Following is an excerpt from an article published in a fourth quarter edition of InfoWorld, a leading IT trade publication. It will give you the perspective of an unbiased industry analyst.

Quick! Do you know which platform can concurrently run multiple operating systems, including multiple Linux and Windows servers; execute your Web services and J2EE strategy; integrate with .Net; and host Web applications and data warehouses with ease? The answer might be already sitting in the corner of your datacenter, crunching on code. Yet iSeries remains an oft-misunderstood platform. 

In the past, IBM's AS/400 models provided a solid and reliable mechanism for supporting core business applications. The iSeries supports these same core business functions, but adds integrated access to evolving technologies including open source software, Web services, and advanced clustering.
 
Thanks to its adaptable structure, it's now possible for iSeries to act in one or more of three platform roles: front-end server, to support Web-based graphical user interfaces; middle-tier platform, to execute business logic; and back-end system, to easily manage large data sets. 

If you still think of that big black box in the corner as just a platform to execute legacy code, there's a lot you're missing. Knowing a bit more about iSeries' abilities can yield significant cost-savings while deploying advanced technologies. 

One to Many

Implementing a consolidated server strategy on the iSeries doesn't change server administration tasks, such as applying security patches or managing user accounts. But it will help enterprises save a significant amount of time and money by better managing hardware and infrastructure tasks, such as performing server upgrades and centralizing backup and recovery measures. Combining multiple servers in a single footprint reduces expenditures, regardless of whether the iSeries is running Windows, Linux, or OS/400. 

A recent IDC study shows considerable savings for shops that consolidated Windows and Linux servers on the iSeries. The study found that customers averaged an ROI of 200 percent or better with the iSeries. In addition, these shops found payback in approximately nine months, a 90 percent reduction in server downtime, and a 22 percent increase in IT productivity. 

With more than 700,000 iSeries deployed, no two shops will use the platform in exactly the same manner. Customizing a server to your business instead of vice versa allows you to focus on corporate objectives rather than on balancing business needs against the technological constraints introduced by other server platforms. 

Developers aren't ignoring iSeries, either. They can use the Eclipse-based WDSC (WebSphere Development Studio Client) for iSeries - a superset of WebSphere Studio Application Developer - to work on everything from Web services projects to J2EE apps to legacy maintenance tasks. Web service development tools and private and public registry support allow developers to publish and consume Web services internally or with business partners. 

Realizing Potential

Its technical flexibility is valuable in today's slashed-budget world, but iSeries' reliability and scalability - two traits that defined the AS/400 - remain its foundation. That scalability will play an important role in iSeries' future, too; its architecture contains core autonomic computing capabilities that give the iSeries a leg up with IBM's on-demand computing strategy. Early next year, IBM will add two more key features: the capability of running AIX in LPARs (logical partitions) on the iSeries and more dynamic allocation of resources, including memory and processors, across LPARs. 

IBM also provides a Web-based sizing tool called iSeries Workload Estimator to assist companies with determining how to best structure system resources. The iSeries' LPAR support, in particular, can be useful for segregating workloads and maximizing disk, memory, and processors for each type of workload. Giving each type of application its needed resources, speeds processing and maximizes available hardware. 

Next year, iSeries LPAR support will enable dynamic movement of system resources, part of IBM's autonomic strategy, based on workloads as they are executing. These dynamic features will bring iSeries from a legacy-code cruncher to a dynamic worker that can quickly rearrange reources based on a constant stream of incoming data. 

Although many shops already have iSeries in house and others are considering it, not all of them fully understand everything the platform can do. As the platform evolves to include a greater number of technologies, IBM must balance the changes with the need to inform existing and potential customers of the iSeries' additions.

The iSeries' hybrid nature continues to make this platform an attractive solution. Pulling the system out of the corner and into the spotlight allows enterprises to directly tailor the technologies they implement with the business needs at hand. The forthcoming capabilities, including AIX LPARs and dynamic LPAR adjustments, show that the chameleonlike iSeries will continue changing technology colors to match enterprises' evolving demands.