How we help Technical Leaders Succeed with their AS400 Software & Systems?
integrative01
We are sure you must have heard this question many times…
Many veterans who have been with and seen this technology from the yester years, still prefer to call the software side as AS400 based applications or AS400 Software.
However, the latest operating system is known as IBM i.
To elaborate…
AS400 reflects the historical software environment of the past.
IBM i showcases the same platform’s adaptability and longevity by embracing technological advancements and evolving to meet contemporary business demands.
Comparing AS400 software with IBM i is challenging because they represent distinct phases in the ongoing development and evolution of the same platform.
IBM i is not just a continuation but a transformation, incorporating legacy strengths while continuously adapting to meet the evolving needs of today’s businesses.
Depending on the industry you are in, you must be having custom home-grown AS400 software system developed for your custom needs.
And you are still relying on it…
…and why not? If it serves your needs to the T.
Which of the following do you have?
- AS400 ERP software/system
- AS400 financial software
- AS400 RPG accounting software
- AS400 transportation software
- AS400 logistics software
- AS400 inventory management software
- AS400 trucking software
You may have AS400 Software for many other processes/tasks/functions in your organization.
We agree that whatever you prefer to call it – your AS/400 Software serves you well.
Consider these Questions around your AS400 Software
Some questions are repeated due to their importance.
My Current AS400 Technical Resource is Retiring! – Your Problem
- What was this AS400 software developer responsible for?
- What is your plan to cover those responsibilities after this resource retires?
- Do you have a person on staff prepared to take on these responsibilities?
- What is going to happen if you cannot get a resource in place?
- What AS400 systems or functions will be affected?
- What would be the impact of delaying the replacement of this resource?
- Do you have the resources or technical expertise to do this in-house or have you decided you need to look outside for AS400 services?
- What is your timeline to have this replacement AS400 expert in place?
Your Upcoming Project – “We are Looking at AS400 Modernization/Upgrade”.
- What AS400 modernization or upgrade looks like for you?
- What are the system elements that you will be upgrading?
- Why have you decided to do these upgrades now?
- Is this something that you wanted to get done this year or can it wait until next year?
- What would be the impact of delaying this upgrade?
- Do you have the resources or technical expertise to do this in-house or have you decided you need to look outside?
- What is your timeline to have these upgrades completed?
Your Ambitious Project – “We are Looking for AS400 Migration”.
- Do you have a brief overview of the migration you are planning?
- What are the AS400 system elements that you will be migrating?
- Why have you decided to do this AS400 migration now?
- Is this something that you wanted to get done this year Or can it wait until next year?
- What would be the impact of delaying this migration project?
- Do you have the resources or technical expertise to do this in-house or have you decided you need to look outside?
- What is your timeline to have this migration completed?
Your Immediate Project – “We are Looking at Securing our AS400 Systems.”
- What AS400 systems you are looking to secure?
- What are the system elements that you feel need to be secured?
- Why have you decided to do this security upgrade now?
- What was the impact of that security breach? Was data exposed? Were credentials or passwords exposed?
- Has your team done a full end to end AS400 systems’ security audit so that all gaps are identified?
- Is this something that you wanted to get done this year Or can it wait until next year?
- What would be the impact of delaying this AS400 security upgrade?
- Do you have the resources or technical expertise to do this in-house or have you decided you need to look outside for an AS400 service provider?
- What is your timeline to have this security update completed?
How we help Technical Leaders Succeed with their AS400 Software and Systems?
We work with CIOs / CTOs / Technology Leaders:
- Who are struggling to improve their customer and user experience as their AS/400 software and systems are not upgraded.
- Who identify and want to seize critical business gaps due to the lack of integration between multiple AS400 software that act in silos.
- Who are suffering from data redundancy due to a lack of AS400 automation.
- Worried due to errors in data owing to too much reliance on manual work.
- Who cannot report their AS400 data on a unified and modern-looking dashboard.
- Who are managing an in-house IT team but must be responsible for unbilled AS400 resources.
- Who are frustrated with project ROI’s being less than 5% due to frequent project creeps or delays.
- Who are worried about the higher total cost of ownership due to the cost of maintenance of AS400 legacy systems.
- Who are worried about the costs and risks associated with hiring wrong or bad AS400 hires.
- Worried about landing the wrong AS400 technology partner due to inadequate due diligence and hasty decision making.
- Who were burnt in the past when working with a technology partner.
- Who are facing difficulties in optimizing their business processes and workflows due to inadequate AS400 documentation.
- Who are facing a shortage of niche IT AS400 talent in the market and have not been able to recruit the right talent.
- Who are losing their sleep over high availability and disaster recovery of their AS400 systems as they don’t have a right talent for it.
- Who are anxious about the cost-benefit equation of their AS400 projects as they have been hit with hidden charges by other AS400 service providers without delivering real value.
Did you ponder over the points given above?
Now, let’s get to our primary topic where we distinguish between AS/400 Software and IBM i for you
Due to several name changes, confusion has persisted that AS400 and IBM i are the same things. And this confusion between AS400 software and IBM i has been a significant growth obstacle for enterprises in the market considering IBM technology.
Both are like two different fruits or in technical terms it’s like comparing hardware to software.
AS400 is the physical server developed by IBM in 1980s, and IBM i is the latest OS for today’s version of AS400, i.e., IBM Power Systems.
The IBM iSeries software running on the operating system/400 has a long history. And with the long history come several terms and terminology that tend to be “sticky.” And the event is not uncommon.
Most of us have minicomputer in our pockets that we call smartphones, though today’s phones hold little similarity to the old generation stationary rotary phone.
Today we might call electrical burners as stove, but they have gone through a total evolutionary in those decades and reached here from the original cast-iron stoves. But we still use and misuse (sometimes) the names of several products in our daily life.
Similar is the case with AS400, AS400 software and IBM i. These are two different iterations of the same technology.
But the truth is that they refer to different things, which has caused a lot of confusion. This confusion between AS400 software and iSeries software has been a falling block to digital transformation for enterprises in the market considering IBM technology.
Solve the Challenges of your AS400 i series!
- If you are facing problems due to the lack of IT talent.
- Looking for a partner to get help for your AS400 projects?
- Not able to find a partner with strong technological expertise?
At Integrative Systems, we often ask one fundamental question to our customers.
“What do you want to achieve with your AS400 Software, and by when?”
“WHAT” and “WHEN” is what we take note of, and “HOW” is entirely handled by us.
Integrative Systems is IBM’s Silver business partner and has more than 20 years of experience in providing AS400 software services and solutions.
Want to start your AS400 journey with us? Feel free to share your requirements at contact@integrativesystems.com
