Manta Technologies: Your Resource for IBM i Training
Manta offers a complete library of courses for programmers, operators, system administrators, and users of the IBM i operating system, which runs on IBM Power Systems.
All of our courses are web based and run in all popular browsers.
Save During Manta's Anniversary Sale!
In celebration of Manta's 27th birthday, we are offering any course, series, or combination pack — including the complete IBM i Training Library. — at 20% off. The sale ends July 31.
Anniversary Reflections
By William A. Hansen, Ph.D.
Manta President
27 years is a long time in the IT world. Manta courses have covered every operating system release since OS/400 V2 R1. We were there for the CISC to RISC transition. We offered the first self-study courses covering the Integrated Language Environment (ILE), the Integrated File System (IFS), and numerous other topics since then.
Manta has become know for its extensive IBM i library, its depth of coverage and the unwavering quality of its products. As a result, organizations worldwide now look to Manta as their first choice for training new operators or for teaching a newly graduated programmer how to write free-form RPG. Following is an email that I recently received from a long-term customer:
I can't tell you how much we love Manta. Thanks for ...the new stuff! RDI, FREE-form, IFS. No one else does this!
We are now using your tool to develop young kids off the helpdesk who have a knack for IT tech and make them into RPG programmers. All us old timers are starting to retire, but the code remains. We estimate we will need 20 programmers in the next 5 years.
Robert
To the tens of thousands of students who have taken Manta courses and those who are just discovering us, I offer my profound thanks for your continued support.
Multi-User Licenses
Manta courses have a concurrent user license, meaning that you may train any number of students — just one at a time. With sufficient scheduling, most customers have no problem using a single-user license to train as many as 5 or 10 people.
If your organization prefers to train students in groups, rather than one at a time, consider a multiple-user license. Unlike the single-user license, the multiple-user license lets multiple students use the same product simultaneously.
The user limit applies to whatever product(s) you order. If you buy a one-user license for the entire library, for example, only one student can use the library at a time. To increase the number of students who can train simultaneously, you can move to a five-user license for the library or buy additional user capabilities for only those products used by multiple students. A popular combination is a single-user license for the library and a five-user license for the Program Development Combination Pack.
For any product, moving from a single-user license to a 5-user license increases the price by only 50%. Each additional student over 5 increases the price by 10% of the single-user price.
If you are not sure what you need, there is no problem in underestimating your need. If a student cannot access a course because it is currently being used, he or she will be told to try again later. In addition, you will receive an email to alert you to the potential problem. If you get the email frequently, you can upgrade to a larger license at that time.
Save on Renewals
Manta's basic license gives you access for a full year. This is generally more than enough time for operators, system administrators, and programmers to complete all of the courses in their respective subject areas. Doing so, however, requires most students to commit to finishing one or two courses each week. Depending on the number of students sharing a license and individual job requirements, it is possible that not everyone will complete training on time. Moreover, most organizations have ongoing training requirements, due to new hires and the need for experienced employees to learn new topics. We see this fact reflected in the large number of customers who have renewed their licenses for 10, 15, or even 20 years.
To support such ongoing training needs, Manta makes it easy for you to extend your license as long as you need it. We will send you a renewal invoice automatically, thirty to sixty days before your license expires. The second-year price is one half our listed first-year price to reflect the expected drop in usage after the initial training demand. For the third and subsequent years, the price is one fourth of list, reflecting our efforts to keep the courses up to date and to add new courses as suggested by our customers.
Rather than waiting for a renewal notice, you can prepay for the second and, optionally, the third year of training. A 10% savings is built into the price for each additional year. Moreover, if you opt for additional years during a sale — such as the current 20%-off sale — the discount is applied to the full price. This is a great way to lock in your savings for years to come!