21
Thu, Nov
1 New Articles

A Proactive Approach Is Needed to Address IBM's Legacy Solutions

General
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

ISVs and enterprises must move forward, while leveraging their existing knowledge and investments.

 

Editor's Note: This article is excerpted from the white paper "The System i Challenge," which is available free from the MC White Paper Center.

 

The System i (formerly known as iSeries and AS/400) is a midrange platform produced by IBM. In the '90s, the AS/400 platform became one of IBM's greatest success stories. A symbiotic relationship between platforms and independent software vendors (ISVs) proved to be a critical success factor for both the platform and the application providers. The value propositions of the System i platform and the advantage over alternatives led thousands of enterprises and ISVs to develop vertical applications based on System i and to put their trust into and base their future on this environment. It was the golden age of the platform, and new vertical solutions were created one after the other.

 

As with other technology-based products, over time there was a decline in purchases of new System i boxes. The decline in revenue reflected the difficulty IBM had trying to sell the System i line, which in turn caused IBM to change its product strategy regarding this platform. The System i Division was reorganized into the Power Systems and Business Systems units for larger and smaller clients, respectively.

 

The System i Challenge

During the peak years of System i, the interdependency between the platform and the application vendors brought prosperity to both IBM and ISVs. Many enterprises relied on the benefits of the platform as well. Today, however, as the platform seems to be ending its life cycle, both ISVs and enterprises that rely on the platform are facing a real problem.

 

ISVs Facing a New Reality

Many ISVs with vertical solutions based on System i still produce an ongoing revenue stream from existing customers through maintenance and support, but there is hardly any new business. Moreover, there is a constant decrease in maintenance and support fees, because customers are moving to other solutions or demanding payment reductions. Some customers have concluded that the platform and applications are at the end of their life cycle and simply refuse to pay.

 

Typical challenges that ISVs face include these:

 

•·         Selling to new customers is becoming more difficult. As soon as a prospect understands that a System i box is required, the sales process becomes much more difficult. In addition, today's customers are demanding Web-based applications and are unwilling to use green-screen applications.

•·         There's a lack of available team resources. According to customers, IBM offers too few green-screen RPG courses, and the ones that are available are too expensive, so the number of people attending them is quite low. Veteran green-screen RPG programmers are retiring, and it is very hard to replace them or enlarge the development team.

•·         Training new users on System i applications takes too long because users find it hard to cope with unfamiliar function buttons (rather than a mouse).

•·         Adapting applications to meet customer demands takes too long. Customers are accustomed to getting their requests met very quickly (with modern IDEs such as Visual Studio). Although RPG is considered a third- or even fourth-generation language, compared to today's modern languages-not to mention their powerful IDEs-green-screen RPG is less productive and lacks a rich third-party source for additional tools and code libraries.

•·         Existing customers are moving to new applications on more modern platforms such as .NET, where there is a growing availability of packaged applications.

 

Enterprise Concerns

Enterprises that built their IT solutions around System i are facing difficulties in-house that are similar to those facing ISVs (especially the lack of available, trained resources). In addition, those enterprises have some specific concerns:

 

•·         It's hard to justify internally the high total cost of ownership (TCO) of the legacy application. As enterprises are trying to reduce operational costs, there is an ongoing effort to lower costs such as the IT TCO.

•·         Users find the application "green-screens" difficult to work with compared to other Web-based applications they are accustomed to using.

•·         Existing IT staff, especially the younger developers, want to get real experience in newer development environments.

•·         Lack of agility causes problems when new functionality is needed to enhance the application.

•·         Creation of sporadic solutions, like screen-scraping, increase the cost while leaving the legacy pains untouched.

•·         Integration of business processes and data is complex and expensive.

 

Call for Action

In recent years, IBM has tried various solutions to mitigate some of these challenges, such as pushing the ISV and enterprise community toward Java, EGL, screen-scraping (with HATS), or even PHP. But these solutions did not provide the desired outcome, and it is now clear that while these solutions might buy some time, they do not solve the core problem.

 

The current situation calls for immediate action. ISVs and enterprises must recognize that it is time to move on, though it is in their interest to find ways to leverage their existing knowledge and investments. A proactive approach is needed to preserve these investments while creating a viable path to the future.

 

The competitive advantage of enterprises and application vendors is their expertise in a specific vertical market (manufacturing, energy, insurance, and so on). Over the years, a great deal of knowledge was gathered into the software, and keeping this knowledge is a significant need. This knowledge is the real added value that an ISV can offer to its customers, and an IT department can contribute to the profitability of the business.

 

Choosing the Right Solution for the Challenge

There are three main alternatives, and each one encapsulates advantages and disadvantages alongside a certain amount of risk. As each enterprise and ISV is facing a different reality, all of the options should be considered, and the best alternative for a specific case should be chosen.

 

For details about the different solutions and their advantages and disadvantages, we invite you to download the free white paper "The System i Challenge."

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider, helping clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service.

For more information, visit: www.ibm.com.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: