue running existing IBM i applications without replacing the platform
What’s included
A Complete IBM i Hosting Environment
Paragon provides the production infrastructure, data protection, and monitoring required to operate your IBM i environment with confidence.
Hosting options
A Hosting Configuration That Fits Your Requirements
Host your production environment with Paragon, add SAN-level replication to our HA data center, or use Paragon Cloud as the recovery environment for an on-premises IBM i system.
Production Hosting
An exclusive production LPAR with enterprise SAN storage, secure connectivity, daily VTL backups, offsite retention, and 24 x 7 infrastructure monitoring.
Production Hosting with HA
Production hosting plus SAN-level replication to our geographically separate HA data center and a recovery LPAR prepared for rapid activation following a disaster.
HA Hosting
Keep your production IBM i system on premises and replicate it to a recovery LPAR in Paragon Cloud. We support multiple IBM i replication solutions for this configuration because replication is performed by software rather than at the SAN level.
On-Premises vs. Hosted
What Paragon Manages in a Hosted Environment
| Responsibility | Customer-Managed On-Premises | Paragon Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| IBM Power infrastructure | Customer | Paragon |
| Production LPAR provisioning | Customer | Paragon |
| Enterprise storage | Customer | Paragon |
| Data center facilities | Customer | Paragon |
| Infrastructure monitoring | Customer | Paragon, 24 x 7 |
| Daily backups | Customer | Paragon |
| Offsite backup retention | Customer | Paragon |
| HA and recovery environment | Customer-managed option | Available from Paragon |
| IBM i administration | Customer or service provider | Customer or Paragon Managed Services |
| Application support | Customer or service provider | Customer or Paragon services |
Hosting Migration
How We Move Your IBM i Environment to Paragon
Discovery and Migration Planning
We document the current LPAR configuration, IBM i release, storage requirements, workloads, applications, interfaces, third-party software, network connectivity, security requirements, backup procedures, and allowable downtime. We then select the appropriate migration method and develop the implementation plan.
Hosted Environment Provisioning
We provision the production LPAR, allocate processing, memory, and SAN storage, configure connectivity and security, and establish monitoring and backup services before migrating production data.
Test Migration and Validation
We perform a test migration using the selected transfer or replication method. Paragon and the customer validate applications, scheduled jobs, printing, communications, interfaces, user access, and system performance before production cutover.
Production Cutover and Stabilization
We execute the production migration according to the approved cutover plan, verify the hosted environment, and support the customer through application validation and the transition to normal operations.
When to Consider Hosting
When IBM i Hosting Makes Sense
IBM i hosting is appropriate for organizations that want to continue using the platform while transferring responsibility for IBM Power infrastructure, enterprise storage, backups, data-center operations, and continuous infrastructure monitoring to an experienced provider.
An IBM Power Refresh Is Approaching
If your current hardware is nearing replacement, hosting provides an alternative to another capital purchase and the ongoing responsibility of maintaining physical IBM Power infrastructure.
We Want to Reduce Data Center Responsibilities
Hosting moves the production LPAR, enterprise storage, backups, infrastructure monitoring, and supporting data-center requirements to Paragon while allowing your organization to continue using its existing IBM i applications.
We Need Stronger Business Continuity
Paragon can add SAN-level replication from the hosted production environment to our geographically separate HA data center, with a recovery LPAR prepared for rapid activation following a disaster.
We Need an HA Environment for an On-Premises System
Organizations that want to retain their production IBM i system on premises can replicate it to an LPAR in Paragon Cloud using an appropriate IBM i replication solution.
Our IT Organization Is Changing
Hosting can reduce infrastructure responsibilities during an employee retirement, data-center consolidation, facility move, acquisition, or other transition. IBM i administration and technical support can also be added through a Managed Services agreement when needed.
Why Paragon
IBM i Expertise Behind Every Hosted Environment
Successful IBM i hosting requires more than reliable infrastructure. It requires people who understand the platform, its operating environment, and the business applications that depend on it.
Paragon has provided IBM Power and IBM i administration services for more than 25 years. Our team understands IBM i operations, LPAR configuration, enterprise storage, backups, communications, security, applications, and the business processes the platform supports.
That experience is valuable throughout the relationship, from migration planning and daily infrastructure monitoring to backup recovery and HA activation. We work with current IBM i environments as well as older systems, custom applications, and configurations that have evolved over many years.
Customers can use Paragon strictly as their hosting provider or extend the relationship to include IBM i administration, consulting, application development, EDI, and Managed Services. Responsibilities are defined according to the customer’s internal capabilities and support requirements.
What Makes Paragon Different
Pricing
What Determines the Cost of IBM i Hosting?
IBM i hosting is priced according to the resources, protection, connectivity, and support required for the customer’s environment. Paragon reviews the current LPAR, workload characteristics, storage usage, growth expectations, network requirements, and business-continuity objectives before designing the hosted configuration.
The proposal separates recurring hosting services from one-time migration work and any optional HA, connectivity, or Managed Services requirements. This gives the customer a configuration based on its actual operating needs rather than a predefined package with unnecessary capacity or services.
Factors That Affect Hosting Cost
FAQ
IBM i Hosting Questions
Does each customer receive a separate environment?
Yes. Production hosting customers receive an exclusive production LPAR configured for their processing, memory, storage, connectivity, and operating requirements. Customers using Paragon Cloud as an HA destination receive a separate recovery LPAR for their environment.
How are hosted systems backed up?
Daily high-speed backups are written to a fiber-connected Virtual Tape Library. Our standard service retains backups locally for 14 days and sends each daily backup to an offsite facility, where it is retained for 30 days.
Can backup schedules and retention periods be customized?
Yes. The standard backup plan meets many customers’ requirements, but Paragon can provide different schedules, retention periods, and recovery arrangements when the business or its compliance obligations require them.
How do high availability and disaster recovery work?
Paragon supports two HA configurations. When the production LPAR is hosted in our production data center, data can be replicated at the SAN level to our geographically separate HA facility without consuming processor resources within the production LPAR. When production remains on the customer’s premises, an appropriate IBM i replication product can replicate the system to a recovery LPAR in Paragon Cloud. Recovery objectives and activation procedures are defined for the customer’s configuration.
What is the difference between monitoring and support?
Paragon monitors the hosted infrastructure 24 x 7. Customers that also require around-the-clock technical support or ongoing IBM i administration can add those services through an appropriate support or Managed Services agreement.
What connectivity options are available?
Connectivity is designed around the customer’s offices, remote users, applications, business partners, security requirements, bandwidth needs, and existing network architecture. Paragon works with the customer’s network team to establish secure primary access and any required redundancy.
Can Paragon administer the hosted IBM i environment?
Yes. Paragon can provide selected administrative services or assume broader ongoing responsibility through a Managed Services agreement. Our staff has more than 25 years of experience providing IBM Power and IBM i administration services.
Will our existing IBM i applications need to change?
In most cases, hosting changes where the IBM i environment runs, not how the applications operate. We review applications, interfaces, communications, printing, scheduled jobs, and third-party dependencies during migration planning and validate them before production cutover.
How are recovery expectations established?
Recovery requirements are defined during solution design. Paragon works with the customer to establish practical recovery time and recovery point objectives based on the selected hosting or HA configuration, replication method, connectivity, and business requirements.
Ready to Strengthen Your IBM i Environment?
Tell us about your current IBM i environment and what you want to accomplish. We’ll recommend a production hosting or HA configuration designed for maximum availability, reliable recovery, and long-term operational stability.
Get a hosting quote Call 800-966-6725