In the early 2000s, we worked with a CTO of a Manufacturing company. He once said, “If it’s working, not broken; don’t touch it, neither try to fix it.”
His AS400 systems had powered decades of operational success.
The green screens hummed like a quiet engine room, delivering reports, managing orders, keeping customers happy.
But two decades later, that same CTO now leading a much leaner, faster business had a different outlook.
“Stability is great,” he told us, “But it can’t come at the cost of agility.”
That’s the story of today’s IBM i leaders.
You’re not just responsible for maintaining uptime, you’re expected to drive innovation, deliver insights, and scale operations in real-time.
iSeries migration to cloud isn’t about leaving the past behind. It’s about bringing the strengths of your legacy into an environment where it can evolve securely, intelligently, and cost-effectively.
Let’s explore how to make that shift without compromise.
What are the Challenges of AS400 Cloud Migration?
While the promise of agility, scalability, and modernization draws most IT leaders toward AS400 cloud migration or iSeries modernization, the path is rarely straightforward.
The biggest roadblock? Unseen, unresolved legacy dependencies that can stall initiatives in mid-flight impacting costs, timelines, and outcomes.
Below, we unpack the top 5 IBM i migration challenges through the PAS (Problem–Agitation–Solution) lens, so you can confidently plan your transformation roadmap without jeopardizing stability or performance.
Legacy Code & Application Dependencies
Over 70% of IBM i workloads run mission-critical operations—many written in decades-old RPG code.
These custom applications often lack documentation, and their interdependencies are deeply embedded in iSeries development environments.
Migrating such applications without full dependency mapping leads to broken processes post-migration. Even a single missed AS400 RPG routine can trigger data inconsistencies, downtime, and loss of internal trust in IT transformation initiatives.
Thinking, “How do I tackle this challenge?”
Engage experienced IBM iSeries developers to conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing application interdependencies. Refactor, modularize, and where feasible, encapsulate legacy logic for smoother re-platforming without losing business logic fidelity.
Data Integrity & Migration Risk
Data migration remains the most fragile part of any iSeries migration plan.
Structured differently across decades, iSeries data often has custom formats, legacy indexes, and lacks validation protocols making integrity validation difficult.
Inaccurate data transfers don’t just cause reporting errors they compromise critical business operations, regulatory filings, and customer-facing insights.
Reconciliation delays can derail post-migration confidence and prolong operational duality.
Thinking, “How do I avoid the migration risks?”
Bring in IBM i AS/400 iSeries developers who can conduct staged data profiling, build cleansing pipelines, and create test migration environments. Embed automated integrity checks across the migration pipeline to ensure confidence in cutover.
Business Downtime & Operational Disruption
iSeries migration projects often underestimate downtime needs.
Many AS400 systems operate 24×7, supporting everything from order entry to financial close. Pausing them for migration introduces logistical and financial risk.
The downtime leads to productivity loss, disrupts customer SLAs, and affects the bottom-line revenue.
Thinking, “How do I deal with this before things go out of control?”
Develop parallel run strategies and leverage containerization for non-critical workloads. When supported by modern AS400 systems experts, your migration approach can shift to high-availability cutovers with rollback capabilities.
Cloud Security & Compliance Concerns
Moving legacy AS400 workloads to the cloud exposes them to new threat vectors.
Realize, these IBM i/AS400 applications are not built for modern-day environments. They don’t have the provisions for native encryption and role-based access controls.
Weak links in the access controls pave the way for insider threats, as well as external intrusions. You might have to face penalties and reputation damage for non-compliance with SOX, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, post iSeries migration to cloud.
Thinking, “How should I full proof iSeries migration to cloud?”
Involve AS400 security solutions experts early in the migration phase. Establish cloud-ready security baselines including network isolation, IAM governance, and endpoint logging. Complement that with AS400 support services for ongoing compliance management.
Talent Gap in IBM i Expertise
As seasoned IBM i professionals retire, many organizations struggle to find IBM i/AS400 developers who understand both the business logic and technical nuances of IBM iSeries environments.
The knowledge loss is real—and accelerating.
A talent void during iSeries migration leads to inaccurate configurations, missed SLAs, and slower incident resolution. Worse, future upgrades become bottlenecked, increasing tech debt instead of reducing it.
Thinking, “How should I seize the talent gaps better?”
Proactively hire IBM/ iSeries developers who specialize in iSeries migration. They bridge the old and new—accelerating migration timelines and ensuring long-term maintainability of your transformed IBM i landscape.
iSeries migration to the cloud isn’t a process to rush – it demands clarity, planning, and precise execution.
Attaining success with iSeries migration demands nothing much.
You must foresee what could go wrong & have a contingency plan ready.
You must have the right tools to execute the transformation.
You must have the right set of people to take charge.
If not this, then you must have a reliable iSeries migration partner who knows IBM i ecosystem inside out.
Still thinking, “If AS400 migration to cloud is right for you or not?”
Next, let’s understand what makes AS400 migration a win-win for you.
