AS400 Migration to Cloud to Future-Proof Your Enterprise

What is your primary goal as a technology leader relying on AS400?

A proficient technology leader, such as you juggle these balls simultaneously, knowing when to focus on one more than the other, ensuring that none are dropped.

But it would be sheer injustice to ignore the challenges you face along the way.

• Pain in integrating AS400 applications with modern technologies
• Absence of a clear strategy to achieve desired outcomes
• Managing the high complexity of AS400 legacy system
• Difficulty in reducing high maintenance cost
• Struggle to find the right AS 400 talents
• Increasing security concerns

These are just a few of the many.

While you’re deeply invested in AS400, you may have thought of leaving the system for good.

However, that wouldn’t be wise.

Thinking why?

AS400 IBM i is a unique legacy system that has been hailed for its robust architecture, dependability, and noteworthy 99.97% uptime rate.

As a matter of fact, over 60,000 businesses still use IBM i for hosting mission-critical applications and workloads. – Confirms IBM.

What’s the way out? you ask.

The solution to your challenges may be found in AS400 migration to the cloud.

Today, like all your fellow AS 400 technology leaders, we believe you must also be exposed to the benefits and scalability that AS400 migration bring to your business.

Did you know?

We believe these statistics have made you curious to know more about the AS400 migration.

If so, you must read this blog to gain deepened insights on AS400 migration to cloud and much more.

Let’s begin without further ado.

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Let’s Decode AS400 Migration for Decision Makers

AS400 cloud migration is a lifesaver for your legacy applications. It involves a strategic transformation from AS400 legacy on-premises systems to cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft Azure or IBM Cloud with little to no disruption.

The primary reason for AS/400 iSeries migration is cost-saving, agreed 76% of respondents – as per a survey by Fresche Solutions.

However, our 20+ years of AS400 experience validates that cost may not be the top reason why leaders, such as you take the step toward AS 400 cloud migrations.

With AS400 cloud migration, you are sure to experience newfound freedom from:

• Frustration of losing the competitive edge to early cloud adopters
• High-maintenance costs of managing on-premises legacy system
• Constant worries about poor performing legacy system
• Frustration of rising security threats

And much more.

Next up – Let’s understand the AS-400 legacy system challenges that are making business leaders consider AS400 to cloud migration.

Why is AS400 Migration the Need of the Hour?

Instead of dwelling around any vague claims, let’s walk through the core business challenges that are making leaders consider AS400 migration to cloud today.

Outdated Technology

The legacy AS/400 iSeries technology is giving you the same-old benefits of the 1990s. It is restricting you from modern advancements such as artificial intelligence, real-time analytics, automation, and seamless integration with custom tools. And it is causing you a competitive disadvantage in today’s digital era.

Scalability Challenges

Scalability for a growing business is as important as water is to the plants.

Without limitless scalability, your business is struggling to meet emerging needs, adapt to the changing market trends, and grab the opportunities that could propel your business forward, ultimately, declining your ROI.

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AS400 System’s Data Security Concerns

If we consider cybercrime as an economy, then soon it will be the world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China, as per NASDAQ.

Considering the inherent vulnerabilities of AS/400 systems when paired with the evolving tactics of cybercriminals, all AS-400 legacy users, including you, are at a significant disadvantage.

High Maintenance Costs

High maintenance costs associated with maintaining the AS 400 legacy systems is a pressing concern for business leaders like you.

From licensing fees, hardware maintenance, and software patches to hidden maintenance costs such as prolonged system downtime and customizations, the impact often goes unnoticed.

Limited Access to Skilled Resources

To build a successful company, you don’t need to be adept at everything. Rather, you should have access to the best talent that can take your business to the desired heights.

The old problem with the AS400 legacy system is the shrinking AS-400 iSeries talent pool. And the problem continues to persist; leaving you vulnerable to operational inefficiencies and dependency risk.

Thinking – “If investing in AS400 migration to the cloud resolve all your challenges?”

The answer is a resounding “YES”!

Revamping AS400 IBM i applications by migrating them to the cloud not only protects you from financial losses, and damage to your reputation and trust but goes beyond and breathes new life into your AS400 operations.

The AS/400 cloud migration is like the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that effortlessly completes the picture of your business’s digital transformation.

Having identified the hurdles faced by AS/400 users in 2024, it’s time to highlight what changes with AS400 application migration to the cloud.

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What Changes with Immediate Effect via AS400 Cloud Migration?

The businesses and business leaders, such as you, who embrace AS400 cloud migration can experience a dramatic effect.

From the impressive flexibility, faster time to market, higher response rate, the list goes on.

Let’s look at what changes with IBM i applications migration.

Cost-Efficiency

Maintaining a decade-old legacy system is far from cost effective.

Not to forget the rising cost of outdated hardware and scarce AS400 talent.

Over 76% of business leaders have embraced the AS/400 cloud migration because of its cost efficiency.

Unlike the traditional IBM i systems that called for upfront capital investment, the cloud’s pay-as-you-go model removed the expensive hardware and administration costs from the picture.

AS400 IBM i cloud migration also reduces the dependency on hard-to-find AS 400 talent.

