The importance of having an efficient, cost effective data integration and management strategy is more pressing than ever. The tremendous volume and types of data continually increasing requires enterprises to modernize their information architectures. But modernization is not a one-size-fits-all proposition; each business must move forward at its own pace.

Recognizing these trends and the need for self-paced modernization, current IBM DataStage and Information Server customers can now take advantage of an exclusive offer to modernize their architecture with IBM Cloud Pak for Data.

In this blog, we’ll take a deeper look at the benefits of modernizing, like faster deployment and lower costs, everything customers need to know about the modernization upgrade itself and examples of the different modernization options available to help customers move at their own pace.

DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data for faster data management and cost savings

 Using IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data provides several advantages including containerization, scalability and efficiency improvements. The cloud-ready data integration architecture is built on containers and microservices that can significantly reduce deployment time from hours to minutes. According to Forrester, the platform’s containerized microservice capabilities can reduce infrastructure management effort 65 – 85%, relieving users of arduous and time-consuming processes required to manage exponentially increasing data volumes.

Users will enjoy the added benefit of designing their jobs only once. DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data allows data jobs to run on any cloud or on-premises locations, depending where the data resides.  Versus DataStage in traditional binaries, users can process large volumes of data in parallel, dynamically scale workloads, and maximize throughput while saving up to 30% in execution time. An IBM client in the media industry benefited from automation and machine learning that assisted their job design, making design development 9 times faster than typical hand coding implementation. Those who migrate to the new platform may see reduced operations costs. Whether patches or new distributions, everything is deployed on containers, allowing users to meet their mission critical SLAs with savings in operational costs, sometimes up to 50%. 

Unlock the benefits of additional base capabilities on a containerized platform

IBM Cloud Pak for Data offers a wide range of capabilities, divided into three categories: foundational, base, and extended services. All foundational services are automatically included on the platform at no-cost. Examples include user access management, networking, volume management, diagnostics, monitoring and service provisioning.

Base services are available within IBM Cloud Pak for Data and are unlocked by the allocation of entitlements or Virtual Processor Cores (VPCs). Examples include Netezza Performance Server, IBM Watson® Knowledge Catalog and Watson Machine Learning. Extended services can run stand alone or containerized and also require a VPC allocation to run on IBM Cloud Pak for Data. Examples include IBM DataStage, IBM Watson Studio Premium and IBM Cognos Analytics.

When existing clients modernize with IBM, they’ll receive VPCs on IBM Cloud Pak for Data, which they can use for any base services, as well as instant access to the foundational services. Users will also be able to keep original entitlements from their traditional versions of DataStage, and with the modernization upgrade, they’ll also have the flexibility to run existing workloads on-premises until they’re ready to modernize.

 Paths to modernizing at your own pace

There three main paths for modernization:

1. Customers that are not entirely prepared to modernize their DataStage and Information Server but are still curious about the IBM Cloud Pak for Data base services can keep the existing bare metal entitlements they already have and gain additional VPCs for IBM Cloud Pak for Data base services to use as they see fit.
2. The most common path is the one for clients that are ready to modernize their data integration strategy, reap the benefits of containerized version of DataStage and Information Server and have access to additional IBM Cloud Pak for Data base services. Those who choose this path will have the ability to modernize at their own pace and have an additional number of VPCs for whichever base services the client needs.
3. As business priorities change, clients may also need to adjust their infrastructure. To ensure clients have the flexibility they require, clients can also trade their IBM DataStage for Cloud Pak for Data VPCs to use for other services. This option is only recommended for those who have already decided not to include DataStage in their new architecture.

Look into your modernization options today

No matter which example fits your business best, modernizing your DataStage and Information Server solution can lead to numerous benefits like costs savings and faster data management.

Learn more about the modernization offer by watching the webinar above or scheduling time to talk with one of our experts about modernization for free.