While some companies choose to upgrade to the most recent DB2 version to benefit from the latest innovations, others might bury their head in the sand and hope the impending End of Support (EOS) doesn’t negatively impact their business.
IBM will be ending support of DB2 11.1 from 30th April 2022 and support will only be provided if an IBM service extension is purchased.
With only 12 months left on the countdown clock, time is of the essence. Organisations running DB2 11.1 (or older) must be prepared for this and upgrade plans should now be in place.
Sometimes organisations choose to stay on older, unsupported DB2 database versions. There are several reasons why:
Cost
In a tough economic environment, IT budgets are static or reducing. Perhaps the cost of an upgrade cannot be justified at present. Choosing not to upgrade may save money initially, but with EOS comes the inevitable technical glitches, performance issues, and security vulnerabilities leading to unforeseen (and unbudgeted) costs. Upgrading to DB2 11.5 is a more cost-effective solution long term.
Time
Migration projects can often take longer than anticipated and use up valuable DBA resources.
Lack of in-house skills
The upgrade process can become overwhelming for any organisation, especially those without an in-house technical team. Some organisations may have inherited DB2 systems through expansion or acquisition and do not have the skills in-house to support them.
The solution
When business-critical databases need to be available 24/7 the risk of downtime must be carefully managed. Planning and executing a successful version upgrade is essential.
Triton’s specialist skills mean we can assist you with any upgrade and help speed up the process. We’ll facilitate a seamless transition and allow you more time to focus on the areas you excel at.
Our team of DB2 experts has guided many clients through the upgrade process. We can tailor our support to meet your exact requirements. We can either provide advice and guidance if your in-house team is going to be performing the migration or we can provide a complete installation, configuration, and migration service.
An upgrade in the future is inevitable. The earlier the upgrade, the sooner you can benefit from the new features and enhancements DB2 11.5 has to offer so why not start taking advantage now. For further information on the latest features available in DB2 11.5, look at our series of blogs written by our team of IBM Champions.
Need some support with your DB2 upgrade? Contact us for a chat.