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5 Best IBM AS400 Modernization Solutions

Published On May 24, 2022

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Today, organizations use the IBM AS400 systems, now known as IBM iSeries, to run critical business activities. For example, they can manage business processes such as enterprise resource planning, general ledger, client maintenance, pharmacy benefits, blockchain solutions, and inventory management. There have been few temptations to modernize what has worked for years in these vital applications.

However, modernizing these monolithic systems requires a long time to implement. In addition, organizations don’t have enough resources to modernize their legacy systems. Modern technical skills are required forย IBM application modernization, which is becoming harder to obtain. Modern developers are unable to maintain columnar legacy code developed for a โ€œgreen screenโ€, posing a severe continuity risk to critical procedures. A new IBM AS400 replacement can takeย  years and requires more IT budget.

We will explore in this article the five best IBM AS400 Modernization solutions offered by LANSA. These solutions help you modernize the legacy IBM i applications.

Are there automation tools to modernize the IBM AS400 applications?

The maintenance of the AS400 legacy systems is becoming more challenging. Today, organizations rely on IBM-powered IT infrastructure. They realize that the legacy IBM AS400 systems must be replaced. So, the demand for IBMย  AS400 application modernization talents and services is higher than ever before. The best way is to modernize your IBM i or AS400 applications using some automated tools.ย 

If youโ€™re looking to modernize your IBM AS400 applications, youโ€™ve come to the right place! LANSA IBM i modernization solutions not only modernize the existing IBM i applications but also improve productivity.ย ย 

Below we have briefly discussed the five best LANSA tools for IBM AS400 application modernization one by one.

1. How can we modernize existing IBM AS400 5250 greens?

LANSA aXes tool transforms existing 5250 screens into web pages without modifying the source code. It builds applications to operate online, 5250 screen-based RPG and COBOL applications in a batch. It also integrates the existing functionalities in modernized applications with.NET, Java, or other 5250 applications.ย 

The LANSA aXes solution allows you to build new IBM i applications. It enables you to integrate new mobile functionalities into the existing ones, for use on any mobile device, such as smartphones or tablets. Organizations can easily access spooled files and databases via a browser from their computers.ย 

If you are looking for the best IBM AS400 modernization solution, aXes is a good choice, whatever your organization level.

Download a free trial of aXes in order to create a modern web UI and add new business functionality to the existing IBM AS400 applications.

2. Is there a low-code development platform for IBM i?

Visual LANSA is a low-code development platform. It enables developers to create on-premises and cloud-based web, mobile, desktop, and server applications. Maintain great coding control while achieving low-code productivity. This LANSA solution offers several features for IBM i application modernization, such as an active repository engine, a Visual Development Environment, business-ready performance, data services independence, and flexibility with the cloud.

Visual LANSA makes the modernization process easy for modernizing the IBM AS400 applications. This tool keeps the development process as simple as possible and it also reduces the requirement for technical expertise to complete an application development project.

3. Is here an IBM i business process integration solution?

LANSA Composer is a highly specialized business process integration suite designed to handle a wide range of process improvement and integration challenges.

LANSA Composer offers a cost-effective solution for modernizing the IBM As400 applications with fewer human interventions. It runs on both Windows and IBM i Servers. However, IBM i deployments can leverage the power of aXes functionalities. LANSA Composer activities can use aXes to retrieve and send data to interact with 5250 applications.

LANSA Composer reduces the development time by introducing a set of ready-to-use activities that most organizations require for business process integration. Built-in activities let your network communicate more efficiently. Any executable on the same server, or across several Windows or IBM I servers, can be invoked by processing sequences.

4. Is there an IBM AS400 mobile app builder solution?

LongRange is the first native mobile application builder for the IBM i community that is phasing out now. It allows developers to easily construct native mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices that completely interact with their IBM AS400 and data using their current RPG, COBOL, and DDS expertise. LongRange does not require mobile device programming, so developers do not need to learn new languages like Java for Google Android, Objective-C for Apple iOS, or other coding range techniques like HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.

Long-range apps can still take photos, record audio or video, capture signatures, scan barcodes, synchronize documents, use maps and geo-location data, and integrate these features with IBMi (otherwise known as “IBM i”) AS400 data and applications.

5. How can we transform our IBM AS400 apps FAST?

Portalize is a fully functional and fully customizable portal framework that comes with pre-build portal functionality. Developers may focus on creating solutions instead of spending time implementing complex features required in today’s application portals.ย ย 

Portalize provides several advanced features such as advanced navigation, security, administration, and managing user accounts. Security is a key feature of LANSA for IBM i application modernization. It includes request validation checks to enhance the applicationโ€™s security, such as IP monitoring, banning, and rigorous security testing features in your applications. Organizations can easily manage user accounts, email notifications, security settings, Google analytics, and session logging.

Portalize also enables you to manage your accounts, such as sign-in, signup, security validation questions, modify your profile, and set preferences.

Ready to revamp your IBM AS400 applications using LANSA IBM i modernization solutions?

LANSA platform incorporates all of today’s top trends in software development and digital transformation, allowing businesses to fully use automation and digital transformation technologies. LANSA provides IBM AS400/IBM i modernization solutions for businesses who need to modernize IBM i applications and enable fast data integration, reliably, and with minimum developer resources.

aXes and Visual LANSA are solutions designed for IBM i users. It’s a custom tool for automating the development of web-enabled IBM AS400 applications. It enables organizations to convert their existing IBM i-5250 apps into web pages without having to change the source code.

Ready to begin? Get in touch with us to start utilizing LANSA IBM i modernization solutions for your app development and business modernization needs.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LANSA Editors

LANSA is a professional low-code development platform that helps businesses efficiently build and modernize software. In this blog, the team draws on decades of experience empowering enterprises to innovate on the IBM i and future-proof their mission-critical systems.

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