IBM i development is changing.
Developers increasingly expect to work through modern tools such as Visual Studio Code and browser-based applications.
Businesses want their IBM i applications to connect and integrate more easily with wider enterprise platforms. And artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to influence how IBM i development teams work.
The challenge for IBM i leaders is adopting these changes without losing the governance and control that protect production systems.
That challenge is what the latest release of Remain Software’s IBM i change management tool TD/OMS addresses.
Watch the full presentation on TD/OMS V18.1 with Andy Nicholson below.
What’s new in TD/OMS V18.1?
TD/OMS V18.1 is built around four connected components:
- TD/OMS continues to provide lifecycle control, approval, and deployment governance.
- Octo gives developers a modern browser and Visual Studio Code experience.
- APIs allow the platform to connect with other systems and automated processes.
- Octo AI Studio provides a governed route into artificial intelligence.
Together, these four elements turn TD/OMS into a broader, more open DevOps platform for IBM i, rather than a standalone change management tool.
What challenge does TD/OMS V18.1 address for IBM i developers?
IBM i teams are under pressure from two directions at once.
Developers want to work in the tools they already use elsewhere.
The business wants IBM i systems tied into its wider enterprise tool set. Often that requirement is complicated with the desire to start using AI within the business.
The risk is that adopting modern development tools and AI capability comes at the cost of the approval, testing, and deployment control that keeps production IBM i systems stable.
For an IT leader responsible for that system, that’s a trade-off not to take lightly.
Remain’s Octo tool makes TD/OMS capabilities available through the browser and Visual Studio Code, so developers can work through familiar, modern tools while staying inside the same controlled TD/OMS lifecycle used today.
Version 18.1 also improves the day-to-day development experience within that lifecycle:
- Component dependencies are now grouped and easier to filter, so developers can see what a change will affect more quickly.
- Task solutions can be narrowed by object type and environment, cutting down on unnecessary searching.
- Branches can be stashed with a recorded reason instead of being permanently deleted, so in-progress work is retained safely rather than lost.
These changes reduce unnecessary searching, improve awareness of the impact of a change before it is made, and help developers manage change more safely.
None of the changes introduced as part of the new release alters the approval and deployment controls TD/OMS already enforces.
Put together, TD/OMS provides the control, Octo provides the modern experience, APIs provide openness and integration, and Octo AI Studio provides governed intelligence.
For an IBM i organisation, that combination means the ability to modernise the development experience and start using AI, while keeping the traceability and deployment controls the business already depends on.
For a technical lead, that means a familiar, modern working environment connected to the wider enterprise tool set.
For a business leader weighing risk against reward, it means that IBM i modernisation and AI adoption do not have to come at the expense of control over a system the business runs on.
Explore TD/OMS with Proximity
Proximity resells and supports TD/OMS as part of a wider set of IBM i application services and development tools
If your organisation is running IBM i and weighing up how to modernise and manage development processes, contact Proximity to arrange a demonstration of TD/OMS.
