Current Blog Series: Answers to the Top 10 Questions CIOs face when considering an IBM i Digital Transformation Project
Last week, we launched a new blog series. Over the next couple of months, we will be discussing the Top 10 questions CIOs face when considering the Digital Transformation of their IBM i application portfolio. Following is the second in the ten-part series.
Question 2: I know I need to modernize my IBM i legacy applications. Where do I begin?
As we discussed last week, your organization has relied on your legacy IBM i systems to support critical business operations for decades successfully. Nevertheless, the risks of retaining languishing legacy systems are profound. We have reached the point where the pain of staying the same has exceeded the pain of change. Adopting modern, cloud-based systems is now a strategic imperative.
The sheer magnitude of the effort and its associated risk and cost is daunting. Where do I begin?
Launching an IBM i digital transformation plan without a clear path forward presents many risks. What will happen if the new system lacks the critical functionality on which your organization depends? How will you overcome the disruption to your operation when a new workflow is introduced? Can you predict and prepare for the costs of lost staff productivity and retraining?
Legacy IBM i applications are large, monolithic, and complex by design. Without access to application experts or up to date documentation, there is little or no visibility into your system's functionality. If your business is like most IBM i shops, your system's original authors are long gone. If you are fortunate enough to have any subject matter experts still on staff with in-depth knowledge of your applications, they are likely nearing retirement age. Moreover, any documentation you had of the system functionality has probably become dated, inaccurate, and incomplete.
So, how can I develop a clear, predictable path forward?
Without a deep understanding of the system dependencies and interfaces, there is no clear path forward in your modernization efforts. Fortunately, visualization technology exists today such as that of ETS that clearly shows how legacy systems are organized, where assets are reused across systems and subsystems, and identifies assets that are no longer used. This technology provides you with a clear understanding of your essential legacy applications' structure, including interfaces and dependencies within systems. This comprehensive drill down into legacy systems is a critical prerequisite to any successful digital transformation project.
Click here for a detailed presentation of ETS' Digital Transformation technology-enabled service. https://www.etsassociates.com/digital-transformation-demo
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