On January 31, 2026, IBM Power9 systems will reach end of support life (EOSL).
If you rely on Power9 hardware, this news might seem concerning, but EOSL is a regular part of the IT equipment life cycle. The key is understanding what it really means, how it affects your business and what options you have.
What does EOSL mean?
When IBM announces EOSL for a product, sometimes referred to as end of standard service (EOSS), it ends standard maintenance and development for that generation. This means that after January 31, IBM won’t provide service, updates or fixes and will cease developing new code updates, patches or fixes.
Your systems will continue to run after IBM ends support. However, losing access to critical updates and guaranteed service levels can introduce risks, such as slower response times or security vulnerabilities, over time. Planning now will help you avoid issues later.
Exploring options for your infrastructure
When your equipment reaches EOSL, your business has options. You can:
- Refresh your hardware: Upgrade to Power10 or Power11 to get full IBM support, performance gains and security updates. This option comes with higher upfront CapEx and requires downtime to complete the refresh.
- Move to the cloud: Rapidly scale workloads without upfront costs or additional resources needed for physical infrastructure. Take advantage of expert support, proven processes and scalable resources that adapt to your needs, helping your organization move faster and more confidently.
- Extend the life of your equipment: Leverage third-party maintenance (TPM) to prolong the useful life of your current assets. You’ll benefit from immediate continuity, predictable costs and little to no downtime, but won’t have the latest generation of hardware.
The right move for your infrastructure depends on weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each option above against your long-term business road map.
Considerations for your strategic road map
While EOSL can feel like a disruption to your operations, you can use it as an opportunity to reassess your long-term infrastructure strategy. Here’s what to consider when determining your next steps:
Cost, budget and ROI
- What are the total cost of ownership (TCO) implications of maintaining your current IBM infrastructure over the next 3–7 years?
- How much technical debt are you carrying, and what is it costing you annually?
- Where can you consolidate workloads to reduce licensing, support or hardware costs?
- Which modernization paths deliver the highest ROI with the least disruption?
Skills, workforce and resources
- Do you have the internal skills to sustain and modernize the infrastructure, or are you already over-relying on a few key people?
- What aspects of your environment require specialist IBM knowledge that your current team lacks?
- What tasks could be automated to reduce pressure on your team and free time for strategic work?
- Which parts of the stack are easiest to support internally vs. better suited for managed services?
Operational resilience and risk
- Where are your single points of failure in people, systems or processes?
- How does your disaster recovery posture compare to modern expectations?
- Are you meeting current security baselines for IBM infrastructure, patches and configuration?
- How do you ensure change management doesn’t slow innovation but still protects uptime?
Capacity, performance and future demand
- How will your workload demands change over the next three years? Are you sizing correctly?
- Which systems are near end of life or are already performance bottlenecks?
- What does your business expect from IT in terms of agility, scalability and integration?
Modernization and technology direction
- Which IBM platform components need upgrading, reconfiguring or rethinking?
- What are you currently maintaining that you could retire entirely?
- Do you need to adopt a hybrid cloud, and if so, for which workloads and why?
- What modernization paths align with your actual skill base and budget constraints?
Governance and long-term planning
- What standards and architectures should you formalize to prevent ad-hoc system growth?
- How do you build an infrastructure strategy around business strategy, not the other way around?
- What KPIs matter for proving IT value to the organization?
Paving the path forward
There’s not always a straightforward answer for what comes next. It’s essential to have a partner who is open and unbiased, not likely to influence you one way or the other and who listens to your true challenges, goals and long-term plans.
With experts experienced in TPM solutions, IBM Power hardware and cloud migration, Service Express can help you identify the best path forward. We’ll work alongside your IT team to evaluate your options and develop a plan that aligns with your business goals.
No matter what you choose for your infrastructure, we’re here to ensure that you continue to receive reliable IBM support. Explore your options and get in touch with our team today.
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