Mainframes Are Our Only Business
Since our founding in 1981, PSR has focused exclusively on a single goal: how to help our customers get the most out of their mainframe investment. We run many mainframes in our data center, allowing us to share the perspective of our customers.
We are immersed every day in the practice of helping you deliver optimized mainframe workloads at the best possible cost. Whether you want to run on a mainframe procured by us as an IBM Z Business Partner or are using PSR Managed Services, our experts help you choose the best approach.
Our History
PSR was founded in 1981 by two mainframe systems programmers who were getting calls from IBM, software companies, and customers to solve difficult problems. Both left their positions to start PSR, a company which would provide senior level systems programming in the Boston area. We named ourselves after IBM’s Program Support Representatives (PSRs), guru troubleshooters who could fix any problem.
The mission our founders established for the company continues. We were established to be highly knowledgeable IBM Z experts and providers of mainframe services, which is still who we are today. We like the word mainframe and use it regularly.
Our Evolution
Over the years, PSR has changed and adapted with the times. In the early years we always went onsite to our clients to perform our systems programming services. We changed our delivery to remote support long before it was customary. Performing an operating system upgrade remotely requires careful planning, strict adherence to practices, and a high skill level which we honed over the years.
Those skills were needed as we became an IBM Business Partner now configuring, selling, planning, and implementing IBM Z machines. The decision to become an IBM Z Business partner was by far the most transformative step in our history. We work well with IBM and have been involved in large-scale projects involving complex relocations and hundreds of thousands of MIPS and terabytes, all from our humble beginnings as a 4 MIP VSE shop in Cambridge, MA.
The PSR history timeline illustrates continual development and evolution. The decision to embrace an IBM Z-only approach was not made lightly. We decided to focus on what we do best and aim to excel at it. The partnership has been truly amazing with the results speaking for themselves.
Our Current Leadership
Today PSR is owned by two brothers Glenn Baker and Walter Baker, both of whom are active owner operators. There are no financial owners, investors, or private equity influencing decisions, allowing for a customer first, employee first, long-term perspective. We also strive for integrity in all that we do, endeavoring to get along with others (IBM and other Business Partners and have some fun while we’re at it. As President, Glenn manages the business, sales, and administrative side, while Walter handles the technical team implementing solutions, a combination that has worked well over the years.
Who We Serve
As the only IBM Gold Business Partner with a singular focus on IBM Z and Z attached storage, we understand the unique requirements of mainframe shops. We are comfortable with complexity so we help you manage your mainframe environment, no matter how small or large. PSR lives and breathes the mainframe every day.
PSR has a great deal of experience with turning what are viewed as “stagnant” Z clients into growth clients.
Our customers include:
- All industry sectors, including state and local governments
- Shops operating at MIPS levels from 26 to over 8000
- Companies that have their own mainframe or are using PSR hosted or cloud-based services
- Shops using zOS, zVSE, zVM, and zLinux, all at varying levels of support, including unsupported
- Those firmly committed to the mainframe, as well as those in the process of leaving the mainframe
- Enterprises located throughout the US and Puerto Rico
PSR serves clients nationwide from our headquarters in the Boston area. Our primary data center is in Canton, Massachusetts, with a second data center in Chattanooga, Tennessee serving as a disaster recovery center for PSR Managed Services clients.
Keys to Our Success with IBM z Systems
Focus: There are no other platforms, vendors, or distractions. Every action at PSR is to consult, support, grow and retain Z and LinuxOne. We fight to retain mid-range clients and turn them into growth customers.
People: We have highly skilled and professional employees with zero turnover and extreme longevity. We have never had anyone leave PSR to join another business partner nor have we ever hired an employee away from another partner. Ownership deeply invests in our employees and respects their contributions to the business.
Client Centric: While it is a well-known cliché to say a firm places their clients first, PSR lives by this principle. We always keep the long term in perspective with our clients viewing PSR as their trusted advisor and part of their staff. PSR’s approach is to help clients purchase and grow their IBM Z Systems in a consultative manner.
Ethics, Honesty and Integrity: These values are what we hope comes to mind when our clients and IBM think about who PSR is. PSR is a trusted partner for IBM, as well as anyone we work with.
PSR Technical Expertise
PSR has deep IBM Z technical skills. Our sales executives possess all the skills of pre-sales technical engineers. They never say, “I am just a salesperson” and rely on an engineer at their side. Each is fully capable of performing assessments, capacity studies, configurations, software reviews/configurations, proposal preparation, and technical delivery assessments.
Whenever deeper deployment skills are needed, PSR Senior Systems Programming staff can step in. Our staff can do it all: implementations, detailed project planning, writing IOCPs, generating OSA configurations, and carrying out complex data center relocations.
PSR takes IBM education seriously as evidenced by the badges our staff has earned. Glenn Baker, the President of PSR, has numerous technical badges including z16 Technical Advisor. Our IBM Badges include those for:
- Z
- z Linux
- Z Data and Integration
- IBM Ecosystem
- Application Modernization on IBM z
- Storage
PSR Mainframe Services
We offer tailored Mainframe Systems Programming support through our service plan to maintain the overall health of your mainframe.
Mainframe Hosting and Co-Location
We will work with you to determine whether mainframe hosting or co-location best meets your requirement for housing your mainframe.
PSR will develop a disaster recovery solution based on our understanding of your backup and recovery requirements.
At PSR, we have partnered with Luminex to provide an innovative Mainframe Virtual Tape as a Service bundle, making the dream of virtual tape a reality for everyone.
Each one of our IBM Z customers receives support and attention catered specifically to their business.