IBM i · Island Pacific
Island Pacific Merchandising Consulting & Support
Upgrade, extend, and support Island Pacific merchandise management with a team that has done it at scale. SIS upgraded a $5B global retailer from Island Pacific v1.5 to v19.1 with zero impact on sales.
- Version upgrades
- Customization rationalization
- Production support with SLAs
Your merchandising system runs the business. Upgrading it cannot stop the business.
The Island Pacific Merchandise Management System (MMS), part of Island Pacific's SmartSuite retail software, sits at the center of many specialty retailers: purchasing, allocation, pricing, inventory, and the financial stock ledger. Over years of use, most installations accumulate custom objects and integrations that make upgrades feel too risky to attempt, which leaves retailers on old versions with limited vendor support and rising maintenance cost.
SIS specializes in breaking that stalemate. We analyze every customization, consolidate functionality back into core Island Pacific wherever the current version supports it, upgrade with disciplined scope and risk management, and keep integrations to stores, eCommerce, warehouses, and finance working throughout.
Because Island Pacific runs on IBM i, our broader IBM i practice covers the platform, data, and integration work that surrounds it, so you have one partner for the whole stack.
When retailers call us about Island Pacific.
You are several versions behind
Vendor support is limited, and every year on an old release raises upgrade cost and risk.
Customizations block upgrades
Hundreds of custom objects make the upgrade path unclear and the estimate frightening.
Integrations are fragile
Interfaces to WMS, eCommerce, POS, and finance break in ways only one person can fix.
Business needs have outgrown the setup
New channels, zones, or business units need capabilities the current configuration does not support.
Support depends on a few people
Island Pacific and IBM i expertise is concentrated in a small team near retirement.
Reporting is limited
Merchandising and finance want better visibility into Island Pacific data.
Island Pacific services across the lifecycle.
Version upgrades
Planning and execution of Island Pacific upgrades, including multi-version jumps from legacy releases.
Custom-object analysis
Tool-assisted scanning and comparison of custom objects to identify what changes, what moves to core, and what retires.
Implementation and tailoring
Configuring and tailoring Island Pacific to complex retail business models.
Integration
Interfaces between Island Pacific and supply chain, financial, warehouse management, and eCommerce systems.
Production support
Monitoring, incident response, and SLA-based support for Island Pacific and its IBM i environment.
Enhancements and reporting
Enhancement projects and data access that maximize the value of the system you own.
How an Island Pacific upgrade runs.
- 01
Analyze
Inventory custom objects, integrations, and business processes against the target version.
- 02
Plan
Set a well-defined scope, staffing plan, and risk register before work begins.
- 03
Upgrade
Execute with a dedicated team while production support continues in parallel.
- 04
Stabilize
Validate sales, merchandising, and ledger processing, then hand off documented systems.
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.
1,280 custom objects were updated in just over 5,000 hours, functionality was consolidated back into core Island Pacific, and future upgrade costs were cut by an estimated 30%.
Read the case study- Sales disruption
- 0Sales disruption
- Custom objects updated
- 1,280Custom objects updated
- Future upgrade cost cut
- ~30%Future upgrade cost cut
Island Pacific experience that is hard to find.
Proven at scale
We have upgraded a two-decade-old Island Pacific installation for a $5B global retailer.
Purpose-built tooling
Our custom-object analysis tooling turns an unknowable upgrade into a planned one.
Full-stack IBM i
Platform, data, and integration support from the same team that knows the application.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
Island Pacific questions
What is Island Pacific?
Island Pacific is a retail software vendor. Its Merchandise Management System (MMS), part of the SmartSuite product family, is used by specialty retailers for purchasing, allocation, pricing, inventory management, and financial stock ledger. The core merchandising suite is written in RPG and runs on IBM i.
Can you upgrade a very old Island Pacific version?
Yes. SIS upgraded a global retailer from Island Pacific v1.5, implemented in 2001, to v19.1, updating 1,280 custom objects with zero impact on sales or merchandise processing.
How do you handle years of customizations during an upgrade?
We use tool-assisted analysis to scan and compare custom objects against the target version, identify which are impacted, map custom fields, and consolidate functionality back into the core product where possible, which reduces future upgrade cost.
Our Island Pacific system runs on Power9. Do we have to replace it?
No. First-generation Power9 servers lost IBM standard service in January 2026, but that is a hardware and release decision, not a reason to abandon the application. Most retailers can move Island Pacific to Power10 or Power11, or to IBM Power Virtual Server, and upgrade IBM i at the same time. We help you compare that path with replacement before you commit.
Do you provide ongoing Island Pacific support?
Yes. We provide production support, system monitoring, and SLA-based response for Island Pacific and the IBM i environment it runs on.
Plan your Island Pacific upgrade with confidence.
Tell us which version you are on and what is in the way. A senior SIS consultant will follow up within one business day.