31% of Enterprises Plan to Migrate to IBM Power11 Within 12 to 15 Months
ITIC survey finds that non-disruptive migration paths, AI, hybrid cloud and high reliability are top migration drivers
IBM’s installed base of Power server customers are eagerly embracing the latest Power11 servers introduced on July 8, with 31% of organizations saying they’ll migrate to the new platform within the next 12 to 15 months, according to an independent survey by ITIC Corp., a research and consulting firm based in the Boston area.
ITIC’s Web-based survey, including an essay question, polled 357 current Power server customers who are currently running a mix of the prior Power9 and Power10 servers. ITIC supplemented the survey results with over one dozen first-person customer interviews to obtain anecdotal feedback and provide broader, detailed context on organizations’ migration challenges and the factors driving early Power11 server migrations.
Increased performance, reliability, security, AI inferencing and support for hybrid cloud environments were the chief reasons IBM customers cited for Power11 migrations. The IBM Power customers also expressed confidence in Big Blue’s ability to provide them with a smooth migration experience. Among the top survey findings:
- Thirty-one percent (118 companies) of survey respondents said they’ll migrate to the new Power11 servers within the first 12 to 15 months after it ships July 25.
- Eighty-eight percent (314 businesses) indicated they’ll upgrade to Power 11 within 16 to 24 months.
- Sixty percent said the increased processor “speeds and feeds” are driving their migrations; 56% cited improvements in AI inferencing; 55% said new security capabilities are crucial and 41% cited hybrid cloud services support as their reason for migration.
- Eighty-one percent expressed confidence that the new capabilities in the Power11 platform will enable them to have a “non-disruptive” migration to IBM Power11 from the prior Power9 and Power10 platforms.
- Ninety-four percent of survey respondents rated the IBM Power service and support as “excellent” and said it provided tangible benefits in total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI).
Power11 Advances
In a press briefing previewing the Power11 introduction, Bargav Balakrishnan, VP of product management for IBM Power, said that for the first time ever, high-end, mid-range and entry-level Power11 servers will ship on general availability day, July 25. In another first that underscores IBM’s ongoing commitment to hybrid cloud, Power11 servers will support integrated, native AI and cloud on Day 1, via IBM Power Virtual Server.
IBM Power11 delivers pivotal technical advancements like higher clock speeds, support for 25% more cores per chip than the Power10, quantum security and a guaranteed “six nines” of reliability, which equals 31.5 seconds of unplanned per server annual downtime.
Beyond the “speeds and feeds” improvements, IBM is going all out to retain and support its existing Power customer base and expand beyond its traditional bailiwick in banking, finance, government, healthcare, retail and other verticals.
Power11 underscores IBM’s AI leadership while automating and eliminating the biggest pain points of running and maintaining servers, including:
- Zero planned downtime for maintenance: Power11 incorporates capabilities like autonomous patching, live updates and rolling upgrades. This frees IT and system administrators to focus on higher-value work and innovation, saving up to 40% of their time, IBM executives said.
- Less than one minute ransomware threat detection: Paired with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, IBM Power Cyber Vault protects systems from “harvest-now, decrypt-later” and firmware integrity attacks.
- Seamless AI integration to transform business processes: Power11 delivers AI-ready infrastructure through the new IBM Spyre accelerator chip, combined with IBM’s Red Hat OpenShift AI and the IBM watsonx Code Assistant.
- More Efficient IT: The automated data collection capability lets IT admins save up to eight hours of error resolution. Power11’s Energy Efficient mode offers twice the performance per watt compared to x86 servers.
Customers and Analysts Weigh in on Power11 Migration Drivers
The new features and the promise of a non-disruptive upgrade make a compelling case for Power9 and Power10 customers to upgrade to Power11, customers and analysts said.
“Power11’s feature set ticks all the must-haves for us,” said the VP of IT at a nationwide bank based in the Midwest who beta tested the new server platform. The financial institution, a longtime IBM Power customer, is especially impressed by the onboard AI inferencing, the hybrid cloud support and guaranteed “six nines” of reliability.
“And we’re really sold on the technical service and support IBM provides to ensure a non-disruptive and smooth migration,” the VP of IT said. The bank has no tolerance for downtime, and it’s keen to avoid the pitfalls that often accompany migrations and the provisioning of new applications, he said. “We want to get the migration done quickly and efficiently. IBM has demonstrated its willingness and ability to do just that. We plan to migrate to Power11 within the year.”
Rob Enderle, resident and principal of The Enderle Group consultancy in Bend, Oregon, gave Power11 a thumbs up. “Power server customers know they’re buying a secure, non-disruptive and reliable platform that supports the entire infrastructure,” Enderle said. “That’s the IBM differentiator.”
Andrew Baker, president of Brainwave Consulting in Brielle, West Virginia, agreed. “The IBM Power platform has a stellar reputation. Power11 is robust, reliable, innovative and secure. AI on-chip inferencing is icing on the cake. Power11 is a terrific value proposition,” Baker said.