In our blog Container-based software we focused on how Cloud Pak packaging enables new kind of flexibility in the use of licenses, as the license itself always includes access to many IBM products. In this blog, we will discuss the transformation of IT.

Few companies have the opportunity to start from a clean slate with IT in 2020. Organizations are rarely willing to invest in existing, mature systems;  on the contrary, their cost level is expected to fall. At the same time, it is expected that the IT department should play its part in promoting digitalization and flexibly enabling the creation of new services. Those with weaker nerves would already be anxious!

That's why it's the job to help IT units on the transformation journey and be there to make sure they have the keys to success in their hands when they need them.

The reality is - it´s complicated

Multi-cloud environments, third-party ready-made SaaS applications, agile development models, IoT devices, and an exponential increase in data represent a reality that none of us can escape. How we manage and take advantage of these new opportunities (or threats?) is the most important issue at this point.

Where to start

The first step, especially with existing customers, is to build a map of the current condition of the target state. Although we know that the modernization of business-critical systems in particular is a long way to go, we must immediately open up dialogue on that, too. If we don't, someone else will go knocking on the door.

IBM's approach with Cloud Paks is, in practice, never "rip and replace": rather, it aims to introduce modular tools that are always utilized in the way that best suits each requirement. These three areas can also be viewed as a large IT entity or as individual elements, depending on the situation. There is no right or wrong way: there is only the most suitable way for the customer – and that is what we adapt to.

Useful tools from IBM

To support this work, IBM has created a lot of tools for partners to use as well. For example, as part of the Cloud Pak for Applications package, IBM offers a Transformation Advisor to analyze the customer's current application environment and find the items with the lowest modernization threshold as well as the greatest cost benefits.

In this way, it is possible to clearly visualize the current state of the environment and the recommended measures towards a more modern microservice architecture, and also show the migration plan itself so that it delivers as much benefit as possible to the customer in the shortest possible time.

Cloud Pak for Applications itself offers a wide range of application development tools for agile development and a reliable management layer for the whole. The application servers themselves are naturally at the heart of Cloud Pak – within Cloud Pak, customers obtain the opportunity to take advantage not only of various versions of IBM's WebSphere Application Server (WAS), but also of RedHat's application platforms.