The IBM Redbooks have guided technical professionals for decades, standing as a free, reliable resource for expert product, platform, and solution perspectives. Focused on enterprise technologies and frameworks, the library of published playbooks is frequently updated and provides technical guidance and best practices on IBM products, as well as technologies like Red Hat, SAP, Oracle, Linuz, and others.
IBM Redbooks are typically created through a residency process and are published after a formalized validation and review process. This year, Programmers.io is excited to highlight 4 team members who co-authored the 2026 edition of Modernizing IBM i Applications, originally published in June 2014.
Their involvement underscores a deep commitment and sense of optimism for the future of the IBM i platform; showing faith in the platform’s ability to evolve and remain as cutting-edge as the times. By sharing hands-on expertise and real-world modernization experience, the contributors helped shape guidance that directly addresses the challenges IBM i organizations face today.
Navigating the IBM i Landscape in 2026
IBM i modernization in 2026 has become a practical, phased journey rather than a disruptive overhaul. Organizations are increasingly embracing hybrid cloud architectures, AI-driven tools, and modern development frameworks to extend the life and capabilities of their platforms.
Application modernization on IBM i sits at the center of this approach, and often plays a key role in enhancing existing systems. This can include refactoring legacy code, enabling API-driven integrations, modernizing user interfaces, and adopting DevOps practices to accelerate delivery.
As the IBM Redbook highlights, the goal is to maintain the performance, security, and reliability IBM i is known for while adopting modern development tools and user experiences that meet today’s demands.
“Modernizing applications on IBM i is both practical and achievable.” asserts Vikas Sonwal, Technical Architect at Programmers.io and Redbook author.“With the right frameworks and integration strategies, organizations can innovate rapidly while preserving the performance and reliability of their existing systems.”
Meet Our 2026 IBM Redbook Authors
Vikas Sonwal
Technical Architect
With a clear vision on accessibility and user experience, Vikas shares what inspired his focus on mobile-first development and his thoughts on why it’s important for IBM i customers.
“The increasing demand for mobile-friendly applications highlighted the gap between traditional IBM i systems and modern user expectations. Mobile-first development enables organizations to extend their applications to smartphones and tablets, improving accessibility, user experience, and overall productivity,” Vikas states.
“With business activities increasingly shifting to mobile platforms, it is important for IBM i customers to have the same level of accessibility and user experience on mobile devices.”
Mike Pavlak
Sr. IT Strategist
Mike Pavlak first contributed to the IBM Redbook in its 2013 edition. Returning as a contributor in 2026, Mike expressed excitement at the opportunity to revisit key topics and reflect on how much the landscape has evolved.
“Sharing ideas and expertise so that others can get started using the cool features is a lot of fun and very rewarding.” states Mike. “I expect this Redbook will spark a lot of new thoughts and ideas on how IBM i shops can embrace some of the modern features and move their businesses forward.”
Khushi Wadhwa
IBM i Developer
Khushi cited the Redbook as a great opportunity to document her acquired knowledge and hands-on experience. She shared her motivations for contributing, highlighting a practical approach and real desire to share her expertise.
“What motivated me was the opportunity to help IBM i developers modernize their applications by leveraging REST APIs,” notes Khushi. “I was excited to help solve the challenge of integrating modern web technologies on IBM i. I believe the ideas in this Redbook will play a meaningful role in shaping the future of IBM technologies.”
Rahul Pareek
Technical Architect
Rahul described the Redbook as an opportunity to help modernize everyday IBM i development practices via IBM i’s support for open source packages. Below, he shares his thoughts on how he sees this latest edition of the IBM Redbook shaping the future of IBM i technologies.
“It looks very exciting. There is lot of information available in this Redbook that will help and provide a solid foundation on modernizing IBM i applications.” Rahul stated.
Looking Ahead
Having authorship on the IBM Redbook on modernization reflects more than individual expertise, but rather an avid passion for supporting and advancing the IBM i community. Each contributor brings a blend of deep technical knowledge, hands-on modernization experience, and a real-world understanding of modern IBM i challenges, shaped through both client work and industry collaboration.
As organizations continue to modernize critical systems in 2026 and beyond, resources like IBM Redbooks play an essential role in guiding confident, informed decisions. These co-authors are proud to play a part in shaping that guidance and are energized by the opportunity to help organizations move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
To see the sections our co-authors helped contribute, view the 2026 update here.