What Makes iSeries Migration to the Cloud a Wise Choice?
Nowadays, everyone is talking about cloud technology. According to a research report of Cisco, approx. 9/10 IT workloads will migrate to the cloud in upcoming years.
Meanwhile, many businesses keep chugging along with their decades-old legacy system like IBM iSeries.
Organizations whose IT demands are not increasing with time can disagree with the belief that there’s no need to fix broken technologies. And on the other hand, large enterprises with ERP systems may also be hesitant to explore the opportunities in the cloud.
The primary challenge is that legacy technologies are not like wine that improves with age. Ultimately, legacy technologies cross a cost limit where replacement seems easier and cost-efficient than maintenance.
As your organization evaluates the available options, keep these points in mind:
Replacing Hardware won’t be Pocket Friendly
The size of your organization is directly proportional to the cost of data centre replacement.
The capital expenditure of $5-$10 million can be difficult to justify when the same amount can upgrade customer services or drive additional sales.
Furthermore, you’ll pay for configuration, installation, support, network, and hardware services. And electricity will remain a significant expenditure. Also, your equipment will be on the verge of being outdated from the day you install it.
Meanwhile, you may face difficulty in recruiting professionals for your data centre.
Such challenges highlight the importance of the cloud in an IBM AS400 iSeries enabled environment.
On cloud setup, someone will be responsible for recruiting staff and data centre experts. Also, you’ll get updated equipment & resources from your cloud service provider, and you’ll save valuable time.
You may End-up Buying Excessive Computing Capacity
The cost of computing power decreases with time.
It means, when IBM iSeries enabled companies to replace their existing servers, the new set comes with 5X computing capacity in comparison to the previous one.
It means, unknowingly, you end up paying for the resources that you won’t be using.
Ultimately, this can’t be called an intelligent buy.
On the other hand, an IBM AS400 cloud service provider will charge only for the resources you use. You won’t pay for the services you didn’t use or the capacity you didn’t utilize.
And the flexibility of the cloud services ensures that you are able to scale resources & capacity up & down based on varying business needs.
Disaster Recovery may Become a Troublemaker
Legacy systems seem to have legacy backup technologies like magnetic tape and optical drive. But sometimes, such methodology takes days or even weeks to provide complete backup.
Also, the backups process can fail for such a long time and leave the enterprise in a puzzling situation.
Cloud technology provides infinite storage capacity, making it an ideal solution. Moreover, servers from a remote location can give you a measure of distance between you and an earthquake or flood.
And technologies like virtualization and containerization have also joined hands with replication software to ensure disaster recovery in real-time.
Global organizations are not the only ones in the market to store unwanted backups. Nowadays, an organization of any size can establish a disaster recovery program that comes with minimum downtime.
IBM i/AS400 Experts are Retiring Faster
Experts are retiring throughout the industrial world, but IBM iSeries is most affected by this challenge.
Many enterprises are only one or two retirements away from losing subject matter experts who are well-versed with their systems.
Unfortunately, colleges and universities are not providing training to IT professionals about these legacy systems.
But it doesn’t mean there are no experts on legacy systems; they are just hard to find.
Next, let’s understand what all you need for iSeries migration to the cloud.
Managed Cloud Solution – The Best Choice for Your Business
Cloud services providers are successful because they offer distinct advantages in capacity, services, computing power, and cost.
But you don’t underrate the difficulty of incorporating cloud services and how they’ll perform according to the workload. Cloud services must be designed, implemented, and managed carefully, per distinct business needs and available resources.
That’s why many organizations are partnering with Integrative Systems to seek help.
We help companies in their cloud migration journey so that they can focus on core business objectives. Our services help companies deploy robust technologies and put them in line with significant competitors.
The IBM AS400 iSeries has enjoyed a remarkable journey. IBM introduced AS400 in 1988, and it evolved as iSeries in 2006, and since then, it has been evolving continuously under IBM’s Power Series.
But three decades of solid performance is not enough to overcome the challenges of managing the legacy IBM iSeries. The hardware and software up-gradation of the system is complex & not so pocket-friendly.
Furthermore, it’s not easy to find IBM iSeries developers and programmers. Meanwhile, cloud migration offers flexibility and scalability in terms of system administration.
Luckily, adopting a cloud doesn’t mean that you need to unload your IBM i infrastructure.
All you need is a clear strategy for cloud migration. And to be ready for cloud migration, you need three things in place.
Let’s walk through those things in detail.
The Staff to Implement, Manage, and Support
Before you start IBM iSeries cloud migration, you need to solve various challenges.
The cloud migration strategy must be designed carefully, i.e., it must suit your existing setup or unique business needs.
The curve can be expensive and time-consuming if you don’t have prior experience in cloud migration strategy designing.
Staffing
As IBM iSeries is a mature technology, young IT professionals cannot handle the overall process, as they haven’t mastered the iSeries technology.
