In this clip from the Dewhirst Group ShowMe Barcode Case Study, Paul Medforth, IT Manager discusses why they chose ShowMe Barcode to replace the incumbent barcoding systems within their #IBMi enterprise.
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For the full video case study, see our ShowMe Barcode page

.Utilities 400 provide B2B eCommerce for business both on and off the IBM i.  For more details please see ShowMe Webshop for on-premise IBM i eCommerce and iVolution Webshop offsite and non-IBM i installations.

IBM i 7.1 was launched on April 13th 2010 and is the longest supported release of any IBM i midrange platform in the family history since the birth of AS/400.  Before now, IBM i 7.1 had support for 2,929 days, against an average of 1,436 days across 25 releases since June 1988 when the AS/400 was launched.  With the proposal that 7.1 will enjoy another support extension, this time of two years, we will have seen an incredible 4,755 days of support.

Here's a chart originally published by IT Jungle that details the release cycle:

Alison Butterill, IBM i office manager said of the proposed extension, "We have a number of clients who have not yet moved for a variety of reasons, some of the reasons for customers staying with IBM i 7.1 are due to applications, some are due to support for peripheral devices they need.”

Utilities 400 are committed to supporting our IBM i customer base on multiple levels of IBM i OS.  Indeed, we still will have a partition on our development box that runs on v5.3.  So, if you still have a box that's over 15 years old, we still have iterations of our solutions that can support you.  ​

A recent report completed by IDC suggests that modernised IBM i and System Z applications enjoy both a higher satisfaction rating and lower overall costs than migrating off those platforms.  

IDC measured the results of modernisation and migration projects by surveying IT leaders at 440 businesses in Australia, India, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States and published the results in their 'Quantified Business Benefits of Modernising IBM Z and IBM i to Spur Innovation'.   The report investigated a range of metrics including performance, experience, security, web enablement, agility and more and across ALL metrics, the businesses that modernised their applications scored higher than their migrated counterparts. 

The study pointed out that modernising not only reduced risk from replatforming but also improved innovation potential and allowed the business in question to grow faster.  The IDC report found that stigma against legacy machines is unfounded and that using the rich information collated by the incumbent systems can be reused and repurposed to great effect. 

Indeed, businesses that modernised their IBM i enterprise have done so with a view on improving key areas with the most popular digital transformation initiatives for IBM i businesses including IoT, Analytics and Web enablement.

In conclusion, the study highlighted that there are great opportunities for IBM i businesses to improve their operations through modernisation.  Applications from business such as Utilities 400 can help empower business to enact on new technologies WITHOUT the need to migrate. 

IBM continue the growth of its Power Systems.  In the second quarter ended in June, the server market turned in one of the best quarters in its history – even when you consider the inflation adjusted revenues from the peak Dot-Com Boom nearly two decades ago as 2000 was coming to a close. According to the research done by IDC, server spending rose by 19.8 percent to $24.04 billion, and server shipments rose in near parallel by 18.4 percent to 3.19 million machines. 

For the full story, please read the article at IT Jungle:
https://www.itjungle.com/2020/09/14/just-how-big-is-the-whole-power-systems-business/

Join us on Tuesday 18th August for a webinar regarding the impact of COVID-19 on B2B purchasing decisions.  During this 25 minute session, we'll analyse the key points highlighted within the latest industry reports and discuss the trends for B2B purchasing, the risks of continuing conventional methodologies and how best to improve business opportunities through an eCommerce strategy dedicated towards your IBM i enterprise.
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To join the webinar, please first register using the button below:

The session will be recorded so should you register and not be able to attend, then you will receive a link to view webinar at your convenience. 

Each attendee [live or recorded] will receive a link to download our whitepaper 'Killing COVID-19 through eCommerce'

At Utilities 400, we understand how difficult it is for the IBM i Enterprise to provide Business Continuity during the COVID-19 crisis.  To this end, we've launched a campaign to help deliver business critical data, documents and reports to your remote workers, suppliers, partners and clients through the use of a FREE license of RouteOne.

For more information on how to take advantage of this offer (and our own statement on business continuity), please visit or COVID-19 page at www.uti400.com/COVID19 

We wish you all the very best during these difficult times.  Please stay safe.

​Andy Nicholson | anicholson@uti400.com

Turn green screens into automation is a video from a recent Utilities 400 webinar.   During the webinar we explained how you could remove manual, error prone data entry through the use of iKeyer, our automated virtual terminal.

​During the session we were joined by Jacqueline Jeffrey, IT Manager of Eclipse Blinds.  On 13:00, she explains how iKeyer helped her business save many thousands of pounds per year.  Later, on 20:00, Steve Close, our IT Director provides a demonstration using example data from our real-life business experiences. 

You can now view the video from the webinar below:

Utilities 400, one of the world’s leading independent software houses on developing enterprise solutions for the IBM i enterprise, has welcomed two new specialists to its development and support team.

Utilities 400 R&D and support team are excited to welcome Diarmuid Drew and Des Hyde as senior development and product consultants.

Diarmuid enjoys 30 years of IT experience working predominantly as a senior analyst programmer. In addition to being well versed in all phases of the software development lifecycle, he’s also a keen fisher and in his spare time, can be found wallowing in the banks of rivers searching for bass.

Des too has a 30 year history in IT as a programmer and support lead on IBM i. She specialises in warehousing and interfaces but also has broad career in helping businesses improve processes and functionality. Des also enjoys Campanology, a study of the craft and play of bell ringing.

Please join us in welcoming Des and Diarmuid to the Utilities 400 family!