Ultimately, your business experiences a significant reduction in the overall cost of ownership and you gain access to a larger pool of cloud experts.

Improved Efficiency

Green screens, manual processes, and outdated workflows are the efficiency killers of AS400.

With cloud-based AS 400 systems you can experience a 3x efficiency boost.

As opposed to the traditional IBM i systems, the cloud infrastructure facilitates faster processing, smoother collaboration, seamless automation, and streamlined development processes across the organization.

It also helps you leverage powerful analytics tools such as Power BI, machine learning capabilities, and much more to improve efficiency and unlock opportunities that were previously unnoticed.

Ultimately, improved efficiency results in quicker decision-making and better business outcomes.

Simplified Management and Maintenance

Being a first-generation AS400 user, you will relate that managing AS/400 operations is not an easy feat.

The AS 400 application migration to the cloud pivots the hardware management and maintenance responsibility to the cloud services provider.

This frees up your IT resources, enabling them to focus on more productive and meaningful tasks instead of routine maintenance activities.

AS400 Cloud Talent

It’s no secret that qualifying AS400 developers are difficult to find. Primarily because most of the AS400 talent is retiring and modern technologies are taking over.

But why focus on finding the AS-400 developers when you can easily find cloud professionals with expertise in AS/400 cloud migration?

Plus, the AS400 migration services providers offer you ready access to niche AS400 talent so you don’t have to spend time searching developers yourself.

They not only optimize the AS400 cloud migration process but also ensure to overcome each obstacle that may come your way.

This ready-to-bag talent frees energies up that you might have burned against finding the right talent to work for you.

Airtight Security

Although the AS400 system is designed to fight off security threats, evidence shows that your fight against modern-day cyber-attacks needs to get stronger. In the digital era, cyber security is no longer an IT issue, it has become a business risk.

Your move to migrate AS400 applications to the cloud protects your system from sophisticated cyber threats and prepares you to tackle the evolving cyber threats.

With stringent security measures and data breach risk mitigation, the cloud security infrastructure proves to be a vital asset in your digital transformation strategy.

All in all, the AS-400 to cloud migration move empowers you with a wide variety of advantages you need to thrive in the competitive business era.

Despite having multiple benefits, the migration process can feel overwhelming if you are planning to do it on your own.

A successful and effortless AS/400 cloud migration calls for expertise, experience, and detailed planning.

Let’s see how AS400 cloud experts help you migrate your AS400 applications and data to the cloud, effortlessly.

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How AS400 Cloud Migration Experts Help Migrate AS400 Assets?

Whether you opt for a phased migration or a complete AS400 migration, you need expert assistance to ensure a flawless and successful transition.

Here’s how AS400 cloud migration experts approach the process.

Your AS400 data migration and cloud migration process, with expert assistance shall look like this:

1. Defining your current business challenges, goals, and needs. Also, jotting down your future business needs.

2. Secondly, creating a reliable backup of all of your AS/400 iSeries applications and data.

3. Thirdly, selecting a reliable and suitable cloud platform as per your business needs.

4. Next, develop a detailed migration plan and initiate the migration of data and AS400 applications to the cloud.

There are different approaches to the AS400 iSeries migration –

• Re-Host
• Re-Engineer
• Re-Architect and,
• Re-New your AS/400 Software

5. During and after the completion of AS400 cloud migration, testing and validating the data and applications for optimal performance.

6. Optimizing application performance and configurations for the cloud environment.

7. Establishing a training and support system for relevant teams.

8. Documenting the entire migration operation for future needs and improvements.

You can sum up the AS400 migration to the cloud process in 5 words:

Prepare, Plan, Migrate, Operate, Optimize.

Remember, it’s not going to be the same for all. Different organizations need different modernization approaches.

Therefore, it’s important to engage with AS 400 experts who can find the absolute-fit solution that is designed to help you achieve your AS400 migration goals faster and better.

Did you know? You can extend the value of your AS/400 applications without undergoing a risky and time-consuming cloud migration process. Let’s explore the alternatives.

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Alternative to AS400 Migration

Explore your alternatives first!

If you’re on the fence about AS400 migration to the cloud, we, being an IBM Silver Business Partner would love to highlight low-risk alternatives that extend the value of your AS400 applications without undergoing the migration.

Let’s look at them individually.

AS400 Modernization Services

AS400 modernization refers to a low-risk and low-cost transformation. It is designed to optimize performance, enhance user experience, and make your AS400 applications more efficient and compatible with modern technologies.

AS/400 Consulting Services

AS400 consulting provides you with expert guidance and strategic insights. It is designed to extend the value of your AS400 applications and multiply the effectiveness of your IBM i environment without migrating your AS400 applications to the cloud.

AS-400 Integration Services

As the name implies, AS400 iSeries integration refers to connecting AS/400 applications to third-party solutions, software, and hardware. It is designed to optimize performance, automate workflows, and improve overall system efficiency.

AS400 Automation Services

AS400 automation refers to utilizing the power of automation to automate workflows, minimize errors, reduce human intervention, and expedite time-consuming tasks.