Furthermore, many IBM iSeries developers are nearing retirement age, and finding a replacement is not easy. But it is not like that there is a shortage of IBM iSeries developers.
There is plenty of iSeries talent available; the difficult part is to get them on board and connect with the IT team.
Management & Support
If you’re short of talent within your environment, it can be challenging to manage IBM iSeries.
The Power & Space
Many organizations have more processing power in their legacy systems than they need or use.
And, deciding to migrate to the cloud means they’ll get more power & space than the actual requirement, and it will help it cost-cutting also. Moreover, the process is necessary for the organization whose needs fluctuate continuously.
Moving your setup to the cloud means it will reduce your overall IT expenditure while corresponding your processing power with the specific needs. Also, with a cloud solution onboard, you’ll only pay for what you need or utilize.
Backup and Disaster Recovery Program
Innovations in virtualization, containerization, and replication permit an organization to develop robust backup and disaster recovery programs.
Cloud backup and recovery programs can create real-time support for mission-critical applications like e-commerce, where downtime is a killer.
Have a look at the things that you need in place for migrating IBM iSeries to the cloud.
Replacement Plan for Tape-drive
The cloud setup permits you to change tape-drive systems. Although, many legacy forms of archived data might return on tape. Your backup & recovery system will work out on this.
System Design
You can develop a system that uses a virtual server to imitate real-time backup & recovery. The challenge is to create a system that can handle changing business needs & business architecture.
Recovery Goals
You need to define recovery time and your operations. Moreover, it would be best to describe Recovery Point Objectives to know how many hours or weeks of data you need to recover.
Testing
To ensure that system is working in full swing, conduct backup, and recovery drills. The system goes down temporarily in the testing phase, so it needs to be done with care.
Documentation and Support
You need comprehensive guidelines so that your backup assistance is accessible in an emergency. Furthermore, you need support staff to monitor the systems continuously and provide real-time information if any trouble occurs.
Integrative Systems – IBM iSeries Cloud Migration Partner of Your Choice
Integrative Systems provides resources and expertise for migrating iSeries applications & data to the cloud. Our experts will deliver the talent and knowledge you need for a smooth migration of your IBM i/AS400 applications & data, you can make it happen quickly.
iSeries migration to cloud opens avenues for innovation with data-driven technologies like AI, big data, and IoT.
The process of AS400 to cloud migration involves challenges as we discussed. And, having a team of IBM i/AS400 developers handy to tackle those challenges makes your iSeries migration journey smoother and better. Thus, most CTOs prefer to work with a reliable and experienced AS400 cloud migration partner.
We deploy full-time, part-time, and contract-based teams of iSeries developers to offer you maximum benefits in the shortest time possible and within an optimum budget.
Here are four key challenges we’ll help you address.
Difficulty in Finding Experts
Sometimes the process of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding employees for a full-time role can be frustrating for employers.
Have a look at the sample annual salaries (based on US News & World Report) –
- Software developer – $102,280
- Network architect – $101,210
- Security analyst – $92,600
- IT manager – $135,800
Note – These are average salaries, and employers pay more than this.
A unified IT solution can put experienced IT experts to work within days. Also, they have specific training and certification as per business requirements. Furthermore, they are capable of working at any level.
Limited Resources & High Expectations
The nature of the IT processes to deliver productivity benefits is that an enterprise gets more ROI with fewer people. IT leadership can’t evade the tension to grasp excellent performance from limited resources.
A unified IT team can help you enhance performance with no new hiring on board. Your consulting partner can combine talent with part-timers and skilled specialists who can join the role whenever you need them.
Legacy Systems Present More Challenges
Organizations often stick with legacy applications because they feel comfortable with old technologies, tools that suit their needs, and sometimes they think that implementing a new system could be expensive.
But what they don’t realize is, the maintenance of these legacy systems becomes more expensive with every passing year. Furthermore, talented and expert techies are nearing retirement age, and universities are not training people to maintain these legacy technologies.
However, legacy technology experts are still there. It’s just they are challenging to find. Or you may take help from a consulting company like Integrative Systems, which specializes in providing IT experts with who can help you get the job done.
Your Organization Needs to Evolve and Innovate Quickly
Venture capitalists provide millions & billions as funding to start-ups. IoT, AI, Big-data, ML, and cloud technologies present captivating chances to build a trench around your enterprises and resist disruptive threats.
It requires talent to capture such opportunities. And that talent could be hidden or distributed among half-dozen technologies or certifications. Generally, you don’t need full-time staff to handle this work, but you’ll need a project team to design a solution, implementation, and staff training.
Staffing up with Integrative IBM i Consulting Services
Over the past two decades, Integrative Systems has solved complex IT challenges of companies in every sector.
Delivering such solutions requires highly trained professionals across multiple technology disciplines, for which we have a strong pool of subject matter experts that make it easy for you.
If you have any queries about cloud migration and modernization of your IBM iSeries, feel free to connect.
Drop a line at [email protected], and our team of experts shall get back to you within the next 2 business days.
