New ARCAD for DevOps release enables rapid automation of IBM i application build and deploy within any existing Azure DevOps toolstack

Peterborough, NH and Annecy, France – 7/12/2020 – ARCAD Software, international leader in DevOps and Modernization solutions, today announced the integration of its IBM i (aka iSeries, AS/400) technology with Azure DevOps, the all-in-one development platform from Microsoft spanning collaboration, source code control, work tracking, and continuous integration and delivery.

This latest integration from ARCAD meets the needs of those organizations seeking to accelerate and streamline application delivery using one single DevOps toolstack and pipeline across all development technologies, both IBM i and distributed systems.

With ARCAD’s plugins to Azure DevOps, organizations can now rapidly create IBM i application build and deploy tasks within an existing Azure pipeline in a single click.  Application artifacts can be pulled from the Azure DevOps artifact repository or GitHub making it easy to hook up IBM i deployment using a fully authenticated secure service connection.  For maximum flexibility the solution supports both graphical editing or YAML configuration as code.  Substitution variables are managed automatically to enable true continuous integration on IBM i.

Philippe Magne, ARCAD CEO commented on the new integration: “Applications developed in RPG or COBOL on IBM i still underpin core business transactions today and the trend is to move away from risky application rewrites or replacements and focus instead on modernizing existing assets.  Modernization means incorporating IBM i application development into standard DevOps pipelines already in use on other platforms. IT leaders need a single, end-to-end, all-inclusive view to pilot diverse applications and manage complex dependencies automatically. This ‘single toolstack’ approach reduces risk and is a massive boost to team productivity. By integrating ARCAD solutions within Azure DevOps we help IT leaders accelerate value delivery across their entire application portfolio, while empowering them with the metrics and intelligence they need for continuous improvement and maximum ROI”.

Now compatible with Azure DevOps – ARCAD’s flagship offering ‘ARCAD for DevOps’ is an integrated, modular solution providing a complete CI/CT/CD toolstack for IBM i:

• Application Discovery

ARCAD Observer automates application analysis to improve productivity and accuracy in software maintenance & modernization – combining powerful application navigation and diagramming with multi-platform Impact Analysis and documentation generation.

• Source code quality and security checking

ARCAD CodeChecker automates the detection of quality flaws and security vulnerabilities in RPG and COBOL code as a continuous part of the DevOps cycle.

• Application Build

ARCAD Builder automates 100% of the application build (recompilation) process on IBM i, accelerating value delivery and reducing the risk of defects in production.

• Unit test automation

ARCAD iUnit automates the creation and execution of unit test cases for any IBM i module, program or service program.  A complete unit test can be rapidly generated from RDi in just a few clicks.

• Functional regression test

ARCAD Verifier provides data-oriented regression test automation for IBM i to shift defects left and reduce their cost.

• Application Deployment

DROPS for i automates deployment/rollback of any IBM i application, on premise or cloud.

The release of ARCAD’s integration with Azure DevOps follows on from the company’s established offering in the open source domain.  Thanks to its open architecture and APIs, ARCAD for DevOps is already fully integrated with Git, Jenkins, Jira, SonarQube, Selenium and standard collaborative tools GitHub, GitLab and BitBucket. 

Magne added “Our driving goal is to spearhead modern IBM i development within any DevOps culture today.  We have already seen a massive adoption of Git, Jenkins and Jira in our customer base and have successfully deployed ARCAD for DevOps inside open source pipelines for some of the largest IBM i development organizations worldwide.  However not all organizations are comfortable with relying solely on open source tools.  Some would prefer to adopt an ‘all-in-one’ toolstack including enterprise support Instead of maintaining their own in-house pipeline.  It is to service these customers that we have made Azure DevOps a key element of our DevSecOps strategy on IBM I”.

To find out more, read our blog [Azure DevOps rhymes with ARCAD ‘n’ DROPS]

ARCAD Software

Press Contact:  Olenka Van Schendel, WW Marketing Director