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AS400 Cloud Migration:Your Fear of Missing Out & Messing Up Addressed

by Integrative Systems Integrating stratgy with Transformation Capabilite

How is your business currently powering its critical operations on legacy AS400 software?

With so much buzz around the cloud, are you scared to get left behind?

Bad news: Your system is highly at risk of modern threats.

Good news: AS400 cloud migration can breathe new life into the AS400 system, reshaping its functionality and relevance for the modern age.

In this blog, we will address

· The disadvantages you are walking into with the legacy AS400 system

· Concerns about potential mistakes during cloud migration

· 3 approaches for AS400 to Cloud migration

Let’s dive in.

Unpacking the Fear of Missing Out on AS400 Cloud Migration

Here are the 5 potential consequences of not embracing cloud migration:

Inadequate Accessibility and Collaboration

Refusing the AS400 migration to cloud, you are inviting limited accessibility and collaboration, leading to productivity bottlenecks. The choice reinforces manual processes, scalability issues, and data fragmentation, impacting your organization’s growth.

By embracing AS400 migration services, you unleash a range of benefits including smooth collaboration, single-source data, and easy scalability. This transformation fast-forwards the processes and empowers managers and decision-makers such as you to focus on core business matters.

Constrained Scalability and Flexibility

The outdated AS400 system has its own merits, but it is growing irrelevant. Continuing with the legacy system in the digital era jeopardizes scalability and flexibility. Modern business requires systems that are adaptable as against to functionalities offered by AS400.

Failing to embrace modern technology such as the Cloud is like missing the train that is heading to your destination.

Lifeless Modernization and Innovation

Traditional AS400 system often requires significant time and investment to introduce new services or apps, however, with the cloud, it is a job of a few minutes.

This strength empowers small, medium, and large businesses to experiment with new ideas, increase time to market, and grab new opportunities, which are bound to be missed by your competitors using AS400 systems. Not embracing the AS400 cloud migration opportunity is like swimming against a wave.

Inefficient Cost Management

Did you know, that 66% of organizations reported cost savings with cloud migration, according to a study by Flexera.

Not embracing the Cloud transformation over AS400 has twofold drawbacks:

1. Operational Expenses involving high upfront costs for hardware, license, maintenance, and upgrades.

2. Missed Opportunities due to rigid model, the chance to align expenses with the actual usage, resulting in the inability to swiftly seize new opportunities.

Weakened Competitive Edge

By staying tied to the traditional AS/400 system you risk stifling innovation, hindering scalability, and impeding agility granting your competitors the upper hand to grab the new opportunities and potentially starving your business of growth.

Can your business afford a weakened edge, while competitors leverage cloud-powered flexibility for strategic advantage?

We guess not!

Are you ready to make the most of the cloud transformation?

Reach out to a reliable AS400 migration services provider and take the decisive step today.

Learn from the following mistakes before you make the move and plan carefully to ensure a successful migration.

Unpacking the Fear of Messing Up AS400 Cloud Migration

AS400 to cloud migration is a substantial decision that determines the future of your organization — and one that should not be taken lightly.

Lack of Knowledge

Before considering migration to the cloud, get your homework done. Get a clear picture of what are your goals, underline the security concerns, and a strategic cloud transition plan to ensure smooth business continuity.

Lack of Planning

Cloud migration requires a strategic approach. Evaluate what migrates to the cloud and what stays on-premises to avoid unpleasant surprises. Remember to create a backup & disaster plan before proceeding with the AS400 migration to cloud journey.

Inaccurate Cost Assessment

Many decision-makers miscalculate the cloud migration cost and end up spending more than the plan. You can avoid this by evaluating different pricing models offered by different cloud providers and picking the most suitable one.

Please note that the cloud services differ among AS400 service providers. Assess their pricing structures and services to get the best deal.

Improper Risk Assessment

Moving data to the cloud involves risk. Prioritize the risk assessment plan and assign responsibility before initiating your cloud migration operations. A solid disaster plan is a must-have for emergencies.

Migrating All at Once

Moving complete data all at once is usually a recipe for disaster. It is complicated, full of risks, and time-drinking. Instead, start with the non-critical data and applications and let them solve the existing problems before migrating the critical workload.

Improper Testing

Inadequate testing can turn meticulous planning into futile. Ensure to conduct a thorough pre- and post-migration testing, adapting to meet the evolving needs.

Neglecting Staff Training

It is a mistake to assume self-discovery in the process of successful AS400 cloud migration; it will only lead to mistakes and frustration. It is a good idea to hire an expert or outsource to a professional cloud provider to ensure a smooth shift, desired outcome, and error-free system transformation journey.

Not Making an Exit Plan

Don’t ignore the exit plan in your cloud migration strategy. Create an exit plan that will allow you to quickly get back to your on-premises environment if critical.

Failing to Update Documentation

After successful migration, prepare for documentation such as network diagrams, application inventory, and runbooks to keep your records updated for efficient problem-solving.

Don’t let the fear hold you back — whether it is the fear of missing out on the AS400 migration to the cloud or the fear of messing up the cloud migration.

Now that we’ve understood what potential mistakes can be in AS400 migration let’s move on to another crucial aspect — Different Approaches to Cloud Migration.

What are the Different Approaches to AS400 Cloud Migration?

Have you committed to cloud migration? Check out these 3 Cloud Migration approaches for a seamless transition of your AS400 system.

Lift & Shift Approach to AS400 Cloud Migration

It is the primary approach that is commonly preferred by organizations seeking fast migration with minimal changes. You simply lift the AS400 applications and shift them to the cloud.

It is the best approach if your business doesn’t involve vast architectural changes or complex application changes. It is the simplest method when minimal disruption is desired.

Another reason for its popularity among decision-makers is the significant cost efficiency along with leveraging scalability, performance, and security.

Why Choose this Approach?

It offers -

· Minimal risk

· Cost-Effectiveness

· Speedy transformation

Refactoring Approach to AS400 Cloud Migration

This approach is a step beyond simple lift-and-shift. It involves multiple aspects including an extra focus on performance, scalability, and efficiency improvement.

It may include rearchitecting components, redesigning code, utilizing cloud services, and making the most of the cloud environment.

It is a popular choice among many decision-makers owing to its strategic benefits such as better efficiency in the long run and higher return on the cloud investment.

Why Choose this Approach?

It offers-

· Long-term cost efficiency

· Higher return on the investments

· Adaptability to changing business demands

Re-platforming Approach to AS400 Cloud Migration

The re-platforming approach to AS400 iSeries migration involves modernizing the existing infrastructure to align with cloud capabilities.

By adapting the approach, businesses enhance performance, scalability, and resource utilization.

One of the best features of this approach is, that it aids in reducing technical costs while eliminating costly blunders that may emerge down the road.

Why Choose this Approach?

It offers:

· Maximized cost savings

· Agile & flexible operations

· Enhanced security at a lower cost

Wrapping up,

AS400 cloud migration is more than a mere change. It is like your ticket to better collaboration, robust security, and unparalleled growth.

Are you ready to ditch your fear and take your organization to the pathway of success?

If yes, kudos! You have taken a step forward toward an agile, modern, robust, competitive, and future-ready business.

We are Integrative Systems, your reliable cloud migration solutions partner. Take your first step and reach out to us at contact@integrativesystems.com. We will be happy to help you with your AS400 iSeries & cloud migration queries.