Note:  This content applies to the MAS 8 releases only.  

IBM’s Maximo Application Suite (MAS) delivers the next-generation Asset Management applications on a single platform. With Maximo Manage as the cornerstone product of the suite, MAS features include a new technology platform with hybrid cloud support, along with updates to licensing, security and enterprise feature sets.

MAS also includes a very important Support Model update which is important to understand as you build upgrade plans either to – or within – the Maximo Application Suite. 

MAS is now based on IBM’s Continuous Support policy model. Often called Continuous Delivery (CD) or Continuous Delivery Support (CDS), this new support model for Maximo introduces two (2) version types which are supported different ways. 

  • CD: Continuous Delivery Releases:
    Only the two most recent CD releases within the MAS Version 8 stream will be maintained. 

  • LTS: Long Term Support Releases:
    LTS releases will receive maintenance updates for a minimum of three years. Support extensions are available for two subsequent years.

To understand the new MAS support model, let’s look at the MAS types and releases from when this support model was introduced – and how these build into maintenance support.   

How does this impact you and your MAS Upgrade? 

To start, the new CD support model for the Maximo Application Suite was introduced with the MAS 8.7 (Maximo 8.3) release in March 2022.   

A few months later, MAS 8.8 was released. Both MAS 8.7 and 8.8 are CD releases. 

The support model evolves with the release of MAS 8.9 in November 2022. MAS 8.9 is also a CD release.   

Applying the new MAS CDS policy, IBM will support only the two most recent CD releases.. Therefore, only MAS 8.8 and 8.9 are maintained by IBM. Even though MAS 8.7 was released in 2022 – because it is now the 3rd oldest CD release in the MAS 8 product stream – it is no longer maintained by IBM. 

Now, in March 2023, MAS 8.10 is released as the first Long Term Support (LTS) release of MAS. This means that MAS 8.10 will be maintained by IBM from March 2023 until a minimum of March 2026.* This is a significantly longer time than the earlier MAS CD Versions. 

IBM is projecting* to release two additional MAS CD versions in 2023. Applying the MAS CDS policy of only supporting the two most recent CD releases – you can quickly see in the diagram below that both MAS 8.8 and 8.9 would no longer be maintained with the CD releases of 8.11 and 8.12.  

How does this impact you and your MAS Upgrade?

The MAS version you select for your upgrade should be carefully evaluated to confirm it meets your upgrade process requirements, in addition to support and maintenance needs.

For example, you may have a lengthy Maximo upgrade process due to industry or company regulations, or a large number of integrations, configurations and add-on products. Minimizing upgrade costs – by maximizing the number of years a software version is maintained – is often a driver of the release selection in these scenarios. Therefore, you would want to upgrade to a MAS LTS release for the greatest period of maintenance support.

However, if your priority is on using continual new features, or your Maximo environment has minimal configurations on a hosted environment, upgrading to an LTS release may not be as high a priority for you.

Are there any other MAS Support Changes I need to be aware of?

The Maximo Application Suite includes a range of IBM products including Maximo Manage, Maximo Health, Maximo Monitor, Maximo Predict, and more.  These bundled products have dependencies on numerous other platforms and products that may not be visible to you including Open Shift Platform (OCP) and CP4D (Cloud Pak for Data).

MAS version and maintenance releases will frequently contain support for updated bundled products like OCP. Depending on your business and industry regulations, and your MAS deployment model, bundled version supported may also be important in your upgrade version selection.

The rapid pace of software releases causes this information to rapidly change. To find the most recent Maximo Application Suite system requirements, access this page. Enter ‘Maximo Application Suite’ in the full or partial name field, and then select the individual products you are planning to use (e.g., Manage Application and MAS Core Component). You can then click submit and an individualized Software Product Compatibility Report is generated for you.

If you are interested in learning more about MAS, or how Maven can prepare a Maximo Upgrade Assessment for you – contact us today here or at MAS@mavenasset.com.

*Note: This blog content is created on forward-looking content releases from IBM. Until the referenced versions of IBM MAS are released, versions, dates, and content may change.