IBM MQ is unique in that it offers assured delivery, where messages are delivered once and only once, and are never lost or duplicated. IBM MQ provides higher levels of security, including end-to-end encryption of message data.

IBM MQ's lifecycles are predictable and 24x7 IBM Technical Support is delivered by skilled engineers with decades of experience of writing MQ code.

And last but not least, IBM MQ is proven with 30 years of innovation powering thousands of production deployments globally in some of the most demanding environments in the world.

IBM MQ is designed to run wherever your applications and data are. It is tested and supported on multiple platforms across hybrid multi-cloud - MQ software is available for deployment on baremetal, Virtual Machines, in containers, and on mainframe.

Supported platforms include Windows, Linux, AIX, IBM I and IBM Z Systems and a list of the public clouds you can run IBM MQ on, can be found here .

Additionally, IBM MQ is offered as a physical appliance as well as an IBM-managed cloud service (SaaS) on IBM Cloud and Amazon Web Services.  

In addition to renewable IBM Subscription and Support, IBM Support Offers - IBM Advanced Support, IBM Extended Support, and IBM Sustained Support for your distributed software products. Go to IBM Support Offerings to learn more.

IBM MQ generally releases a major version every 2 years which are supported for at least 5 years. You can see which versions are in support as well as, keep an eye on announcements here. Additional releases are usually made every few months, either to release new function for clients who want the latest and greatest technology, or to deliver fix packs containing security patches and/or defect fixes.

Clients with active subscription and support can download any version of IBM MQ and follow the steps in the documentation to complete an upgrade.  In some cases, where an estate is particularly large or complex, for instance involving lots of different versions of MQ or if you are migrating to a new platform, you may wish to consider engaging IBM Technology Expert Labs either for advice before you upgrade or to provide implementation assistance.

Upgrades are automatically applied to the IBM MQ on Cloud service.

Performance Reports are available at no charge to all users of IBM MQ products.  Performance reports are published here (link resides outside ibm.com).

IBM MQ documentation also offers monitoring information and guidance in this section, and the specific tuning tips, to help improve the performance of your queue manager network.

Documentation is available here.

The IBM TechXchange Community also offers a wealth of information in blogs, user forums and webinars.

IBM Developer offers Learning Paths, which have been created especially for new developers to help them learn how to build powerful messaging applications with IBM MQ. They can earn the IBM MQ Developer Essentials Badge and then build on their skills with a wealth of additional information contained in the blogs, videos, and tutorials on the IBM Developer site or TechXchange community.

Click on "Let’s talk" to talk to an IBM representative, join our community of users on the IBM Community or send us an email at AskMessaging@uk.ibm.com .