As the end of IBM V7R4 standard support is only just around the corner, it is critical to ensure that you have a roadmap to move to V7R5 or V7R6 if you have not already done so.
Applications running on these IBMi Power Systems are business critical as they are operating at the heart of the business and by staying or V7R4 you run the risk of being  exposed to security issues and falling behind in technical debt, which in turn will cost more to maintain / modernise over time if they are left alone.
As IDC and Alex Woodle said https://www.itjungle.com/2023/03/22/ibm-i-has-a-future-if-kept-up-to-date-idc-says/ – IBM i has a future, but it must be kept up to date. Therefore, it is imperative that these systems are considered like any other system and not just the legacy system that looks out of date. A testament to IBM is that this is not your typical system that was released over 2 decades ago and has support for open sources environments like git / python / ansible.
The applications running on these systems if kept up to date might be already compatible however, more often than not I am finding these core applications that are using Java on IBM power for i, such as IBM WebSphere Application Server, in house-built applications or even third party are still using Java 8. One of the critical items in recent years was getting to V7R4 because Java 7 is not an installable option and therefore, this often requires upgrades to existing applications or middleware before upgrading to later versions, not to mention the testing effort required.
Typically, most third-party software is compatible with version with V7R5, as it has been available for several years already and likely 7.6 compatible too. If your hardware is unable to support newer releases, you have two options: upgrade your system to one that supports V7R5 or move to a cloud service that supports V7R5 or above.
One of the big drivers to move to 7.6 would be for MFA built into the IBMi OS however, I’m still hearing that while software is compatible with 7.6 in that they will run, they are inclusive of the later functionality available. I wonder if it’s because Java 8 is still supported on 7.6 by IBM. However, with Java 8 extended support (on non-IBM power systems) ending soon to me this is a clear indication to migrate to a later version now, which is supported on 7.6, as I’m sure you already know.
Therefore, now is a great time to consider IBM Power 11 and 7.6 to remain current and open new doors.
If you’d like to discuss this further, then email me at [email protected]
