Suppose you’re using IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6.1 and considering upgrading to the new IBM Maximo Application Suite with IBM Maximo Manage 8. In that case, you’re likely facing a pivotal question: do you need to switch to the Red Hat OpenShift container platform? Is that your only option? And if so, how do you successfully integrate that platform into your IT environment while maximizing its value?
To get to the bottom of this, Business Development Manager Angelo Jacobs and OpenShift Specialist Jef Luyckx spoke with Maarten Van der Aa, Senior Managing Consultant at MMCATS, a leading implementer of the IBM Maximo Application Suite.
“The shift is real,” confirms Angelo. “While IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6.1 still ran on IBM WebSphere Application Server, now you must use the new IBM Maximo Application Suite in a Red Hat OpenShift environment.” This raises practical challenges for many organizations. “A lot of companies haven’t yet made the transition to the OpenShift container platform,” Angelo adds.
The only option, but a huge opportunity
Is OpenShift really the only path forward? “That’s what IBM is working toward,” says Maarten Van der Aa of MMCATS. “It will stop supporting IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6.1 on September 30, 2025. Given that many companies using Maximo are very security conscious, they don’t want to work with unsupported software. For that reason alone, organizations are looking to OpenShift.”
But the transition also presents an opportunity. “OpenShift isn’t a one-trick pony,” Angelo says. “Container technology offers many more advantages. Even if Maximo is your incentive to make the leap to OpenShift, you’ll undoubtedly reap the benefits in the future as so many other software vendors are also switching to containers.”
Balancing costs and benefits
Despite the benefits, there’s often some trepidation. “The transition to OpenShift can feel like just an increase in overhead,” Jef Luyckx notes. “OpenShift simply requires extra resources. And if you’re using it to run just a single application, your finance department will have questions for you.”
Maarten points out that the price varies from customer to customer: “For small organizations, the overhead costs are relatively high. But large companies with a lot of external hosting make a saving by switching to OpenShift. And for those who really need to purchase a lot more computing power and memory, MMCATS offers a resource-sharing solution or even the option to take over the management of Maximo.”
So, what is the best option?
“You could try using IBM Maximo Application Suite in a different environment,” continues Maarten, “but then IBM won’t provide any support. Your entire IT environment could even fall apart.” Is there an alternative to Maximo? “Users of IBM Maximo don’t want that. The solution is based on decades of experience, and users have often invested in it themselves for years. Giving all that up is not an option.”
“You have to look at the bigger picture,” says Angelo. “Don’t just switch to OpenShift for Maximo. With the right expertise and support, you use the container platform for many more applications and workloads. OpenShift does provide added value. So, the increase in overhead becomes much more manageable.”
For both the construction of the container infrastructure with OpenShift and the installation of software and maintenance of the infrastructure via managed services, you can always rely on QUBR, a Piros company.
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