Virtutem targets IBM i ERP skills gap with managed services

Virtutem is positioning its IBM i ERP managed services as manufacturers and distributors face a widening shortage of experienced Infor and IBM i staff. The Chicago-based Infor Alliance Partner says the offering is designed to preserve ERP operations as retirements, undocumented systems and rising skills scarcity strain continuity.

Why it matters: - Manufacturing and distribution firms running ERP on IBM i are losing seasoned staff faster than they can replace them. - The labor gap is now a business continuity risk, especially for organizations dependent on Infor LX, BPCS and PRMS environments. - Skills availability has overtaken cybersecurity as the top concern for IBM i shops, a shift that underscores how urgent the talent shortage has become.

What happened: - Virtutem is highlighting its IBM i ERP Managed Services as a response to the IBM i skills crunch. - The company is an Infor Alliance Partner, has held that status since 2016, and is the only designated Infor business partner for PRMS services in North America. - Virtutem serves manufacturing and distribution organizations across North America from Chicago.

The details: - The managed services operate at the ERP application layer, not the IBM i infrastructure layer. - Coverage includes Infor LX and BPCS configuration, RPG/CL customization support, job stream management and manufacturing workflow support. - Virtutem also has an in-house EDI team with experience on Gentran, TrustedLink and IBM Sterling Commerce. - The company offers three engagement models: staff augmentation, IT department extension and full operations management. - Virtutem says IBM Bob, IBM's AI development tool for IBM i, is used across its delivery team to speed onboarding in undocumented environments. - Organizations can request a complimentary ERP Environment Assessment covering Infor LX or BPCS configuration, job streams, RPG customization inventory and EDI setup. - The assessment comes with no obligation.

Between the lines: - The emphasis on application-layer specialization is a direct pitch against generalist managed service providers that can run IBM i systems but may lack deep ERP know-how. - The focus on undocumented environments suggests many customers are operating with knowledge loss after retirements. - The use of IBM Bob signals a broader push to use AI tools to reduce dependence on scarce legacy-system expertise.

What's next: - Virtutem is steering organizations toward the complimentary assessment as the first step in evaluating risk and support needs. - The company is likely to keep leaning on managed services and modernization work as IBM i talent scarcity continues. - The broader IBM i market will keep feeling pressure until more experienced ERP developers are replaced or legacy workloads are modernized.

The bottom line: - Virtutem is betting that deep ERP application support, not generic IBM i infrastructure coverage, is what manufacturers need most as veteran developers retire.