Self installation tacks cost, work onto new hardware

By Sarah Kimmel
Monday, February 17, 2003

      Be aware: New iSeries models come with the daunting task of self-installation, causing many shops to fork over cash to get the job done right.

      “Single-cabinet 8xx self-installs are simpler to do, but when you start to get involved with multiple-cabinet installs, or adding a new cabinet to an existing model, this is where it can get horrendous. Adding a disk drive is a piece of cake, but when you start with towers, bays, and partitions, you can mess up your machine,” says Al Barsa, president, Barsa Consulting Group, Purchase, NY.

      Customer Setup (CSU) puts the responsibility in the hands of the customer. IBM’s hardware announcement letter #103-002, dated January 24, 2003, reads, “Model 800, 810, and 825 initial installation is customer setup. Model upgrades on all models are performed by IBM service representatives. Some features are designated CSU. IBM installation is available for a charge, under normal service contracts.”

      Customer setups have been around for a long time. For many Model 270 and 820 customers, their last CSU might still be fresh in their minds. The how-to required varies depending on the task. In many cases, iSeries managers choose to outsource a business partner with installation experience to handle the job.

      “While IBM has developed these installs with the user in mind, and they can be done, I advise customers to hire someone, especially if this is their enterprise system. The trained technician is their insurance policy should anything go wrong,” says Paul Greenstone, chairman and CEO, Datanational Corp., Farmington Hills, MI.

Time is money, what’s yours worth?

      Most of the CSU processes are designed to take under a day, contingent on your current knowledge and ability to get the job done right the first time.

      “You need to decide what is valuable to you. If you find that the time and money spent on doing the install yourself takes away from your duties as an employee or employer, then you have to bring in someone else who can do it faster. Even if they do it in ten minutes and charge you for an hour, the level of assurance and the time saved is your benefit,” says Greenstone.

      Note: Customers that choose to perform the installation themselves should expect to pay for any help they get over the phone from IBM.

      On MES orders that contain a mix of IBM and CSU features, the customer may choose to have the IBM service representative install all features, including those designated as CSU.

      Shops faced with a CSU can find more information at the iSeries Information Center. See http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/pubs/html/as400/infocenter.html.

IBM refused to comment on this story.

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Categories: Management/Financial Strategy | Hardware | IBM Support | Model 800