IBM, Sun Add Encryption to High-End Tape Drives
by Alex Woodie

IBM last week announced new versions of the System Storage TS1120 tape drive that encrypts data as it is written to tape, preventing data from being read if the tape is lost or stolen. The announcement of the new drive, which supports all major platforms including 5/OS, was immediately followed by Sun Microsystems' introduction of its own new tape encryption solution, called the StorageTek Crypto-Ready T10000. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories and Vendor Announcements

(SearchDataCenter) If the mainframe is the icon of old-style computing, where access control and centralization is a virtue, then the process of open source programming and the open nature of the programs that projects create and the Internet-style computing architectures such software runs are, is its exact antithesis. Will these two worlds ever meet above and beyond an occasional Linux partition on a mainframe? READ MORE >

(Spescom Software) If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. San Diego-based Spescom Software, which provides enterprise content and configuration management solutions for the mainframe platform, announced this week that it has joined Microsoft's Mainframe Migration Alliance program. The MMA initiative aims to port mainframe applications to the Windows Server 2003 platform, and now its eB product will get such a port. eB is designed specifically for regulated public sector organizations such as power companies, railroads, and such. READ MORE >

(Washington Technology) If you have big-time mainframe skills and you want to live in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area--or already do--the Internal Revenue Service wants you. According to this report, the IRS is taking another stab at modernizing its tax collection and tax refund systems. There are also mainframe support positions available at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial crimes enforcement systems operations in Detroit, Michigan and Martinsburg, West Virginia. The report says that a company called Paradigm Solutions of Rockville, Maryland currently has a $52 million contract to offer such support, and that this contract is expiring. That means jobs are available. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

September 19 -- Dallas - IBM is hosting a WebSphere seminar designed for System z technical professionals, including application development management, application developers, and application architects. These seminars provide in-depth knowledge of WebSphere and the tools to implement a service oriented architecture. Topics include defining business models that reduce inefficiencies, integrating core application assets for reuse, running mixed application types and workload patterns, and generating advanced user interfaces for core applications. LEARN MORE >

September 21 -- Chicago - IBM is hosting a WebSphere seminar designed for System z technical professionals, including application development management, application developers, and application architects. These seminars provide in-depth knowledge of WebSphere and the tools to implement a service oriented architecture. Topics include defining business models that reduce inefficiencies, integrating core application assets for reuse, running mixed application types and workload patterns, and generating advanced user interfaces for core applications. LEARN MORE >

September 25-29 -- Markham, Canada - A series of one-day System z workshops covering the operating system, hardware updates, security, and networking technologies. Additional workshop dates in October include locations such as Australia, Singapore, Germany, Netherlands, China, and Taiwan. LEARN MORE >

September 26 -- Atlanta - IBM is hosting a WebSphere seminar designed for System z technical professionals, including application development management, application developers, and application architects. These seminars provide in-depth knowledge of WebSphere and the tools to implement a service oriented architecture. Topics include defining business models that reduce inefficiencies, integrating core application assets for reuse, running mixed application types and workload patterns, and generating advanced user interfaces for core applications. LEARN MORE >

October 10 -- Webinar - Putting CICS in the heart of your SOA implementation means assessing applications and optimizing performance. This session will cover CICS TS 3.1 migration considerations and tools featuring products such as CICS Configuration Manager, CICS Interdependency Analyzer , CICS Performance Analyzer and CICS VSAM Transparency. The presentation begins at 11 a.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

October 20 & 21 -- Chicago, Illinois - The Network and Systems Professionals Association annual conference, NaSTEC, features educational tracks on large systems/mainframes, distributed systems, and professional development and includes 24 total sessions. Topics include IT compliance, TCP/IP network health checks, and security, as well as others. LEARN MORE >