IBM Sterling health check
Know where your IBM Sterling environment stands
Before an upgrade, a budget cycle, a change of team or a decision about the platform's future, it helps to know exactly what you have. An IBM Sterling health check from ECOM reviews your environment and gives you a prioritized view of risks and next steps.
At a glance
- Versions and support status
- Architecture and configuration
- Certificates and security settings
- Performance and housekeeping
- Business processes and maps
- Operations and monitoring
The challenge
Hidden risk in a platform that "just works"
Many Sterling environments run quietly for years until something breaks. Versions drift out of support, certificates approach expiry, purge and archive settings fall behind, and custom business processes hide fragile dependencies. Without an objective review it is hard to know which risks are real, what to fix first, and whether to upgrade, modernize or migrate.
- Unclear whether versions and fix packs are current and supported
- Unknown certificate expiries and partner dependencies
- Database growth, purge or performance concerns
- No shared view of priorities for the next 12 months
Scope
What ECOM's Sterling specialists do
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Versions and support status
Review installed versions and fix packs against IBM's published support information.
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Architecture and configuration
Review the deployment, environments, adapters and key configuration settings.
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Certificates and security settings
Inventory certificates and review expirations, protocols and access settings.
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Performance and housekeeping
Look at database growth, archive and purge settings, queues and processing times.
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Business processes and maps
Review custom business processes and maps for fragile logic, errors and documentation gaps.
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Operations and monitoring
Review how incidents are detected and handled, and where knowledge depends on individuals.
Approach
How an engagement runs
- 01
Agree the scope
Decide with you which products, environments and questions the review covers, and the format of the findings.
- 02
Gather information
Collect configuration details and talk with the people who run and use the environment.
- 03
Analyze
Review the environment against the agreed areas and identify risks, issues and opportunities.
- 04
Review findings together
Walk through prioritized findings and recommended next steps with your team.
Why it matters
What you gain
An objective view
An outside perspective from specialists who work on Sterling environments regularly.
Priorities, not just a list
Findings are ranked so you know what to address first and what can be scheduled.
A better basis for decisions
Plan upgrades, budgets and modernization with facts about your environment rather than assumptions.
Fit
When teams call us
Before an upgrade
Understand customizations, dependencies and risks before planning a version upgrade or container move.
After a change of team
A new owner or administrator needs a clear picture of the environment they are inheriting.
Platform decision
Leadership is weighing whether to stay on Sterling, modernize it or migrate, and needs facts first.
Why ECOM
Sterling expertise, plus everything around it
Most Sterling problems are not only platform problems. They involve maps, partners, infrastructure and people. ECOM brings these together:
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IBM Sterling technical expertise
Specialists who install, upgrade, administer and develop on B2B Integrator, File Gateway and Connect:Direct.
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EDI mapping and partner integration
Maps, business processes and trading partner onboarding, not only platform administration.
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Managed infrastructure and operations
Hosting, monitoring and day-to-day operations when you want ECOM to run the environment.
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PRISM integration and visibility
Add ECOM PRISM for visibility, partner connectivity or a future platform path alongside Sterling.
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EDI Team as a Service
Sterling and EDI specialists who extend your team on an ongoing basis.
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Automotive integration
Deep automotive integration experience: schedules, ship notices and plant routing on Sterling or PRISM.
Ways to work with ECOM
A defined project
An upgrade, migration, implementation or fix with an agreed scope, plan and hand-over to your team.
Ongoing administration
ECOM specialists share administration and development work with your team through EDI Team as a Service.
Managed service
ECOM operates the environment within an agreed scope and service levels defined in the service agreement.
Each engagement is scoped individually. Not every engagement includes every service listed on this site.
Frequently asked questions
What does a health check cover?
The areas are agreed with you up front. Typical areas include versions and fix packs, configuration, certificates, performance and housekeeping, custom business processes and maps, and operations.
Is there a fee for the health check?
Scope, format and any fees are discussed and agreed with you before work begins, based on the size of your environment and the questions you want answered.
Which Sterling products can be reviewed?
Reviews can cover IBM Sterling B2B Integrator, Sterling File Gateway and Sterling Connect:Direct. Other IBM integration products can be included by agreement.
What happens after the health check?
You decide. Some teams address findings themselves, others ask ECOM to help with specific items, an upgrade or an ongoing managed service.
Ask about an IBM Sterling health check
Tell us about your environment and what you want to know. We will discuss scope and options with you.