HelpSystems announced today that its fifth annual IBM i Marketplace Survey Results reveal not only that the IBM i platform continues to be a top choice for IT professionals, but also that investment in the platform is growing. More than 750 IT professionals from around the world participated in the annual survey, which has become an industry benchmark that informs millions of users on how their peers approach pressing IT challenges.

Responses from administrators, developers, and IT leaders helped build the picture of how companies in diverse sectors approach security, automation, business continuity, and more. The survey underscores the IBM i platform’s long-term stability at every turn. In fact, 71 percent of organizations rely on it to run more than half of their core business applications, and 24 percent plan to increase their IBM i footprint in 2019. Ninety-two percent of respondents believe IBM i provides better return on investment (ROI) than other options, a trend that has continued since the survey began. In addition, 58 percent of respondents indicated they will undertake a hardware upgrade, a software upgrade, or both initiatives in the coming year.

“We’ve heard from many of our customers that they’re ready to migrate to POWER9 servers, and 14 percent of those who participated in the survey have already made this move,” said Tom Huntington, Executive Vice President of Technical Solutions, HelpSystems. “It stands to reason that sizing these migrations properly, implementing the right security controls, and introducing automation are key elements to these projects. I’m proud that HelpSystems continues to lead the industry when it comes to having the IBM i expertise our customers need to accomplish these goals and maximize their use of the platform.”

Just as in years past, security continues to be a top challenge for 69 percent of survey respondents, and the results show an 8 percent year-over-year increase in those concerned about having the right security knowledge and skills in house. However, the data shows that many organizations have also failed to implement even basic security protocols such as antivirus software and database encryption to prevent intrusion from internal and external sources. When it comes to disaster recovery, nearly half of respondents rely on high availability for maintaining uptime.

“Year after year, this survey shows that the IBM i platform is incredibly stable, and users are highly loyal to the technology to support their critical operations,” said Chris Heim, CEO, HelpSystems. “IBM i development continues at a rapid pace, and HelpSystems stands at the ready to support users around the world as they evolve their technology strategies with this proven platform as a core component.”