AS/400 Support Services

AS400 support encompasses a range of essential services to keep your system in the best shape 24X7. It includes – performance tuning, prompt problem resolution, continuous monitoring, upgrades, implementing advanced security practices, and ongoing maintenance – without you having to migrate AS400 applications to the cloud.

Whatever path you choose, you need a reliable technology partner with proven experience in AS400 services. Thankfully for you, we know a reliable AS400 service provider who knows the AS400 technology like the back of their hands.

We are talking about Integrative Systems.

Integrative Systems – Your Ideal Partner for AS400 Migration Services

At Integrative Systems, we are an IBM-certified partner, bringing 20+ years of AS400 expertise to the table.

Our forte lies in helping businesses, like yours, achieve business goals at twice the speed and half the price.

With our 2 decades of experience in helping multiple businesses with AS400 services, we foresee the challenges, employ the best industry practices, and drive your business growth like our own.

All this while, you remain focused on growing your business operations.

Think we are a match made in heaven?

Drop us a line at [email protected] or call us at 1.866.468.7974 (INTSYSI) and our team of experts will take it from there.

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FAQ’s about AS400 Migration to Cloud

1. What are the different approaches to AS400 migration?

Ans: There are different approaches to AS400 cloud migration.

• Retire
• Retain (Revisit)
• Refactor/Re-architect
• Rehost (Lift and Shift)
• Repurchase (Drop and Shop)
• Re-platform (Lift and Reshape)
• Relocate (Hypervisor-Level Lift and Shift)

Each business has unique needs; thus, it requires unique approaches. It’s ideal to consult an iSeries migration expert for a thorough assessment for increasing the chances of successful migration.

2. What challenges may businesses face during AS400 migration?

Ans: Migrating from a legacy platform to a modern cloud environment presents various challenges that businesses need to address effectively –

• Downtime and Operational Disruption
• Legacy Technology Dependencies
• Data Migration Complexity
• Security and Compliance

A team of reliable AS-400 migration experts can effectively address these challenges with a well-defined strategy and collaboration.

3. How long does AS/400 cloud migration usually take?

Ans: It depends on the length and complexity of your applications, data, and unique needs. The right iSeries migration expert conducts a thorough assessment to understand complexity, and unique requirements of your applications and data, and then arrives at the approximated time-estimation.

4. What is AS400 Migration?

Ans: AS400 cloud migration or IBM i application migration to cloud is the process of migrating IBM i applications, related data, and other assets to the cloud.

AS400 migration to cloud proves to be a strategic move as it –

• Strengthens the security stature to fight modern threats
• Simplifies AS400 integration with third-party tools and systems
• Replaces the hardware and maintenance costs with the cloud’s efficiency
• Provides an opportunity to replace green screens with modern GUI interfaces
• Introduces automation to replace repetitive processes with efficient workflows

5. When Should I Consider AS400 Migration to the Cloud?

Ans: Here are the top instances when it is best to consider AS400 cloud migration.

• When you seek to retain the legacy system’s business logic while leveraging the cloud’s flexibility
• When your system is not self-sufficient to meet modern-day needs
• When you want to eliminate outdated AS400 functionalities
• When you need to revamp the inconvenient user interface
• When you want to improve your system’s security stature
• When you aim to automate tedious, manual-driven tasks
• When you wish to end your technical debt

6. How Much Does AS400 Cloud Migration Cost?

Ans: Here are the top factors that decide the cost of AS400 cloud migration.

• AS400 migration strategy/ approach
• Your choice of cloud service provider
• Your choice of AS/400 migration services provider
• Complexity of workloads being migrated
• Potential cost of downtime and disruptions
• The volume of data being migrated
• The cloud deployment model
• The cost of software licenses
• The scope of automation
• The resources involved
• Post-cloud migration support
• Costs of training staff

7. Can You Run an AS400 Application in the Cloud?

Ans: Yes! You can run AS400 applications in the cloud by opting for AS400 migration services customized for AS400 workloads. IBM cloud and azure cloud are the top choices for businesses looking to achieve efficient cloud migration.

8. Can We Retain Our Existing AS400 Applications in the Cloud?

Ans: Yes! You can retain the functionality and familiarity of your existing AS400 applications in the cloud. You can achieve this while reaping the cloud benefits such as scalability, security, efficiency, and cost savings. However, it is important to evaluate each application’s compatibility with the cloud.

9. What Happens to AS400 Hardware After Migration?

Ans: With AS400 cloud migration your hardware dependency is eliminated, which makes the system more scalable, agile, and accessible. After a successful IBM i application migration to cloud, you can dispose of your hardware. With migration, you only need to pay for, configure, and maintain the resources you actually use, reducing the cost associated with hardware procurement and maintenance.

10. How Does AS400 Cloud Migration Improve Security and Compliance Requirements?

Ans: AS400 IBM i application migration improves security and compliance frameworks in several ways. It helps with –

• Security audits
• Threat detection
• Security controls
• Automated patching
• Backup and recovery
• End-to-end encryption
• Role-based access control
• Compliance with industry-standards

Make sure to communicate your special security and compliance needs with your AS400 migration partner to customize the migration process effectively.