The Essential Guide to Modernizing HCL Informix Applications (Part 1)

Welcome to the first installment of my four-part blog series on HCL Informix® application modernization.

Organizations like yours face increasing pressure to modernize their legacy applications to remain competitive and meet customer needs. HCL Informix, a robust and reliable database platform, has been a cornerstone of many businesses for decades. Now, as technology advances and business needs change, HCL Informix can play a new role—helping you to reevaluate and modernize your applications.

In the HCL Informix Modernization Checklist, I outline four steps to planning your modernization journey:

1. Start building your business strategy
2. Evaluate your existing Informix database environment
3. Kick off your modernization project
4. Learn, optimize, and innovate

Throughout this modernization series, we will dedicate a blog to each of these steps, delving into the strategic considerations, technical approaches, and best practices so you can get your project started on the right track.

Start building your business strategy

Establish your application modernization objectives

The initial step in any application migration and modernization project is to clearly define the business problems you are trying to solve and optimize your project planning to best serve those needs. For example, you may be facing challenges with: 

• Security and compliance
• Stability and reliability 
• Performance bottlenecks and scalability 
• Web and modern APIs
• Technological obsolescence
• Cost inefficiencies

By defining these parameters, you can set a clear objective for your migration and modernization efforts. This will guide your decision-making process and help in selecting the right strategies and technologies for a successful transformation.

Envision the end result

Understanding the problem you want to address is crucial, but it’s equally important to develop a solution. Start by envisioning an ideal scenario. For instance, consider goals like:

• Real-time responses
• Scale to meet user demand
• Update applications with zero downtime
• Zero security incidents
• 100% connectivity with other applications
• Deliver the project on time and on budget
• Complete business continuity

Track progress with key performance indicators

Set key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress toward your goals and objectives. This keeps leadership informed and motivates the team. Some sample KPIs might look like: 

Identify the capabilities you want to incorporate into your applications

With your vision in place, identify capabilities you wish to incorporate into your applications to help you meet your KPIs. Consider incorporating capabilities like:

• Cloud computing
• Third-party solutions and microservices
• Orchestration and automation
• DevOps practices
• APIs for better integration

Evaluate each capability and sketch an architecture diagram to determine if existing tools meet your needs. If not, identify new services required for your modernization project.

Get Your Modernization Checklist

For more best-practice approaches to modernizing your Informix applications, download the HCL Informix Modernization Checklist and stay tuned for the next blog in the series.

Get the Checklist >

Informix® is a trademark of IBM Corporation in at least one jurisdiction and is used under license.

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson is the Senior Product Marketing Manager for HCL Informix, Actian Ingres, and Partners. At Actian, he brings these transactional databases and partnerships to life with highly targeted messaging, positioning, case studies, content, and more. Prior to Actian, Nick worked in Product Marketing across several organizations including Neo4j, Microsoft, SAS, and Orbit. Nick holds a Master’s degree in International Development from Sciences Po and Bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Swedish from the University of Washington.