Skytap is a cloud infrastructure service that migrates and runs IBM Power (IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power) and x86 workloads in native format on Microsoft Azure or IBM Cloud without requiring application refactoring in many cases, and provisions clonable multi-VM virtual labs for training, demos, and dev/test.
Published Oct 15, 2026
Skytap competes across at least two decision sets: (A) IBM Power cloud modernization, and (B) virtual labs and training.
| Starting Price | Consumption-based; not fully published on main site; support add-ons start in the low hundreds per month | Usage-based; IBM provides pricing mechanics and estimator tooling | Sales-led/contract pricing; not standardized in public catalog |
| Best Fit | Organizations migrating IBM i/AIX and mixed x86 workloads into Azure/IBM Cloud without refactoring; teams needing complex environment cloning and sharing | Organizations committed to IBM Cloud who want Power workloads on IBM-managed infrastructure | Organizations focused primarily on large-scale, purpose-built hands-on training and lab delivery |
| Key Strength | Ability to operate IBM Power workloads in Azure and support environment cloning and sharing workflows | Native IBM Cloud alignment and estimator tooling; integrated IBM ecosystem | Platform designed for training outcomes with lab-scale tooling and associated analytics |
| Key Weakness | Pricing transparency and narrower ecosystem compared with hyperscalers; smaller public review footprint | IBM Cloud alignment may not suit Azure-first strategies | Not designed for IBM i/AIX production workload hosting; focus is training/demos rather than legacy workload migration |
Where Skytap is comparatively well suited:
Where alternatives may be stronger: