Skytap on Azure Transact United States (US only)

Run IBM Power workloads natively on Azure—migrate now, modernize later

Skytap is a service in Azure that natively runs IBM Power and x86 traditional workloads on hardware in Azure data centers. Organizations of any size that run IBM Power based AIX, IBM i, or Linux operating systems can migrate them to Azure with little upfront effort. By using Skytap to run traditional workloads in Microsoft Azure, companies can extend the capabilities of critical business applications, ensure business continuity, and spur innovation. Once an application is migrated, developers can leverage Azure cloud services not previously available to them while also connecting to on-premises resources using Azure ExpressRoute. Skytap provides consumption-based pricing, on-demand access to compute and storage resources, self-service provisioning, and extensibility through REST APIs.

Why Skytap?

Most cloud providers can't run IBM Power workloads at all. Those that can typically use third-party emulation or non-native solutions that introduce complexity and risk. Skytap is different: it's Azure-native infrastructure purpose-built for Power Systems. This means faster migration, better performance, tighter Azure integration, and a clear path to leverage Azure's full capabilities when you're ready.

Skytap brings deep IBM Power expertise and proven migration experience to help you navigate your cloud journey—whether you're simply exiting a data center or planning broader transformation.

Key Benefits

• Native IBM Power on Azure - The sole solution purpose-built to run Power workloads in Azure's cloud environment

• Migrate in weeks, not quarters - Move to Azure without code changes, preserving your operations and existing staff expertise

• Keep your options open - Once in Azure, connect to data lakes, AI/ML services, and platform capabilities when business needs arise

Key Use Cases

• Development & Testing - Spin up production-identical environments in minutes for dev/test work. Eliminate configuration drift and waiting for resources.

• Disaster Recovery - Replace expensive secondary data centers with pay-per-use DR capacity. Meet aggressive recovery objectives while only paying for what you use.

• Production Migration - Exit your data center and avoid hardware refresh costs by running production workloads on Azure with secure ExpressRoute connectivity to remaining on-premises systems.

• Training & Demos - Create cloneable environment templates for customer demos, partner training, or proof-of-concept work without impacting production.

Key Features

For IT Operations:

• Self-service provisioning of production-ready environments in minutes

• Cloneable environments that preserve exact configurations, including IP addresses and hostnames

• Native support for IBM PowerHA, RobotHA, Mimix, Maxava, and other HA/DR solutions

• Full IBM i operator capabilities including Active Boot Modes and Dedicated Service Tools (DST)

For Development Teams:

• Terraform integration and REST APIs for automation and infrastructure-as-code

• Eliminate configuration drift with template-based environment cloning

For Financial Management:

• Consumption-based pricing with controls to prevent unplanned overages

• Pay only for resources actually used, when you use them