Why IBM i is still the Market Favourite in 2023

IBM i (Previously Known as AS/400)

IBM i is an environment that has been designed to support industries as they navigate changing demand in today’s regulated marketplaces. In the United States, which is a widely celebrated tech space from coast-to-coast, IBM i is widely established as a leading operating system for modernization needs. This just happens to coincide with the ever-popular IBM Power install base. In recent headlines, some journalists have even been known to join around the family table during a Thanksgiving feast and cite IBM i after all these years for its contributions.

Different from competitive technologies, IBM has a unique synergy between its many products, services, and the vision that pins down its growing ‘ecosystem’.

For example, storage options for IBM Power work harmoniously to unlock better efficiencies for the end customer, whereas other agnostic solutions can feel siloed. This is because of IBM’s rich history, which allows it to address market challenges holistically. So, whether a business is speaking to sustainability or resiliency, IBM technologies have a platform – and, typically, one that’s world class.

Formerly AS/400, IBM i still enjoys the same prestige on the global marketplace as it did 35 years ago. It has even been celebrated, when competing against market rivals in standards-based systems, for its TOC (total cost of ownership).

The operating system is now famous for its “integrated simplicity”.

IBM frames it in the following:

“With its integrated IBM® Db2® database architecture, IBM i provides a cost efficient, highly resilient and secure foundation for running a wide variety of popular industry applications.”

IBM and Tectrade’s specialists are in conversation with the market where competitive differentiation has meant that digital transformation is now key in IT projects. Built for agile businesses, IBM i can unlock better innovation, cost-efficiencies and more. One of the reasons for the popularity behind IBM i over the decades has been its role as reliable platform for business modernization. It can also rapidly spin-up solutions without consuming excessive resources.

IBM i follows three key focus areas:

1. Prioritise solutions
2. Open source
3. Integrated value

With modernization, scalability and transformation in mind, IBM i enables businesses to look ahead at promising futures. How does IBM i address future challenges so confidently? The platform is open to new technologies, offering flexible integration that works around clients’ needs.

IBM is powered by a impressive technical base – and partnerships like Tectrade – which means solutions can be spun up quickly without skills shortages disrupting your ability to innovate to demand, when you need it most. Importantly, integration is a theme within wider suite of IBM i products, so gaps do not form in technology stacks.

Is AS/400 “Dead”?

AS/400 is the name given to the ancestor of the IBM i environment. But the naming convention AS/400 or iSeries are both often still used playfully within the wider community to this day.

IBM i products are still available and popular on the global market and underpin many of today’s top organizations.

Why is Tectrade Celebrating the IBM i Anniversary?

Whilst the market has its space for different competitors to IBM i, the celebration for the operating system testifies to its longstanding market reception as a kind of engine for modernization. Many clients, in conversation with Tectrade, often quote it for unmatched reliability, uptime and resilience.

The IBM i install base captures an impressive territory of some of today’s top enterprises where loyalty runs as deep as IBM’s technical roots. With many capabilities in one ‘ecosystem’, IBM technologists are free to play different roles for your business, whether you need an analyst, a security watchdog, or a way to simplify and address regulation.

Behind IBM i is a deep network of trained user groups, who, undeterred from the global pandemic, still champion skills and expertise for the global platform. This means that not only is there continuity behind IBM i, but there’s a wider community too.

Here’s Why Customers Are Loyal to IBM i

Originally released in 1988 under AS/400, changed in 2005 to i5/OS, and finally rebranded as IBM i in 2008, the longevity of the IBM i platform testifies to its widespread use in enterprises.

IBM i includes key features such as:

1. High availability: IBM i is designed to be highly available, with a 99.99% availability SLA. This means that businesses can be confident that their applications will be up and running when they need them.
2. Security: IBM i is, importantly, a secure operating system, offering several features that protects data and applications from unauthorized access. Some of these features include role-based access control, encryption, and auditing.
3. Integration: IBM i is designed to be easily communicate other systems, technologies, and applications.
4. Cost-effectiveness: IBM i is a cost-effective operating system, which is often praised for its total cost of ownership.

Why IBM i for Businesses

IBM i also has become a reliable platform for businesses because it addresses key corporate goals and desires.

“It is not just an ideal platform for growth, but it speaks to modern markets where businesses must remail agile and adapt to demand.”

Security, competitive irrelevance, regulatory pressures – here are areas of disruption, many of which can cause a business to quickly lose profitability in its key markets.

IBM i addresses common anxieties by enabling the kinds of meaningful changes that keep businesses competitively differentiated in their space.

IBM i can help businesses achieve different goals, such as:

• Modernization: As a modern operating system, IBM i has reputation for reinvention. This means, through a timeline of different brand names and versions, IBM i has emerged with a new set of capabilities and products built for any enterprise.
• Scalability: IBM i is a scalable operating system that can be easily scaled up or down to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. It is not just an ideal platform for growth, but it speaks to modern markets where businesses must remail agile and adapt to demand.
• Reliability: IBM i is legendary for uptime, which gives it the namesake for being a reliable platform of choice. In uncertain times, IBM i has the hearty longevity and style of a favourite car. It just keeps on going.

Ask An Expert

Whether you’re interested to learn more about the IBM i platform, or you want to unlock the most from your IBM investments, get in touch today.