In 2025, IBM Maximo celebrates its 40th anniversary — a milestone that reflects the platform’s strength, innovation, and ability to adapt over time. More than just an enterprise asset management platform, Maximo has established itself as a global reference, evolving alongside technological changes and increasingly complex business demands.
I’ve been working with Maximo for 19 years and have closely followed much of this journey. Many colleagues, in fact, were already involved with the solution back in the 1990s, in projects involving Maximo 4, particularly in the mining and executive aviation sectors. Since then, the system has evolved impressively, both technically and functionally.
This article aims to highlight the key differentiators that have made (and continue to make) Maximo a global leader in EAM/APM. From its legacy origins to the era of artificial intelligence, including mobility and the Maximo Application Suite (MAS), we’ll revisit the pillars of this evolution. Let’s dive in!
The Flexibility of IBM Maximo from the Start
Since the time it was still developed by PSDI (its former owner), Maximo stood out as a multi-language and multi-platform solution — something rare in the 1980s and 1990s. Its metadata-driven design allowed the application to easily adapt to the user’s language, with dedicated translation tables for labels and fields.
In addition, the system has always been compatible with the leading databases (Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and later IBM DB2) and the most widely used operating systems in the market (Linux and Windows). This technical flexibility gave IT departments real freedom to adjust the infrastructure according to their strategy.
Customization, Workflow, and Process Alignment
One of the features that has impressed clients the most over the years is the robustness of its workflow applications, combined with the ease of customizing layouts and fields. This made Maximo highly configurable, ready to meet the specific needs of each organization — all without requiring extensive technical interventions.
Integration as a Technical Differentiator
Since its earliest versions, Maximo has always offered support for integration with ERPs, legacy systems, and industrial historians.
Initially, these integrations were carried out using XML files, flat files, and interface tables. Today, the system has evolved to use REST APIs, making integration development and maintenance much simpler.
It also supports protocols such as MQTT, which are essential for real-time applications. This expands connectivity with industrial devices and IoT platforms.
IBM consolidated this capability in the MIF (Maximo Integration Framework), a free and highly versatile solution. This integration framework is one of the pillars that keep Maximo at the center of complex corporate environments.
Add-ons and Industry Solutions
Another factor that boosted Maximo’s global adoption was its investment in industry-specific functionalities.
Known as add-ons and industry solutions, these capabilities have expanded to cover areas such as:
- Oil & Gas
- Aviation
- Utilities
- Facilities
- Transportation/Fleet Management
- Linear Assets
- Calibration
These modules enhance the system’s ability to reflect industry processes with precision, without requiring invasive customizations. Each add-on incorporates ready-to-use business rules and functionalities, enabling faster and safer implementation.
Through this industry-focused approach, Maximo reinforces its position as a flexible and scalable platform, adaptable to the specific challenges of different sectors.
IBM Control Desk: A Natural Expansion of Maximo
After IBM acquired Maximo in 2006, the complexity of its original framework caught the company’s attention. The architecture was so stable and flexible that it became the foundation for a new product aimed at service desks: IBM SmartCloud Control Desk, better known as IBM Control Desk.
Today, the solution is part of the Maximo family as Maximo IT. Although Control Desk never reached the same market presence as the original Maximo, it has consistently carved out its own space. We continue to serve many clients who have adopted this solution, particularly in projects where IT service governance is the main focus.
Continuous Innovation: From Maximo Anywhere to the Maximo Application Suite
Over the past decades, IBM Maximo has undergone significant transformations, both in its architecture and in its features.
The most notable change occurred in 2020, when IBM acquired Red Hat. Shortly after, in 2021, the Maximo Application Suite (MAS) was launched, marking the definitive transition of the platform to a container- and microservices-based model, running on Red Hat OpenShift.
With MAS, Maximo became a centralized and even more comprehensive suite. In addition to asset management, the platform now integrates operational reliability, performance, prediction, and automation into a single ecosystem.
Below, we revisit some technical points that illustrate how Maximo has evolved in this process, from installation to embedded intelligence.
Installation: From Simplicity to Containers
Before MAS, Maximo was installed using IBM Installation Manager, an extremely simple and efficient tool.
Even on Linux, the process followed the classic Next → Next style, with a graphical interface exportable to the user’s computer. Tools like Installation Manager and ConfigUI are remembered fondly, but IBM delivered something even more powerful with MAS.
