Many people think of IBM i as a “historic” technology tied to the past. However, it is a platform that continues to evolve and today represents a strategic asset for companies that want to embrace digital transformation without sacrificing stability. Its strength lies in combining reliability and modernity, enabling efficient infrastructure management and integration with the rest of the IT landscape.

Let’s take a closer look at the three pillars that make IBM i still relevant: Innovation, Integration, and Infrastructure.

Innovation: evolving without changing platform

The main challenge for many companies is to innovate without undergoing complex and costly migrations. IBM i offers a gradual and sustainable path.

Enhancing existing data 

The data stored on the platform is the heart of the business: orders, customers, logistics, accounting. With tools like Db2 for i and business intelligence solutions, these data can be transformed into strategic insights to improve processes and decisions. 

Open to the modern world 

IBM i supports modern coding languages and technologies such as SQL, Java, Python, Node.js, allowing developers to develop new applications or extended existing ones without abandoning the platform. REST APIs and web services make it possible to connect IBM i to CRM, e-commerce, and analytics systems without disrupting business logic. 

Skills and automation 

Finding an IBM i specialists can be challenging, but the platform now offers automation tools, graphic interfaces, and more accessible coding languages that reduce dependence on niche skills. Additionally, the open source community for IBM i is growing, offering new development and collaboration opportunities. 

In short, innovating with IBM i means building on existing value without starting from scratch.

Integration: connecting on-premise and cloud

The era of the 5250 terminal is over, no platform can remain isolated. The operating system now integrates effectively with different application and infrastructure landscapes.

Communication with many applications

 IBM i can interact with ERP, CRM, supply chain systems, and modern applications, ensuring data consistency and seamless processes. The system communicates natively, frequently without needing third-party tools. For example, it natively supports SSH for secure data transfers via SFTP and can consume and expose REST APIs through its integrated web/application server. 

Hybrid on-premise and cloud scenarios

The platform supports hybrid architectures, enabling organizations to leverage cloud scalability while maintaining control of sensitive data. It is possible to integrate cloud services for analytics, AI and storage, while maintaining control of sensitive data.

DevOps and release automation

IBM i supports Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, accelerating time-to-market, reducing errors, and maintaining quality control. Tools like Visual Studio Code bring IBM i development into the modern developer world, with faster and safer release cycles — lowering barriers for developers already familiar with these tools. 

Integration becomes the bridge between tradition and innovation, allowing companies to leverage the best of both worlds.

Infrastructure: modernity and efficiency

System management is at the core of business operations. While IBM i ensures stability and performance, companies today also demand flexibility, modern management, and minimal downtime.

Modern system management

 Advanced monitoring tools can provide a complete overview of availability, performance, and security, helping to minimize operational tasks that add no value and reduce service disruptions. It’s crucial to choose a tool that can manage all the tasks that can be done automatically. 

High availability and business continuity

In today’s world, business never stops and the systems must always stay up and running. Solutions like PowerHA and clustering ensure that mission-critical applications stay up and running, with failover mechanisms that minimize downtime and protect business continuity. 

Operational efficiency

Automating maintenance, updates, and backups reduces costs and complexity, freeing up internal resources to focus on higher-value activities, such as developing new features and analyzing data. There are several automation tool commonly used that do not require IBM i vertical skills. 

In short, the infrastructure of IBM i is not a “burden,” but a key business factor with highly available and performant systems that deliver a strong return on investment.

IBM i is not a platform of the past, but a solid foundation for the future. With its pillars of Innovation, Integration, and Infrastructure, companies can become more resilient, modern, and competitive, evolving without disruption, modernizing without risk, and integrating without losing data sovereignty.