Start with the work you want to improve
Choose the business result first. That may be a secure partner file, a finished overnight job or an application your team can recover after an outage. The right comparison makes it easier to choose the software and the help you need to put it to work.
Our buying guides connect those decisions to the IBM i software families in Midland's catalog. Each guide explains the choices, gives practical trial cases and helps define a useful quote.
Security and secure file transfer
Cybersecurity
Compare access controls, sign-on protection and security reporting around the risks in your IBM i environment. Find the coverage your next software purchase needs.
SIEM & Syslog
Compare IBM i log forwarding by the events it collects and the answers it delivers in your security system. Plan a trial that follows an event all the way into an investigation.
Encryption & Data Protection
Compare IBM i encryption, masking and file protection by the data people need to use. Plan the key recovery and application tests that make the purchase workable.
Password Self-Service
Compare password self-service for IBM i around identity checks and account recovery. Find the reset, profile-enablement and help-desk features your staff need.
Secure File Transfer
Compare IBM i file-transfer software around your bank, trading partner and application requirements. Find the protocol, automation and recovery features the complete exchange needs.
AI SIEM buying guides
Compare AI-assisted security investigation, platform costs and the work of running the service.
Operations and business applications
Job Scheduling
Compare IBM i job schedulers by dependencies, recovery and the systems a job must reach. Find the controls that keep a late or failed job from becoming a missed business deadline.
IT & Business Monitoring
Compare IBM i monitoring by the systems and business processes it must watch. Find alerts that tell the right person what needs attention and why it matters.
Backup, Recovery & Availability
Compare IBM i backup, high availability and disaster recovery by the work you need to recover. Find the restore and switchover tests that belong in the buying decision.
BI & Query Reporting
Compare IBM i query and reporting tools around the answers your team needs. Find the data access, distribution and performance choices that make reports useful in daily work.
RPG & Web Development
Compare IBM i development tools around the part of the application you want to improve. Separate a browser interface from deeper changes to business logic and integration.
Spool Files & Electronic Forms
Compare spool conversion and electronic forms around the invoices, statements and reports your business sends. Find the layout, delivery and recovery features each document needs.
Digital Archiving
Compare digital archives by the records you retain and how people retrieve them. Find the search, retention and export choices that will matter years after the purchase.
Mainframe Software
Compare mainframe log forwarding and data-integration software by source records and receiving applications. Find the mapping, delivery and workload tests the connection needs.
Compare a native function, an add-on and a service
| Approach | When it is worth comparing | What the demonstration should establish |
|---|---|---|
| Existing IBM i functions | The required work may already fit the functions your team uses. | Coverage, staff effort and the operating process. |
| Specialist software | The work needs additional control, automation or reporting. | The improvement on a representative business task. |
| A managed service | The business needs ongoing work as well as a software license. | Who monitors, investigates, changes and recovers the service. |
Where existing IBM i functions may fit
A separate product is useful when it solves a problem worth paying to remove. We would first compare the required work with the functions and skills you already have.
A manual process may be adequate for an occasional task. A business deadline, recurring audit or growing partner list can change the value of automation. The comparison should include the staff time needed to keep either approach working.
Where specialist software earns its place
An add-on can bring a consistent view of work that otherwise lives in several scripts, screens or teams. A practical trial shows the improvement on the job your staff need to complete.
We would separate the base license from optional modules and implementation. That makes it easier to see which part of the quote delivers each required result.
Where a managed service can help
A service adds people and agreed responsibilities to the software decision. The proposal should identify who watches the system, handles exceptions and approves a change.
Our managed AI SIEM guide gives a security-specific example. The same buying principle applies elsewhere: a license and an ongoing service need their own scope.
Build a software shortlist you can take to a trial
- Name the result. Describe the business task and the problem the purchase should remove.
- Compare it on your work. Use a representative file, job, report or recovery case in the demonstration.
- Price the complete scope. Include the license, optional features, setup and the people maintaining it.
Bring the system and the business requirement together
A useful software discussion starts with the IBM i release, the partitions involved and the application or process you want to improve. If a hardware change is also planned, we would review how the software fits that destination.
Use the upgrade guides for changes to the system you run, or the migration guides for moving the workload. Then discuss your software shortlist with Midland.