If you’re an IT professional, you’ve probably heard of IBM’s AS/400. You might know someone with this in their job title or seen certifications for it. But many of us are wondering whether the platform that was introduced back in the 80s is still relevant today. As we approach the digital age and ground-breaking discoveries in artificial intelligence, we’d like to take a look at the AS/400 and discuss why this server is still making an impact.
What is the AS/400?
International Business Machines Corporation, a computer hardware company better known as IBM, first introduced the AS/400 system in 1988 as a mid-range server line. At the time, it was an integrated system including the AS/400 hardware and OS/400 operating system. The system has gone through many upgrades and name changes since then, but many still refer to it as an AS/400 or an iSeries IBM server which is today’s version that runs on an operating system called IBM i.
What continues to make an impact is its upward compatibility – meaning that you can seamlessly run a program created for the original AS/400 on a Power Systems server today.
What’s the Problem?
Even with all its cutting-edge technology, the platform has its challenges. The AS/400 is seemingly outdated – it was created in 1988, and its functionality has changed significantly since inception. This confuses decision makers and does not help build the case that it is a modern platform.
What drives many away from the AS/400 is lack of talent. IT professionals that have been supporting this system likely have been around for a while and understand your business inside and out. Unfortunately, the veterans of the platform are coming up on retirement and leaving today’s IT professionals to figure it out or move on to other systems that could cost the company a lot of time and money.
How is the AS/400 being used?
Companies in every industry around the world still run on AS/400 technology. Over 100,000 companies are using IBM’s AS/400. This is often used to manage robust, computing-heavy applications like Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP), banking, or health information systems. Statistics also show that 25% of users are increasing workloads on the platform.
The AS/400 system was established by IBM in the 80s is more popular today than ever. To name a few reasons why it’s still making an impact – it’s scalable, securable, reliable, modern, and compatible. The platform continues to evolve, becoming increasingly robust, embracing current technologies, and giving many of the world’s top organizations a competitive edge.
Racksquared Solutions that Protect Your Business
At Racksquared, our expert staff understands how to navigate today’s complex IT environment including the AS/400 platform. We are always investing in the latest technology to bring the best solutions to our customers – saving them money and responding quickly to their unique needs. Our customers rest easy knowing their system will always be running and protected.
Are you interested in learning more about what Racksquared is doing to provide proactive data services for companies using AS/400? Contact us at 855.380.7225 or email to sales@racksquared.com.
