There is a future for IBM i

The IBM i (iSeries, i5, AS400, Power Systems) platform has been delivering valuable new business capabilities for many, many years.  As new generations enter the IT world, many have diverse backgrounds that lack specific knowledge of the ‘i’. New managers inherit legacy systems that they don’t always understand and may question the future of the IBM i.

IBM has made  it easier than ever to develop solutions on IBM i by making the most popular native language (RPG) capable of using some of the newest technologies (services, XML, etc.), They have also added new languages and improved the strategic development tools both in function as well as in platforms supported.  

The IBM i development team is currently working on the releases after 7.3 and will be delivering many new capabilities to the platform in the next several years. IBM has always listened to their solution vendors and will empower the technologies they see as important to them and their future.  IBM is committed to investing in the programming languages, environments and tools which will be needed to build the solutions.   

In the past several years, one of the key technologies we’ve needed to enable is mobile devices. There are now tools that make it easy to transform your 5250 green screens into stunning RPG, PHP and mobile applications by using your existing development skills and IBM i assets. We are seeing software vendors offering frameworks that make it easier for developers to create native applications specifically built so RPG apps can be extended to run natively on the iPad, and other mobile devices. These frameworks are not unique to RPG and exist for other programming languages as well.

 IBM i clients predominantly use their systems on site, but in line with evolving technology trends, many are considering cloud options for their everyday business applications.  In response, IBM has recently introduced new end-to-end solutions that better connect the IBM i to the cloud.  One of the key growth areas for the platform is when it’s used by software providers to provide Software as a Service, or Cloud-based solution.  Additionally IBM and its many partners are finding new ways to provide value to some of their clients by providing cloud services, whether it’s backup in a cloud or fully hosting customers.  IBM is dedicated to making the combination of IBM i and Power Systems as good in that cloud environment as they have always been if you own the box on site.

Simplified security and availability have been the hallmarks of this platform from the day it was created, and IBM is continually working to ensure they remain strengths making it one of the most reliable, secure and trusted platforms in the industry.

In association with committed software partners such as inFORM Decisions, which has been a Document Automation provider specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i - iSeries - AS/400 arena since 1994, we believe it is clear that the IBM i systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM i.  inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBM i iSeries AS/400 platform forever!

inFORM Decisions has been an IBM i (iSeries, AS/400) native, Document Management and Workflow software development company since 1994.  Our business partners and customers are worldwide and lend testimony to the state of the art, stability of IFD solutions.

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.