Current JD Edwards (JDE) users contemplating an upgrade to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tool and Applications 9.1 should be asking themselves “what are we waiting for?” After all, there are more reasons to upgrade than ever before, and cost is no longer a major deterrent. If anything, new enhancements that have been made to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne offer bottom line savings. These savings also go to any subsequent hardware improvements that are made to support the performance of the software and applications.
Oracle is constantly improving the performance and functionality of the JD Edwards Applications and the 9.1 application upgrade continues that practice. Many customers are able to reduce or eliminate their custom application modifications by upgrading to the latest Oracle applications and taking advantage of new functionality. When it comes to the underlying hardware, IBM has configured its line of i Systems to support new JD Edwards applications. POWER7-based servers with the IBM i operating system are priced at the small and midsize business level, even though the systems scale at an enterprise capacity. The upfront investment ends up being well worth it given the integration of recent technologies can increase computing performance and more reliably sustain JDE environments. The combined solution has been proven to improve end-user response times, accelerate batch job requests, and optimize the productivity of all system users.
Aside from the cost benefits, there are other considerations:
- Upgrading isn’t nearly as scary as you think. The time and labor involved in an upgrade is made much easier with the new resources, utilities, and technologies at vendors’ disposal. In fact, many JDE clients have completed a technical upgrade to the latest release in 100 days or less.
- Time is running out for your support. Users of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.9 and 8.10 versions fall into the “sustaining” support category, which means they only receive fixes for known problems. Running on sustaining support is a dicey proposition, and the newer JDE releases (9.0 and higher) offer premier and extended support from 2016-2020.
- IBM Server upgrades offer plenty of support options. New servers also include server warranty and lower hardware maintenance costs. In comparison, older servers are more costly to maintain, and aren’t nearly as reliable.
Corning Data Services Inc. has handled numerous JDE and IBM i migrations and upgrades. We can help you devise a plan that combines the latest IBM i Systems for newer JDE World or EnterpriseOne ERP releases.
