Market Trends

IBM i Market Trends

Adoption and buying signals for the IBM i and IBM Power ecosystem, drawn from named surveys and IBM's own bulletin activity, with editorial interpretation clearly labeled as such.

IBM i 7.6 begins early adoption

Evidence: Fortra's survey reports early IBM i 7.6 adoption among respondents alongside continued IBM i 7.5 growth.

What it means: Upgrade guidance should segment readers by application readiness, hardware compatibility, support deadlines, and operational appetite rather than assuming one release path fits everyone.

Fortra 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results

Power11 begins early adoption while Power10 remains central

Evidence: Fortra's 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey reports roughly 3% Power11 adoption among respondents, while Power10 adoption grew to roughly 60%.

What it means: The market is segmented among early Power11 buyers, expanding Power10 estates, and older-system migration candidates. A single hardware pitch will not serve all three.

Fortra 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results

Security, availability, and recoverability are converging

Evidence: Current IBM bulletins span Java, OpenSSH, WebSphere Liberty, and Power firmware, while HA/DR vendors increasingly combine replication, monitoring, security, and managed recovery in one portfolio.

What it means: Buyers and comparisons should evaluate operational recovery and security maintenance together rather than as separate purchases.

AS400 Software AI editorial synthesis