IBM i Systems Administration in a Shrinking Skills Market
4 March 2026 - 2 Minute Read
IBM i remains one of the most stable enterprise platforms in operation today. But while the technology has endured, the depth of specialist knowledge inside organisations has not.
Across many businesses, IBM i expertise now sits with one or two experienced individuals. In some cases, those skills are nearing retirement. In others, the platform is simply no longer attracting new engineers with the same depth of understanding.
This creates risk, not because IBM i is unreliable, but because it is specialist.
PTF governance, firmware alignment, storage configuration, HA testing, security hardening and performance optimisation all require platform-specific knowledge. These are not generic infrastructure tasks.
At the same time, many managed service providers have moved towards automation-led support models. Monitoring dashboards. Alert thresholds. Response by exception.
That is not systems administration.
True IBM i systems administration means:
- Reviewing system configuration proactively
- Identifying lifecycle or patch drift
- Challenging legacy settings
- Making informed recommendations
- Implementing improvements
- Validating backup and HA readiness
- Delivering measurable outcomes
IBM i environments rarely fail dramatically. Risk accumulates quietly through deferred upgrades, untested failover, outdated firmware or informal governance.
Our approach is hands-on and structured. We don’t simply wait for alerts. We assess, recommend and implement.
In a market where IBM i expertise is declining, proactive systems administration is not a luxury, it is operational risk management.
Read more about these services here: https://babyblueit.com/services/ibm-i-os400-systems-administration-services
About the Author
Chris Smith
Chris Smith is a Non-Executive Director and commercial advisor with over 30 years’ experience in IT services across managed services (MSP) and third-party maintenance (TPM). With a background in IBM hardware maintenance, he progressed from field engineer to Sales & Marketing Director, helping to create the foundations of Blue Chip Cloud, which became the largest IBM Power Cloud globally at the time. He played a key role in the sale of Blue Chip in 2021 and subsequently led commercial growth and integration initiatives within Service Express, including delivering significant managed services growth and strengthening revenue predictability. Chris now works with private equity-backed, investor-led and founder-owned IT services businesses, supporting growth, commercial strategy, integration and exit readiness. He is particularly focused on helping organisations improve revenue quality, margin discipline and scalable go-to-market execution across MSP and TPM models.
LinkedIn
