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IBM i teams do not need a blanket replacement plan to respond to changing development practices, skills, security expectations, integration needs, and infrastructure choices. A better starting point is to identify the business and user problem, map the applications and dependencies involved, then deliver a small, measurable improvement. IBM describes incremental modernization and hybrid-cloud options; IBM Redbooks advises starting with actual pain points and a clearly scoped first step.
Start with the problem users need solved
Ask, “What problem are we trying to solve?” before choosing a technology or deployment model. A modernization effort might address an interface that is difficult to use, a lack of mobile access, performance trouble, or friction connecting IBM i functions to other systems. IBM Redbooks recommends listening to users and stakeholders to identify the need before selecting an approach: IBM Redbooks: Modernizing IBM i Applications.
Document the scope before changing anything. Record the active programs and application areas, the business processes they support, data and integration points, and which users depend on each area. That map helps distinguish an isolated improvement from a change that could affect several workflows.
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Prefer a small project with a defined user or business outcome over a broad rewrite with an uncertain finish line. IBM Redbooks gives examples such as modernizing a frequently used interface, exposing a business function as a web service, or improving access to performance data. Choose one that addresses a documented pain point and can be evaluated against a clear result.
#1 Best Overall
- Learn the role of CL in the IBM i environment
- Understand the IBM i user interface and programming tools
- Recognize the data types supported by CL and when to use them
- Use program variables-including pointer-based variables and data structures
- Use structured statements to organize CL processing and control workflow
- Set the outcome: State which users or process should benefit and how the team will recognize improvement.
- Limit the scope: Identify the application area, programs, data, and integrations the first phase will touch.
- Check dependencies: Confirm affected systems, operational requirements, and the IBM i release and support status relevant to the work.
- Deliver and assess: Review the result with users and operations before deciding whether to extend the approach.
This incremental approach is consistent with IBM’s modernization guidance; it does not imply that every application needs the same architecture or that the existing platform must be replaced. See IBM Redbooks’ modernization guidance.
Plan for skills and development workflow
Skills and tools are operational concerns, not side issues. IBM Redbooks identifies legacy code and limited access to modern tools as factors that can make staffing and retention harder. IBM’s 2025 IBM i strategy presentation points to modern RPG, open-source technologies, VS Code extensions, and automation as directions for improving developer experience. These are IBM’s perspectives and roadmap directions, not independent measurements of the labor market or guarantees about a particular team’s results.
Assess the workflow your developers actually use: how code is changed and reviewed, how builds are produced, how testing and deployment are handled, and where knowledge is concentrated. Then identify one or two bottlenecks to address. A tool change is useful only if it fits the team’s release process, skills, controls, and supported environment. IBM’s strategy presentation is available at IBM i Strategy.
Include security and recovery in the plan
Modernization should account for security requirements and the ability to recover service, not just the application interface. IBM’s 2025 strategy material describes IBM i 7.6 integrated multifactor authentication (MFA), compatibility with TOTP client authenticators, Git-based compilation, and other security-related changes. Those descriptions are release- and configuration-dependent; confirm the exact capability and implementation requirements in IBM documentation for the IBM i version and environment in use before planning a change.
For each proposed phase, establish which security controls, access paths, data protections, availability targets, and recovery procedures it affects. A change that introduces a new integration or development workflow can change operational exposure as well as user experience. Do not assume a feature described for one release is available or configured in another. The relevant IBM strategy presentation is IBM i Strategy.
Compare infrastructure choices against the workload
IBM describes IBM i use in hybrid-cloud settings, but a cloud or hybrid model is not automatically the right answer for every workload. Compare credible options against the requirements of the specific application and organization. IBM’s infrastructure and consulting materials discuss modernization concerns including performance, cost visibility, control, compliance, and data sovereignty.
- Workload and dependencies: Which programs, data, integrations, and business processes must remain available together?
- Portability and flexibility: How easily can the workload move or adapt if requirements change?
- Security and control: What control over systems and data is required, and what compliance obligations apply?
- Operations and recovery: Can the team meet availability and recovery needs with the people and processes it has?
- Cost and burden: What are the expected operating costs and ongoing management demands?
- Delivery scope: Can the option be introduced in a bounded first phase rather than requiring an all-at-once transition?
IBM’s descriptions establish that hybrid-cloud deployment and incremental modernization are options to consider; they do not provide an independent comparison proving one model best for all IBM i teams. Review IBM’s overview at IBM i infrastructure and its consulting information at IBM i Consulting.
Verify support for the exact release
Support status is version-specific. Before scheduling an upgrade, modernization phase, or infrastructure change, check the lifecycle information for the exact IBM i product and version in use rather than relying on a single date as if it applied to every team. IBM’s lifecycle site provides product-specific support information: IBM Software Support Lifecycle.
Best Value
- Use the described principles as a basis for architecting complex applications
- Build web services according to the best standards currently available
- Significantly reduce the time spent discovering and fixing code errors
- Design architectures that are testable and predictable
- Build secure applications by protecting yourself against most known attacks
Use one decision framework for each proposed change
When comparing more than one credible route, use the same criteria for each. This makes trade-offs visible and helps keep the choice tied to business needs rather than to a general preference for a particular technology.
- Business and user value
- Active application, data, and integration dependencies
- Support lifecycle for the products and versions involved
- Security, compliance, and data-control requirements
- Staff capability and development workflow
- Availability and recovery needs
- Cost and ongoing operational burden
- How much value can be delivered in a bounded first phase
IBM’s materials are vendor descriptions of strategy, services, and capabilities, not independent comparative evaluations. Treat roadmap details as subject to change and verify release-specific facts against IBM documentation for the system being planned.
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