Maxava Partners with RPE to Strengthen High Availability for IBM i Servers.
PARTNER STORY
In today’s world of increasing cyberattacks and ransomware, businesses are more vulnerable than ever. To help its hosting clients prepare for inevitable disruptions, Retail Process Engineering (RPE) recently partnered with Maxava to introduce high availability (HA) software for IBM i systems with an eye on further enhancing business continuity.
Based in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, RPE has a significant presence in the retail sector and specializes in IT services implementing enterprise software and hosting IBM Power and Intel servers. As RPE’s President, Rob Henneke, observes, high availability solutions have become essential, particularly in industries reliant on uninterrupted operations. While HA solutions were once considered a luxury, the increased risk of cyberattacks has shifted this perception.
Henneke points out that interconnected systems—whether through SaaS interfaces or remote sign-ons—are particularly vulnerable. The cost of an attack, he notes, is often far higher than the investment in HA software. This financial reality has driven many of RPE’s clients to explore high availability solutions, especially those in retail supply chains that have expanded to 24/7 operations. Some clients can’t even afford brief downtime for traditional backups. However, with an HA solution replicating transactions in real-time to a secondary system, they can ensure better continuity while running backups on the secondary machine.
After thorough evaluation, RPE chose Maxava as its HA software provider, impressed by its balance of premium service and affordability. This partnership began in 2023, and RPE has since implemented Maxava’s software for several hosting clients in Tampa, Florida, and Norcross, Georgia.
Maxava is highly focused on helping clients address modern challenges related to downtime, retirements and supply line delays. John Dominic, Maxava’s Global Vice President, notes that Maxava was keen to partner with RPE because of the great value they could create together for IBM customers by extending their configurations and resources while lowering overall risk to the business.
Why High Availability and Disaster Recovery Matters
From 25 years of customer feedback, Maxava recognizes that clients who plan and spend on disaster risk reduction prior to an incident better avoid the brand damage, fiscal pains, and prolonged recovery times than those who do not. RPE not only helps deliver on those core values, but it also helps customers address recessionary cost challenges by providing pay-as-you-go models when large capital spend might not available.
RPE's collaboration with Maxava has been smooth and effective. The implementation process, aided by contingency planning, was seamless, with minimal issues arising. In the few instances where support was needed, Maxava’s team was quick to resolve the problem, underscoring the company’s commitment to quality and customer service. One such case involved a full audit log, which Maxava helped resolve in just 10 minutes.
Additionally, Maxava has been instrumental in assisting RPE with testing role swaps—an often overlooked but crucial part of HA systems. Regular testing ensures that HA software performs as expected when needed, and RPE appreciates Maxava’s dedication to helping its customers stay prepared.
At the executive level, business leaders need to assess their risk tolerance for system outages and determine recovery time and point objectives. There is no single solution to ensure business continuity, but incremental improvements—such as the implementation of Maxava HA—provide significant peace of mind.
With Maxava’s HA solution in place, RPE’s retail customers can be confident their IBM i servers will continue to run smoothly, even in the face of cyberattacks or natural disasters. Maxava and RPE stand ready to support their customers and maintain their critical business operations.