IT Salary Increases Are Anemic in 2007, Says Dice Survey
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Dice, which is a Web site devoted to helping engineers and other technology experts get a job, recently put out its report casing how well or poorly professionals in the IT sector did in terms of salary and raises during 2007. And the short answer seems to be that, on average, pay raises were not anywhere near the increases that programmers and managers saw in 2006. That doesn't mean that IT personnel are not in high demand, but that companies are being a bit stingy with the cash. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories from Around the Web

(SearchDataCenter) You have heard this a lot, particularly from the Windows and Linux crowd: Mainframe technology is old, and so are the people who run them. Mainframes are too expensive, and so are all of the people that are necessary to keep them humming at high efficiency. A long-time CICS systems programmer busts five myths about the mainframe wide open. READ MORE >

(ComputerWorld) In what is one of the worst-kept secrets of 2008, IBM is expected to launch a new line of mainframes employing its z6 quad-core mainframe processors soon. This is the first major update to the System z product line since the z9 processors were announced in the Enterprise Class machines in 2005. And people are, as usual, wondering if the new mainframes will have the feeds and speed--as well as more suitable economics--to help the mainframe base grow, not just go through an upgrade cycle and end up with fewer footprints again even if the money is pretty good. READ MORE >

(Tech World) CA, the maker of mainframe databases, systems management tools, and a plethora of other products that either run on or talk to mainframes, has a lot of mainframe expertise. And Vincent Re, the company's chief architect, has never been shy about sharing his opinions about how the mainframe is not just relevant to the modern data center, but preferable compared to some of the other alternatives out there. Re also gives a rundown on CA's mainframe software repackaging, which was previously covered in Big Iron. READ MORE >

(Washington Post) Announced two years ago as a means of bringing some more young blood into the mainframe base, the zNextGen organization now boasts more than 350 members in what is becoming a more formal body. That may not sound like a large number, but getting even 350 people to understand that rebooting is not an acceptable answer in the enterprise when systems software or applications go haywire is a good start. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

See our full calendar of events at
http://www.itjungle.com/big/big-calendar.html

February 24-29 -- Orlando, Florida - The SHARE mainframe user group will be hosting its spring event in sunny Florida, and will be focusing on two areas that are affecting mainframe shops in a big way these days: Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) application software design and server virtualization and consolidation. As usual, SHARE will also include the Technology Exchange Expo, where vendors can hawk their mainframe wares and attendees can try to find the tools to solve their IT woes. LEARN MORE >

April 6-11 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - Impact 2008, IBM's "Smart SOA Conference" is a showcase for WebSphere as the foundation, the tools, and all the materials needed to create a service oriented architecture. Technical experts from IBM, analysts, and companies that have implemented SOA solutions are taking the starring roles in this production. In addition to educational sessions and keynote addresses, there will be a solution center expo area. LEARN MORE >

May 18-22 -- Orlando, Florida - Users of IBM's Tivoli Maximo and Netcool software have their own conference dedicated to integrating the silo environments that are prevalent in many data centers and improving service management. Included in the event will be presentations by more than 100 customers and business partners and one-on-one meetings with IBM executives, industry experts and analysts. LEARN MORE >