IBM technology has been a key part of enterprise IT since the 1980s with platforms such as AS/400, iSeries, System i and IBM Power Systems and operating systems such as OS/400, i5/OS and IBM i. This technology is prized for its superior performance, stability and dependability. In addition to performance benefits, it has always offered excellent return on investment (ROI). In a recent 2022 survey of users from around the world, nearly all respondents (94%) said they believed IBM servers provided a very good ROI compared with other server options.
The survey also examined current usage trends and found that IBM i remains business-critical for many organizations, with 70% of respondents using their IBM i platform to run more than half of core business applications. This looks set to continue, with 43% of respondents saying they planned to run their IBM i environment as is, and 25% saying they intended to increase their IBM i footprint in 2022. The number of respondents planning to migrate all applications away from IBM i over the next two years is still low at just 5%. It shows just how deeply users trust this infrastructure, and why it is regarded as one of the ‘stickiest’ platforms out there.
(https://www.helpsystems.com/resources/guides/ibm-i-marketplace-survey-results)
The IBM Power Systems range has always been very popular in high-tech industries like manufacturing, logistics and distribution as well as banking / finance where security and reliability must be the number one concern.
In the last decade, as some newer technologies have been introduced, more mature solutions like IBM Power Systems have sometimes been knocked for being outdated. This criticism could not be further from the truth and many companies around the globe still depend on their IBM platforms for key, business critical applications. Running the warehouse is one of them.
Indigo Software first began offering Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) solutions for IBM i and OS/400 almost 40 years ago, selecting it for mission-critical processes to support industries that require extreme performance combined with exceptional reliability, such as manufacturing and logistics. If your email goes down, it is arguably not the worst thing on the planet. However, if your WMS server fails and you cannot despatch goods, it is likely to be a whole different proposition.
Indigo Software originally developed Indigo WMS for the IBM i platform and we continue to implement on this platform because there are hundreds of thousands of companies that are happy with their IBM servers and want to continue getting the best possible return on investment.
If your business is expanding to offer e-commerce, if order volumes are increasing, if you are drop-shipping, or if customer expectations are becoming more demanding, investing in a best of breed WMS will enable you to finely tune your warehouse operations. Our software automates key processes like wave or zone picking, perpetual inventory counting, returns management and dynamic putaway.
Moving with the times on the IBM i means applications can offer full colour, touch capable user interfaces that stand up well against all competitors, with a very modern look and feel. Continuing innovation also means that as well as delivering on premise solutions, cloud based and hybrid cloud solutions are an option for IBM i customers. If you want to continue using your IBM i platform because it is working well for your business needs, why not? You can also benefit from the latest software innovations, with expert solution partners that offer the right development capabilities and Indigo Software is one of them.
Author
Carl Green
Chief Technology Officer
Indigo Software
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