Suftware Subscription strikes again.

[eric.delong@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

     I just had a rather frightening conversatioon with the VP of IS. It 
     seems IBM wants to charge us $70,000 or so to maintain our licensed 
     programs on our three as400s. He says he'd be interested in finding 
     alternatives to the as400s and is ready to sever all ties with IBM 
     over this issue. Kinda gives me cold chills........
     
     As I understand it, we purchased one year of SS when we upgraded to 
     the 640 and 170 last year. It seems as though this years charge for 
     maintenance has more than tripled, though it's hard to know for sure 
     as he was raving mad when he told me this. Assuming that this is the 
     case, how does IBM expect anyone to remain loyal, let alone satisfied 
     with the cost effectiveness of the AS400. Am I missing something, or 
     is IBM intentionally trying to drive loyal customers away kicking and 
     screaming. 
     
     I'm very concerned about this as my job here entirely depends on the 
     as400. Is there any relief on the SS pricing? What (if anything) can I 
     tell my boss to keep him from looking into a platform shift? Are the 
     charges he told me about correct, or could he have misunderstood the 
     account rep? YIKES!
     
     I'm not too familiar with this aspect of the AS400, as I'm technically 
     inclined, not administrative. Any comments or suffestions would be 
     very helpful.
     
     TIA
     eric.delong@pmsi-services.com


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