Independent Assessment
IBM N4001 System: Should You Upgrade?
With End of Support for Hammerhead approaching, many Netezza customers face pressure to upgrade. Here is what you need to know before committing to new hardware.
With End of Support for Hammerhead approaching, many Netezza customers face pressure to upgrade. Here is what you need to know before committing to new hardware.
Context
With End of Support (EOS) for Cloud Pak for Data System (CP4DS) 1.0.7.8 (Hammerhead) fast approaching, many Netezza customers once again face the familiar pressure to upgrade to a new platform. This time, IBM is introducing the N4001 series, generally available from September 2025.
Unlike some earlier Netezza launches, there is relatively little official information available about the N4001. What we do know is that it represents a hardware refresh rather than a major software upgrade. Customers already running Hammerhead platforms are on the latest Netezza software release, so upgrading to the N4001 primarily brings hardware performance improvements and renewed IBM support, but not new database functionality.
Assessment
Unlike some past Netezza releases, the N4001 is not a completely new generation of technology. It does not run OpenShift and it does not support CP4D workloads. Instead, it is best thought of as a hardware refresh of the current Hammerhead platform, with updated processors, faster storage, and improved networking.
These hardware improvements will deliver performance gains compared with older Hammerhead systems. But if your current system still meets your performance and capacity needs, there is no immediate business case to migrate. Many Hammerhead and CP4D appliances in the field still have a lot of useful life left.
Caution
Enterprises should be cautious about rushing to adopt a just-released platform. Early adopters risk introducing bleeding-edge technology as a critical production system before it has matured in the field.
We have already seen this play out in practice. Customers who rushed into CP4D adoption found themselves forced into continuous upgrades as the platform evolved, leading to disruption, cost, and frustration. The lesson is clear: sometimes it is wiser to let a new platform mature before committing it to business-critical workloads.
The N4001 will no doubt become a stable option in time, but customers should not feel pressured to be the first in line.
Guidance
For Netezza customers who are running CP4DS 2.x but are not benefiting from OpenShift workloads, the situation is different. Once EOS for the Hammerhead platform arrives, IBM support ends. That means the opportunity to move over to Hammerhead will disappear.
These customers should migrate from CP4D to Hammerhead before this date, or they will be forced to migrate to N4001 when their CP4D system reaches EOS, or run CP4D beyond EOS using third-party support (which is not recommended).
Costs
The N4001 requires purchasing entirely new hardware from IBM.
Planning, testing, downtime, and operational disruption during the migration process.
Typically around 20% of purchase price annually for IBM support fees.
This expense is justified if your workloads are genuinely hitting the limits of your current system. But if not, it can feel like paying a premium for incremental gain.
Comparison
| Feature / Consideration | Hammerhead | Cloud Pak for Data (CP4D) | N4001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Version | Latest NPS (no OpenShift) | NPS on OpenShift | Same NPS version as Hammerhead |
| OpenShift Dependency | None | Yes (OpenShift required) | None |
| Performance | Current baseline | Current baseline | Hardware gains from newer processors and storage |
| IBM Support | Limited (RHEL 7 beyond EOS) | EOS to be announced | Full IBM support (premium cost) |
| Third-Party Support | Available via Smart Associates | Yes * | Not available (IBM only) |
| Migration Required | No (already current) | Maybe ** | Yes (to new hardware) |
| Cost to Maintain | Low with Smart Associates | Low with Smart Associates after Hammerhead migration | High (purchase + 20% annual fee) |
| Best For | Customers happy with current NPS | Customers planning Hammerhead migration | Customers needing IBM-only support or additional scaling capacity |
* OpenShift is hard to support because of its layers of complexity and a high frequency of release updates, so it is not recommended to run beyond EOS
** Downgrading to Cloud Pak for Data System (CP4DS) 1.0.7.8 (Hammerhead) can be achieved without all data being offloaded and restored, but this will depend on various factors
Our Approach
Move from CP4D to Hammerhead before EOS with minimal disruption, supported by Smart Associates.
Maintain stability, security, and performance on your current platform under experienced third-party care.
Postpone hardware purchases until capacity or performance needs genuinely justify the investment.
This strategy lets organisations maintain stability, security, and performance while avoiding unnecessary spend and the turbulence of premature migration.
The Bottom Line
The N4001 provides real hardware performance gains, but it is not a software leap forward. Customers should resist marketing pressure to be first in line and avoid adopting newly released platforms as critical enterprise infrastructure before they mature.
For most organisations the sensible path is clear: migrate to Hammerhead before EOS, evaluate capacity needs realistically, and only pursue an N4001 hardware refresh when the business case is compelling. Smart Associates' proven third-party support model gives organisations flexibility, continuity, and significantly lower support costs.