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IBM® i has been the heart of many businesses for decades. With organizations heading towards a digital-first environment, the choice for IBM i users is between re-platforming and risk losing functionality or modernizing and enjoying enhanced capabilities.

Rocket Software, through its complete suite of IBM i automation and modernization solutions, has helped thousands of IBM i users like you to build strategies that strengthen operations and deliver bottom-line results.

Here are eight steps you’ll typically go through when building a successful modernization strategy:

Step 1: Gain deep visibility into your organization’s IBM i systems

To design a successful modernization project, you must first gain end-to-end visibility and understanding of how your company engages with the IBM i applications. With insights into your workflows and commonly used operations, you can identify hotspots that need to be prioritized for modernization (i.e., areas that drive the most business value).

Step 2: Build a CI/CD process for IBM i+ environments

The fastest way to achieve the desired ROI once you have clearly defined your plan is by building automation into the development and deployment of IBM i+ applications. Leverage modern tools like Git and best practices like “shift left” testing and holistic compliance reporting to build a smooth CI/CD process.

Step 3: Limit downtime for applications and databases

Now that the project is in motion, you can start deploying reliable HA/DR infrastructure to ensure that critical IBM i applications and databases running in their production environment have a secure backup and restore capability in case of downtime.

Step 4: Orchestrate multiple technology stacks and applications

Many businesses running on IBM i have other platforms like Linux, Unix, or Windows in their environment, mostly as part of their hybrid cloud strategy. To optimize workflow, improve efficiency, prevent disjointed processes, and cut unnecessary costs, you must ensure that all these applications interact with each other.

Step 5: Build layered defense against password vulnerabilities

Next comes security. All IBM i data and applications must be secured using multi-factor authentication at both the application and system levels.

Step 6: Automate workflows with APIs

Unsilo your IBM i applications and unleash the valuable data and business logic within by creating an interactive and symbiotic system that fuels the development of new services or application and streamline workflows.

Step 7: Build modern, user-friendly interfaces

A modern user experience is the prerequisite of any successful modernization project. So, transforming your green screens into a modern and user-friendly web, mobile, cloud, and desktop experience is a crucial step in your IBM i modernization journey.

Step 8: Enable remote access to host-based systems

Last but not least is to ensure that critical data and applications running on IBM i systems are accessible via browser or mobile device anywhere, anytime.

Are you already modernizing one component of your IBM® i but struggling to decide what’s next? Or trying to move from on-premises to hybrid cloud and looking for expert help to migrate without disruption? Read this IDC Spotlight Paper to learn how Rocket Software can help.