As companies move towards modern mobile applications, the first question that comes up is, “Do we need to dismantle our existing system?” (More on that here.) And the second might be, “Do we have to hire new people?”
Fortunately, the answer to both questions is ‘no.’
The question of whether to hire new talent most commonly comes up for IT teams who are skilled in older languages such as RPG. But here’s the good news: existing teams with knowledge of RPG can often create new mobile applications that work with existing IBM i systems.
The IBM i platform has evolved to support web and mobile applications written in both new languages as well as RPG. Applications written in RPG do away with the traditional “green screens,” and can work with the reporting data to present it in more visually appealing formats. They can also deliver graphical reporting on different web and mobile interfaces.
To accomplish these goals will definitely require a certain amount of upskilling for staff to become acquainted with the latest developments in RPG. However, this is usually not a daunting task for people who already have had years of experience in working with the language.
Additionally, with some training, teams already familiar with RPG typically don’t have too much trouble transitioning to some of the modern languages that are compatible with the IBM i—PHP, Ruby, Python, Java and JavaScript. Today, the IBM i platform supports many of these languages for development of mobile applications.
While existing teams may be perfectly capable of building modern web and mobile applications, it can also be wise to consider the specialized expertise of third-party vendors to do the job. While vetting prospective vendors, here are a few key considerations that you’ll want to consider to help with that decision:
|
These are just some of the important questions to consider for companies who are looking to “go mobile” with their enterprise architecture. Chances are, your existing team can be leveraged to develop the modern applications that your business needs; and should you decide to bring on board third-party vendors, just be sure to consider some of the factors outlined here. Also keep in mind, PSGi serves as a strategic partner to help your organization address its mobility goals while preserving your investment in both your IBM i infrastructure and your human resources.