Item: IBM Power Virtual Server
Rating: 6
Author: Ryan Sparks

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

IBM Power Systems Virtual Server has been used to create and deploy virtual servers. Most of these servers are utilizing IBM or Linux operating systems. It is not used across the entire organization, but rather on a case-by-case basis and the decision is up to the team. The business problem is addresses is having an independent cloud service to reliably host our virtual servers.

Pros and Cons

Create virtual servers
Deploy virtual servers
Supports scalability for infrastructure
Customization of individual servers

Requires proprietary hardware
Not widely implemented yet
Documentation could use improvements

Return on Investment

Increased responsiveness for virtual servers
More specific pricing to suit exact business needs
Fewer number of servers means less cost

Alternatives Considered

vSphere, Hyper-V, Azure Virtual Machines and Oracle VM Server

IBM Power Systems Virtual Server was chosen over the competitors mostly due to the flexibility. It allows the virtual server to be created exactly to the business needs. The scalability and dynamic partitioning helps ensure the server is an appropriate size and power for the payload. The other competitors each had their downfalls when it came to flexibility and IBM PowerVM really exceeds there.

Key Insights

Do you think IBM Power Virtual Server delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with IBM Power Virtual Server's feature set?

Yes

Did IBM Power Virtual Server live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of IBM Power Virtual Server go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy IBM Power Virtual Server again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Azure Virtual Machines, Oracle VM Server, vSphere

Likelihood to Recommend

IBM Power Systems Virtual Server is perfectly suited for servers that need flexibility. The Live Partition Mobility really helps manage dynamic loads, and their Capacity on Demand furthers this strength. The ability to scale up and down without performance sacrifices is also a huge plus. A situation where it may not be the most appropriate is if you do not want to move to Power Systems hardware in order to run PowerVM

IBM Power Systems Virtual Server for all your virtual server needs

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Power Systems Virtual Server