When it comes to AS400, experience is not optional. It is the one thing that cannot take a back seat, especially when you are choosing a service provider to work with.
This is not a system you learn on the fly. AS400 has its own temperament. This old guy needs someone who understands its quirks, its rules, and yes, its occasional grumpiness.
In 2026, Nalashaa crossed a major milestone... over 15 years of supporting organizations running mission-critical operations on AS400. These businesses aren’t stuck in the past; they’ve stayed with AS400 because it continues to deliver what matters most: reliability, performance, and trust. These systems quietly process millions of transactions every day—without drama, without disruption. That kind of consistency is rare, and it’s certainly not something you replace without a very good reason.
Over the years, we have learned that supporting AS400 is not just about knowing RPG or handling batch jobs. It is about understanding the business logic buried deep in decades of custom code, knowing what must never be touched, and modernizing carefully without breaking what already works.
That experience is what allows us to work confidently with legacy systems while helping teams move forward at their own pace.
The Roads We Took, the Teams We Met, and the Techdom We Built Along the Way
Over the last 15+ years of providing AS400 support and modernization services, we have learned that the platform itself is rarely the problem. What changes over time are expectations, team structures, and the tolerance businesses have for friction that once felt normal.
The experiences below are not isolated case studies. They are patterns we have seen repeat across industries, teams, and geographies.
When a long-running AS400 system starts holding the business back, not because it is unstable, but because change has become risky
We have supported large distributors whose AS400 RPG systems ran core operations reliably for decades. Order processing, inventory, and shipping worked exactly as expected. The problem surfaced when business change accelerated.
Enhancements slowed down. Support tickets increased. Knowledge sat with a few senior engineers. Every small change felt risky because the codebase was large, complex, and lightly documented.
By taking over structured AS400 support, documenting workflows, and introducing phased ownership, we stabilized daily operations and reduced support noise. This gave internal teams the space to focus on AS400 modernization without disrupting the system that the business depended on.
When manual processes around an AS400 ERP quietly become more expensive than the system itself
In another environment, the AS400 ERP was doing its job, but the processes around it were heavily manual. Invoicing involved repetitive data entry, verification, and follow-ups, consuming hundreds of staff hours every week.
Errors were common. Customers waited longer for invoices. Costs kept rising, even though the core system was stable.
Instead of replacing the AS400 system, we introduced RPA tightly integrated with AS400. Repetitive invoicing steps were automated, responses were tracked automatically, and audit trails were preserved. Manual effort dropped sharply while accuracy improved.
When routine AS400 operations become a business risk because they rely too much on human coordination
We have seen how something as routine as daily AS400 backups can become fragile when timing and coordination depend on people. In one case, a single missed step caused a backup failure that resulted in lost updates and expensive rework.
The issue was not the AS400 platform. It was reliance on manual controls.
By automating backup workflows, job monitoring, and system availability checks, we removed uncertainty from a critical operation. Alerts and dashboards replaced guesswork, and backup reliability stopped depending on perfect timing.
When AS400 skill shortages push organizations toward rushed modernization decisions
In healthcare environments especially, we have seen AS400 resource scarcity become a major concern. Claims processing systems remained mission-critical, but dependable RPG expertise was limited. Backlogs grew. Accuracy suffered. The pressure to migrate increased.
Rather than rushing AS400 modernization, we stabilized operations first. Claims validation, eligibility checks, and resubmissions were automated. Visibility improved. Backlogs cleared.
Only after stability was restored did we plan modernization deliberately, with clear data, demos, and change management.
Read the full story to see how stabilizing AS400 operations first led to a successful modernization path.
The Common Thread
Across all these experiences, one thing stands out. AS400 systems rarely fail suddenly. Risk builds slowly through manual workarounds, knowledge gaps, and unexamined dependencies.
15+ Years of experience in AS400 support and modernization has given us a practical checklist of early warning signs. That checklist helps us raise flags early, guide teams through change, and resolve issues before they become disruptions.
If you want to go deeper, we have documented many of these recurring patterns in detail. From performance bottlenecks and batch failures to skill gaps and integration risks, this resource breaks down the most common AS400 support issues we see in the field and how they are typically resolved.
That is the difference experience makes on a platform that still runs some of the most dependable systems in the world.
On the Move to Carve a Legacy
What has carried us this far is not a fixed way of working. It is the ability to learn alongside our customers, adapt with them, and solve problems as they emerge, not after they escalate. That mindset is what has shaped our experience, and it is what continues to shape how we move forward.
As we step into the next era, our focus is clear...keep AS400 dependable, make modernization practical, Bring AI strategy into the picture thoughtfully, all without disrupting what already works. And continue solving real problems with the same care and curiosity that defined the last 15+ years.