Those who experienced the transition have good memories of the pre-MAS era. However, today installation takes place in containers, offering greater scalability and alignment with modern IT practices.
Configurations and Automation Scripts
In the past, when Maximo was still client/server, customizations required knowledge of Centura, and later Java and JSP. Today, the scenario is much more flexible. Configurations involving coding are now carried out through automation scripts, using languages such as JavaScript, Python, and Jython.
This evolution has reduced technical complexity and made the system more accessible for IT and maintenance teams. There is now greater autonomy in configuring rules and processes.
Mobility: From Anywhere to Maximo Mobile
Maximo’s mobility capabilities gained momentum in 2013 with the launch of Maximo Anywhere. Despite some earlier, less successful attempts, the solution consolidated the software’s presence on mobile devices, supporting field operations with stability.
Today, this evolution has resulted in Maximo Mobile, compatible with Android and iOS, which allows the creation of customized applications within the platform itself. Mobility has become native and integrated, increasing productivity and simplifying the day-to-day work of technical teams.
AppPoints Licensing
With MAS, IBM introduced a new licensing model based on AppPoints. The goal is to offer more flexibility and alignment with the platform’s actual usage.
Licenses are now classified into four levels:
- Free: for self-service use
- Limited: with access to up to three modules
- Base: for planners and managers of linear and calibration assets
- Premium: for administrators and unrestricted users
This model allows access to be tailored according to user profiles, optimizing costs and ensuring scalability. In addition, features such as mobility and the Scheduler, which were previously sold separately, are now included in the Limited and Premium licenses.
New Modules and Embedded Intelligence
IBM has expanded Maximo’s value by incorporating modules that go beyond traditional asset management.
The Health module provides a 360° view of equipment. The Monitor module enables real-time tracking and anomaly detection. Predict supports failure prediction, end-of-life calculation, and other maintenance insights.
These modules were developed using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, enabling more accurate and proactive decision-making. This evolution positions Maximo as a complete operational reliability platform, not just an asset control tool.
Maximo Visual Inspection (MVI)
IBM took another step forward by integrating Maximo Visual Inspection (MVI) into MAS. This tool uses artificial intelligence to analyze videos and images.
Its goal is to identify defects, behavioral issues, or visual anomalies with greater accuracy and speed. MVI can be applied in various areas of a company, including safety, quality, access control, process automation, and more.
This functionality breaks the boundaries of maintenance, expanding the platform’s use to a variety of operational and strategic contexts. With MVI, IBM delivers a differentiator that few competitors offer in such an integrated way.
IBM Maximo: A Legacy in Constant Evolution
The transition to MAS represented a challenge for all IBM partners. After years working with versions that evolved within the same paradigm, it was necessary to relearn and innovate.
With just four years on the market, MAS has already demonstrated its robustness. We have overcome the learning curve for the new applications and the container-based architecture. Today, we are ready to support companies both in upgrading to MAS and in adopting it from scratch.
Summarizing 40 years of Maximo in just a few pages is impossible. However, looking at the market, it is clear that, even with strong competitors, IBM maintains consistent differentiators.
Its support structure remains a benchmark. Fixes and enhancements are made available via Fix Central. The suite upgrade itself can be performed automatically through the MAS framework. There are also embedded BI tools with AI, such as IBM Cognos Analytics.
Furthermore, IBM has diversified its deployment models: on-premises, SaaS, or hybrid, with the BYOL (Bring Your Own License) option that allows the system to run in the client’s preferred cloud.
In conclusion, Maximo has not only kept pace with industry transformations — it has helped lead them. It remains one of the most complete and flexible asset management platforms in the world.
iT.eam and IBM Maximo
With years of experience in enterprise asset management, iT.eam acts as a strategic partner for the implementation, support, and modernization of IBM Maximo. Our specialists have closely followed the platform’s evolution, from its most traditional versions to the current Maximo Application Suite (MAS). This background enables us to deliver solutions aligned with each client’s business objectives and technological landscape.
We support organizations throughout the solution’s entire lifecycle — from the initial assessment to continuous maintenance. We develop tailor-made projects focused on high availability, performance, integration, and scalability.
We also manage the upgrade of legacy environments to MAS, supporting the transition to a container and microservices architecture on Red Hat OpenShift — all with agile methodologies and specialized technical support.
To learn more about this ecosystem and how to implement it in your operation, you can count on our team. iT.eam is ready to drive your business forward with IBM Maximo. Talk to one of our specialists to learn how we can help your company grow!
