IBM iSeries or Windows server?

Rabid Cougar asks: "I am the network administrator for a small manufacturing company. Our current ERP system has outlived its usefulness and we are in the process of selecting another package. Our present ERP system runs on an IBM AS/400, but there are those in the company who believe we should switch to something that only runs on Windows. My position is this: if we can find software that will meet our needs that runs on an IBM iSeries (new name for the AS/400) then we'd be certifiably crazy to move over to the Windows platform. A co-worker insists there are a ton of reasons to avoid the iSeries like the plague. I'm not trying to start a flamewar, but if you were to bet your career on this issue, which side would you choose and why?"

Comments

Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft

[MLopat]

Back when you got your AS/400 or whomever recommended it, made a safe choice; because nobody got fired for buying IBM. Today, Microsoft is in that same position. Micrsoft's ERP products for manufacturing are second to none. The price point for the software scales to your business needs and the x86 hardware is comparitively inexpensive. So you could bet your job on it!

I recommend that you consider a Microsoft GP 9.0 solution for manufacturing. It's highly scalable, and like their other business solutions, you only purchase the modules you need and you can add modules seamlessly into the system as needs grow. If you're interested, check out the link in my signature, and contact us for more information.

Little over the top?

[heinousjay]

How exactly could one bet their career on a decision like this?

At this level of spending, demand vendor demos and decide based on which package meets more of your needs.

If you just want advice from slashdotters while giving this little information, you'll get prejudiced "UNIX UNIX UNIX" all the way. I suspect this is your goal, though - the wording of your question suggests you have an answer in mind and you want validation.

Color me surprised.