IBM i · Health Check
IBM i (AS400) Health Check
Know exactly where your IBM i stands: what is out of support, what is slowing down, what only one person understands, and what to do first. A focused review from U.S.-based IBM i specialists, with a plan you can act on.
- Support and lifecycle exposure
- Key-person risk mapped
- Prioritized action plan
Most IBM i risk is invisible until something breaks.
IBM i systems are famously reliable, which is exactly why they drift out of view. Releases fall behind, hardware ages past standard service, performance degrades a little each year, and the knowledge needed to fix problems concentrates in fewer and fewer people. In the 2026 Fortra IBM i Marketplace Survey, IBM i skills became the top concern of IBM i shops for the first time, ahead of cybersecurity.
An IBM i health check brings all of that into view at once. SIS reviews your environment, applications, and team, then ranks what needs attention by risk and business impact, from urgent support exposure to longer-term modernization opportunities.
It is also the fastest way to answer questions leadership is asking right now: Are we supported? What happens if our senior developer retires? Should we upgrade, modernize, move to the cloud, or replace?
A health check is a good next step if...
You are not sure what is still supported
Release levels, PTFs, hardware service status, and ISV support have not been reviewed in a while.
Performance is creeping down
Batch windows are stretching, queries are slower, and nobody has had time to find out why.
One person knows everything
A senior developer or administrator is the only safety net for critical programs and jobs.
Data is hard to reach
Reporting and integrations depend on custom extracts that are fragile or slow.
Security has not been reviewed
User profiles, authorities, and exit points have not had a fresh look since the system was set up.
A big decision is coming
An upgrade, modernization, cloud move, or replacement is on the table, and you need a baseline.
What the health check covers.
Lifecycle and support exposure
IBM i release, PTF, hardware, and third-party software support status, with dates and recommended actions.
Performance review
Batch, Db2 for i query, memory, and I/O observations with quick-win tuning opportunities.
Security basics
A practical review of user profiles, special authorities, object security, and common exposure points.
Application and code landscape
Size and shape of your RPG, COBOL, and CL estate, customization debt, and documentation gaps.
Skills and key-person risk
Which systems depend on which people, and where knowledge must be captured first.
Prioritized action plan
Findings ranked by risk and value, from immediate fixes to upgrade and modernization options.
How the health check works.
- 01
Kickoff
A short call to confirm scope, access, and the questions leadership needs answered.
- 02
Collect
System data collection and interviews with the people who run and support the platform.
- 03
Analyze
SIS specialists review lifecycle, performance, security, code, and skills findings.
- 04
Review
A working session on findings and the action plan, plus a written summary for leadership.
Modernizing a 20-year retail platform while preserving business continuity
$5B global fashion retailer. Upgrading core merchandise and financial stock ledger from Island Pacific v1.5 (2001) to v19.1, without touching high-volume sales or merchandise processing.
Understanding an IBM i estate precisely, down to 1,280 custom objects, is what turned a high-risk upgrade into a zero-disruption one. The health check applies the same rigor to your environment.
Read the case study- Sales disruption
- 0Sales disruption
- Custom objects updated
- 1,280Custom objects updated
- Future upgrade cost cut
- ~30%Future upgrade cost cut
A review from people who have run IBM i for decades.
Platform depth
SIS has supported IBM i since the AS400 era, across RPG, COBOL, Db2 for i, and retail applications.
Independent
We do not resell hardware or hosting, so recommendations follow your needs, not a quota.
Built to act on
Every finding comes with a recommended action, and our team can deliver any of them if you want help.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
IBM i health check questions
What is an IBM i health check?
A focused review of an IBM i (AS400) environment covering release and hardware support status, performance, security basics, application and code landscape, and key-person risk. It ends with a prioritized action plan.
How long does an IBM i health check take?
Most health checks take two to three weeks from kickoff to the findings session, depending on the size of the environment and how quickly access and interviews can be scheduled.
Do you need on-site access?
Usually not. Most of the work is done remotely with read access and interviews. We can come on-site if you prefer.
Is this a security audit?
It includes a practical security review of common exposure points, not a formal compliance audit. If deeper security work is warranted, the action plan will say so.
What happens after the health check?
You own the findings and the plan. Many clients act on quick wins internally and bring SIS in for upgrades, modernization, integration, or support where they need extra capacity.
Book your IBM i health check.
Tell us about your IBM i environment and the questions you need answered. A senior SIS IBM i consultant will follow up within one business day.