Northdoor launches IBM ISeries modernisation service

Consultancy director David Ballard says the aim is to improve user productivity and unlock ROI “for years to come” by modernising existing systems. He makes the point that System i applications are written in legacy RPG code, meaning that skills shortages and high maintenance costs, as well as lack of support for innovations such as web-services, are real problems. On top of that, there are well known limits with green-screen systems. “Despite the limitations of System i applications, many companies are rightly reluctant to replace them, as they are reliable and encapsulate extensive and proven business logic,” says Ballard. “But there is a way to extend the life of these investments for many years to come. System i applications can now be modernised to present user-friendly and productive Windows interfaces and to allow new functionality, including web-services, to be incorporated via modern technologies such as Microsoft .Net and Java.” Northdoor uses the RAMP (Rapid Application Modernisation Process) software tool from application development firm Lansa. The company has been providing System i, iSeries and AS/400 expertise to organisations for around 18 years, and is now an IBM Premier Partner.