From: Mark Shearer - IBM System i General Manager             April 10th, 2007
 
Dear iSociety Members:

I’m very pleased that iSociety is participating today in the most significant transformation in System i offerings for small and medium businesses in nearly 20 years! You’ve heard the System i leadership team and me allude to this announcement in various Fireside Chats with the phrase “Watch this space”! You asked us whether or not there was a new, smaller System i solution on the horizon. Well, there is -- and it’s here!
 
Today, we’re  introducing:
  1. •A new System i 515 Express for small businesses with up to 40 users
  2. •A new System i 525 Express for mid-sized businesses with increased expansion options such as Capacity on Demand
  3. •Up to 6x performance improvement to power new solutions
  4. •Storage prices to drive new solution opportunities
  5. •Dramatic new flexibility in i5/OS licensing
 
You know as well as we do that many small and medium businesses are tired of dealing with the challenges of the Windows environment. They want to run their business, not their computers. They want systems that are easy-to-manage, easy-to-secure, highly reliable and proven solutions that fit their needs. They’re looking for a better alternative to competitive Windows-based servers.
 
This announcement fundamentally transforms our offerings for small and medium-sized businesses and will help us attract new organizations to System i as a great alternative to Windows-based servers.. You can get all the details at www.ibm.com/systems/i/announce2007
 
So how can iSociety help spread the word? As a member, you know that iSociety is about harnessing the collective passion and creativity of the global System i community in one place. We're encouraging our most important clients, such as you, to go to the iSociety site at http://isociety.org and register as a member of the community. Then, please go to The Truth site at http://www.ibm.com/systems/i/iwantcontrol/truth and "Tell the Truth" about the benefits of owning System i and your support for this announcement.

Working together, we have a very exciting opportunity to make iSociety a powerful voice in the industry on behalf of these new offerings.  

Be sure to tune in to the next Fireside Chat on April 12, at noon CST with Jim Herring, Director, IBM System i Products and Business Operations and Ian Jarman, IBM System i Product Manager. This chat will provide an excellent opportunity to ask questions and get the full story on these exciting new offerings. If you miss the live chat, be sure and look for the transcript that will be posted on iSociety shortly afterward.
 
In addition, you’ll find two new Special Interest Groups (SIG) that have been formed on iSociety to focus on the new offerings. These SIGs will give you a forum to talk to each other about the new offerings. And you can rest assured that we take your comments very seriously.
 
Thank you for your continued support of System i through iSociety.  We understand that your passion for the continued growth of System i is unmatched in the industry and a core reason for our continued success in the market.
 
Best regards,