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Help us drum up support and please copy/paste this for your own blog.  Short and sweet...like a flyer.
BONUS: Put it on your blog and I'll buy you two beers at the next user group conference that you see me!

IBM Should Support IBM Connections, IBM Sametime and Lotus Notes Traveler on IBM i

Why Should these IBM Collaboration Solutions (ICS) products run on IBM i?

• IBM i on Power Systems and it's predecessors have literally hundreds of thousands of installations worldwide.
• IBM i customers want to leverage existing investments in hardware, software, personnel and training.
• Running ICS servers on other platforms complicates IBM i customer environments. Many customers have a single IBM i server running their entire business.
• Better performance - All server to server communications is via the Power Systems high speed bus.
• Better security - IBM i is impervious to viruses. Period.
• Better uptime - IBM i has a higher uptime % than any other operating system
• IBM i is IBM's most widely deployed operating system, over AIX, Power Linux and zOS.
• Fewer points of failure - One system to manage, administer, maintain, backup and recover.

• 200 IBM i customers and IBM Business Partners representing 520,000 potential licenses have already expressed interest in these products only if they were supported on IBM i

Go to this website and tell IBM that you want support for IBM Connections, IBM Sametime and Lotus Notes Traveler on IBM i.

IBM i 5.4 End of Support Announced - What does this mean for IBM Sametime 7.5 customers?

IBM i 5.4 end of support was just announced for September 2013.  Many customers will be planning the jump to IBM i 7.1 and possibly some newer Power Systems hardware.

What does this mean if you currently run Sametime 7.5 on IBM i 5.4? 

• Since Sametime 7.5 is not supported on IBM i 7.1, you'll need to upgrade to Sametime 8.5.2
• Sametime 8.5.2 requires you to use Windows or Linux on x86-64 servers for the audio/video components now offered in Sametime Media Manager. 
• Deploying Sametime Media Manager will require you to:
• Pay for and deploy more physical x86-64 servers
• Pay for licensing/support costs for Windows or Linux. 
• You'll also have to cable that stuff accordingly which means more wires, more used switch ports, more complexity and more points of failure.
• Consider training.  Do you have any Linux expertise?  Windows server expertise?

Unfortunately, Sametime Media Manager isn't supported on IBM i.  It isn't supported on any Power Systems operating system actually. 

What's the alternative?  Unfortunately, some have said to me that since they're forced to now use Windows/Linux for audio/video in meetings then they would have to look at all options possible.  This means investigate products from other vendors that run on Windows or Linux.  It's very sad and unfortunate.

But don't go that route! 

What you can do is make IBM listen to you.  Tell them you want complete Sametime support on IBM i.

Pitcher's Lotus-on-IBM-i Campaign Pays Dividends

Here's an article IT Jungle ran on getting IBM Connections, IBM Sametime Media Manager and Lotus Notes Traveler on IBM i.  It ran a few weeks ago but I never had a chance to blog a link to it. 

http://www.itjungle.com/fhs/fhs012412-story01.html

I will say that IT Jungle were interested enough in what we're doing to seek me out for an interview, and not the other way around.  Kudos to them.  That also tells me this is getting a little bigger.