04
Mon, Nov
1 New Articles

The Year Ahead: Predictions for the iSeries Community

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

As the iSeries community stands on the threshold of a new year, it is a good time for all of us to think about the opportunities and challenges that could unfold over the next 12 months. As I consider what those months could bring us, what strikes me is how the events of the last several weeks have set the stage for what will likely happen in 2005. You will understand what I mean by this observation as you read my predictions for the coming year. Without further ado, here they are.

Prediction #1: There will be a rapid increase in the number of IT vendors that sell their products to medium-sized businesses. In recent months, growing numbers of IT vendors have concluded that they must gain a foothold in the mid-market to boost their revenues. Many of these vendors are being enticed by studies indicating that mid-market IT spending continues to grow at rates that are several percentage points higher than those of large enterprises. One such vendor is Siebel Systems, which just created a 70-person team that will work with partners to sell its customer relationship management software to mid-sized companies. Another vendor is Oracle Corporation, which recently forged a partnership with Hewlett-Packard to package its ERP applications on HP's Intel servers for sale to medium-sized businesses. Such entries into the mid-market will become all the more frequent during the coming year.

Prediction #2: Consolidation within the IT industry will intensify, leading to the acquisition of many mid-market and iSeries vendors. As IT vendors struggle to gain a foothold among medium-size companies, many of them will gain that foothold by acquiring vendors with mid-market account bases. Such acquisitions will be part of a broader wave of takeovers that began this December with Oracle's purchase of PeopleSoft.

Over the coming months, I expect that large IT vendors will buy out smaller vendors with two key attributes. First, they will offer solutions that have proven to be attractive to mid-market companies. Second, those solutions will help large IT vendors to add specific capabilities to their middleware and systems management software stacks. Among the most-wanted capabilities will be solutions that help medium-sized businesses manage information more effectively. Typical areas of interest will include content management, business intelligence, product data management, and regulatory compliance.

While most of the acquiring companies will purchase mid-market vendors that sell Windows solutions, it is highly likely that several iSeries vendors will agree to be acquired. As such, Oracle will not be the only company that suddenly inherits iSeries customers in 2005.

Prediction #3: PeopleSoft customers will decide that they can work with Oracle, and Oracle and IBM will decide that they can work with each other. Speaking of Oracle, I have grown increasingly confident over the last two weeks that the IT vendor will be responsive to the needs of the iSeries customers that it is gaining from the PeopleSoft acquisition. In my meetings with Oracle executives, all of them have stressed that they will do everything they can to retain 100% of PeopleSoft's World and EnterpriseOne customers. That includes working with IBM to support those customers on IBM products. While Oracle has a long journey ahead of it to win over iSeries customers, it has started the journey with the right intentions. I predict that those intentions will enable it to build good working relationships with IBM and the vast majority of PeopleSoft's iSeries customers.

Prediction #4: IBM and Microsoft will escalate their battle for the hearts and minds of iSeries customers. A few years back, Microsoft turned down the volume in its campaign to woo iSeries users to Windows. Three weeks ago, however, the software giant joined with other vendors to announce that they will work together to promote Windows-based alternatives to the iSeries. The coalition, which has dubbed itself the Midrange Alliance Program, includes iSeries vendors such as ASNA and LANSA as well as service providers such as Electronic Data Systems. The group has created a roadmap for migrating to Windows technologies that bears a strong resemblance to IBM's iSeries Developer Roadmap. The move will likely generate strong debates within the iSeries community--not to mention between IBM and Microsoft--over how iSeries customers should modernize their applications. Look for this debate to become one of the major themes of 2005.

There you have it...my top predictions for the iSeries market of 2005. If these predictions become realities, they will pose big challenges for IBM. As new vendors enter the iSeries market, acquire iSeries vendors, or try to convert iSeries customers to other platforms, IBM will have to respond rapidly to a host of new opportunities and threats. In its responses, the iSeries Division will have to demonstrate that its eServer i5 is not merely another upgrade to the mature OS/400 environment, but is a growth platform that merits the investments of customers and vendors. To demonstrate that fact, IBM will need to dedicate considerable resources to the new iSeries marketing campaign that it is launching this year. Just as importantly, the company will have to back up its marketing dollars with substantive programs for recruiting and retaining solutions providers for the iSeries.

While IBM will have a big job on its hands, iSeries professionals will also have a critical role to play. If you are one of those professionals, you should expect that decision-makers in your company will receive growing numbers of sales calls from vendors that declare they have the solutions to your IT problems. In many cases, those solutions will exclude the iSeries or assign it to a marginal role. Once again, you will have to explain the unique value proposition of the iSeries to your management teams. This will make it all the more important that you understand that value proposition and communicate it effectively.

As we enter the new year, my wish for all of you is that you successfully rise to the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities that the next 365 days bring to you. I look forward to offering you the news and analyses that help you do just that.

Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LEE KROON
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: