AS400 Remains a POWER to be reckoned with – Part 2
The AS400 Remains a POWER to be reckoned with Part 2

Still Powering the Enterprise: Why IBM i Remains Mission-Critical in 2025
In a tech world obsessed with the next big thing, the IBM i platform continues to quietly — and powerfully — run the backbone of some of the world’s most successful enterprises. As we explored in part one of this series, AS400 / IBM isn’t just surviving; it’s evolving. From its unmatched reliability to its loyal user base, IBM i has earned its place as a cornerstone of enterprise IT. Today, leading organizations aren’t just holding on — they’re modernizing aggressively with Power10 hardware and IBM i 7.5, while embracing cutting-edge strategies like cloud migration and enhanced security. The question isn’t whether IBM i is still relevant. The question is: how far can it go?
Market presence
The IBM i AS/400 system continues to command a notable market presence in 2025, holding 36.3%, particularly in vital sectors such as manufacturing, finance, healthcare, gaming, retail, and supply chain management. Many businesses in these areas depend heavily on the AS400 i series (IBM i), with 75-100% of their workloads running flawlessly on this system.
Perception as “Legacy”
Contrary to the belief among some technologists that AS400 is outdated, a closer look at its current capabilities and features highlights the continued relevance of this system in its modern form. While it has seen a decrease in value over time, AS400 remains essential. Each version of the hardware and operating system has been updated, incorporating the latest features and technologies, surpassing many other system offerings.
The modern IBM iSeries has seen considerable advances
The latest IBM i on Power systems has been updated to integrate modern technology while preserving its AS400 roots. With a strong emphasis on improving data security and integrity, this legacy technology remains relevant for organizations adopting a contemporary perspective. Engineered for high redundancy and reliability, the CPUs in these systems outperform competitors by a factor of three to five, highlighting its status as a favored option for server hardware.
Modernization
It is clear that this technology is not diminishing; rather, it continues to be a vital aspect for numerous prominent tech companies. While businesses strive for modernization, they also look for strategies to retain their essential RPG business logic. Among the various AS400 modernization services, API (Application Programming Interface) integration is particularly sought after. APIs are extremely beneficial for the IBM i system, providing a competitive advantage and accelerating development processes. There are a variety of available tools to help businesses modernize their legacy systems, allowing them to integrate with newer technologies, improve performance, and adapt to evolving business needs.
Platform extension
AS400/IBM i systems are now capable of hosting multiple instances of AIX, Linux, Lotus Domino, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003, broadening their capabilities beyond just the IBM i platform. The Power processors that are central to IBM Power systems support IBM i, AIX, Linux, and Lotus Domino. The system can accommodate both single-processor internal blade servers (IXS) and externally connected multi-processor servers (IXA and iSCSI) for Windows compatibility. In addition to these features, various other significant attributes contribute to the enduring appeal of the AS400 platform.
Product satisfaction
2025 marks the 11th edition of the IBM i Marketplace Survey Results. A record high 96% of respondents believe their IBM i server gives them a better ROI than other operating systems. In an era where competition among operating systems is abundant and interest in moving the application to the cloud is ever-growing, IBM i users have never been more satisfied with their investment in this platform. In fact, IBM i users are so happy with the operating system’s reliability and scalability that the percentage of those planning to increase their IBM i footprint jumped from 12% to 20%.
Power systems footing
Although AS400 may not be prominently featured today, it serves as the foundation for Power systems integrated with IBM i. For organizations that rely on IBM i, migrating to alternative platforms simply due to its legacy status and associated costs is not advisable. They can efficiently have their AS400 (IBM i) applications developed and hosted by offshore teams. The design of AS400 allows it to avoid code migration during system updates, ensuring a smoother transition.
Framework
The architecture of AS400 is well-crafted and commonly utilized for ERP systems and other mission-critical operations, as well as intensive workloads in sectors requiring high reliability. IBM Power Systems are extensively favored by SAP users and database management systems such as Oracle Database. Furthermore, with the rise of AS/400 cloud solutions, IBM architecture has grown in popularity as a cloud offering, indicating its ability to host applications effectively for years to come.
AS400/IBM i careers
Given industries’ continued reliance on IBM i AS400 systems around the globe, job prospects in this sector are expected to remain robust for the foreseeable future. As the demand for skilled IBM i professionals continues to rise, emerging RPG developers looking to establish their careers in IBM should remain optimistic. This system, while rooted in history, is evolving along with industry demands. IBM i readily supports both native and open-source programming languages, including RPG, COBOL, CL, Java, PHP, C++, .NET, and SQL. IBM i also accommodates Python and Node.js, widely used general-purpose programming languages.
Commitment to the platform
On April 8, 2025, IBM announced IBM i 7.6, the first new release of the operating system in three years. While version 7.6 brings a range of enhancements, arguably the biggest new feature is the addition of multi-factor authentication directly into the operating system, which will make adopting MFA simple and represent a “massive security improvement” at no additional cost to IBM i shops.
Conclusion
IBM i remains a platform with a long-term roadmap, with new releases (like 7.6) and continued investment in development and modernization. The platform continues to provide the stability it has always been known for while offering new ways to adapt to modern technology paradigms. Although many IBM i workloads still run on-premises, there’s growing interest in deploying them in the cloud or adopting hybrid cloud models indicating its continued relevance in the IT landscape.
About the author
inFORM Decisions has been an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i – AS/400 arena since 1994. We believe that the IBM i / Power Systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM. inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBM i platform forever!
Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.
Additional resources of interest:
Part 1 of this article
So you’re using an IBM i server
The IBM i server platform
What is the difference between IBM i and AS400?