Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle)It's time to reshuffle the deck again at IBM. In biz talk it's referred to as a reorg. Call it what you like. Extra points are given for creativity without profanity. Here's what's coming up for the Big Blue Systems and Technology Group and, more importantly, the IBM rationale for rearranging the seats at the table in 2008. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Build or buy is a question put to many companies in need of business applications. It also applies to the software companies that create applications. Just before the lights dimmed on 2007, Rocket Software, a maker of mainframe and System i tools put itself in position to purchase NetManage, a move that will allow Rocket to neatly and quickly expand its product catalog and its customer base. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The price/performance benchmarks have been the most common (and perhaps the most misinterpreted) measuring stick for side-by-side computing comparisons. Getting real apples to apples comparisons is purposely avoided by all the server manufacturers in favor of one-of-a-kind "tests" designed to spin results in the most favorable of ways. Now that power consumption is being figured into the price/performance paradigm, will these comparisons be cast in a new light READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The System i, as most of us know it, is a workhorse server for many small to mid size businesses. It's the foundation for what IBM now calls the Business Systems division. The plans for this division in 2008 and beyond are vitally important to the future of the System i. Last week, Marc Dupaquier was bumped from his position as general manager of this new division, but before he moved on to greener Big Blue pastures, he had a few things to say about the future of Business Systems. READ MORE >

(Search400) For more on Marc Dupaquier, the former general manager of the Business Systems group, see this interview where he discusses the virtues of i5/OS on a blade server and its expected delivery date of mid-2008. READ MORE >

(MCPress) Take a couple of deep breathes. Clear the clutter from your mind. Tilt backward in your chair and stare intently into the ceiling panels of your office. Next, imagine yourself as being clairvoyant, at least to the extent of being able to predict what lies ahead in 2008 for the System i and its users. Write down a few thoughts and see how they compare with these predictions for the next 12 months. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) The basics of the IBM reorganization involves four client sets--Enterprise Systems, Business Systems, Industry Systems, and Microelectronics--and four platform units--Mainframe, Power Systems, Modular Systems, and Storage. Now that you know what they are, all you need to know is what exactly is it that they do? READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) High availability is not a one-trick pony. Technological innovations--such as cross-site mirroring, switched disk, GlobalMirror, clustering, and logical journaling--are unleashing numerous opportunities, but companies must sort through them before deciding which choice (perhaps a blend) suits them best. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Making security a top priority on the "Git 'er Done" list posted inside many IT departments is a common sight these days. Filling in the blanks as to exactly how to git 'er done is not so obvious. That's where an i5/OS security conference might come in handy, and we happen to know when and where such an event is taking place. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) You have jumper cables to start your car when the battery dies. What do you do when the batteries in your System i die? The correct answer is not "Pay the consequences." Knowing how much life is left in your batteries is the key. Making that information handy is why this story link is important. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Not that anyone at your company would do such a thing, but somewhere in the shadows of someone else's company lurks an employee with an itchy keyboard finger and the temptation to try something fraudulent. Document management can be an open door to document mismanagement unless you have security auditing capabilities and you use them. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Some products are customized for almost each and every customer. Naturally this has the potential to discombobulate ordering and pricing processes, especially if they are automated. The whole point of using automation software is to reduce processing time, cost, and errors, right? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Pathix makes RPG-based software for the airline industry. When potential customers started asking for software that could be run on servers other than the System i, Pathix considered the conversion of its existing applications to either Java and .NET. The decision? Click here to find out the what and why and how it's going so far. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Here's a situation very similar to the one noted above. This time it's a software vendor making a decision to modernize its warehousing, logistics, and distribution application suite. When new business decisions collide with traditional IT practices, something has to change and making the transition as painless as possible is the right thing to do. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Cross-platform security auditing capabilities seals the deal between a System i software vendor and a large IT services company based in India. Auditing compliance and system integrity requirements expected to result in a growing need for security provided as a service. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(IBM) Application development is witnessing an expanding role for APIs, and not just for the most highly skilled developers. This report, written by noted RPG experts Susan Gantner, Jon Paris, Paul Tuohy, and Gary Mullen-Schultz explains how to find and use APIs and how to interpret API documentation. READ MORE >

(Bytware) What are your security worries? Perhaps your security policy is shot full of holes or it is time consuming, difficult to manage, or error prone. This white paper distinguishes between an object-based approach and a transaction-based approach. When security is your responsibility, you should know all the potential weaknesses. READ MORE >

(IBM) Cross-site mirroring--the replication of data at multiple sites in order to provide high availability and disaster recovery--is the topic of this technical paper. Topics of consideration include panning and installation, clustering, independent auxiliary storage pools, site object tracking, operations and performance considerations, and troubleshooting. READ MORE >

(IBM) Short of pulling the plug, what can you do to tame the power-hungry IT beast? This 12-question tool promises to deliver energy efficiency improvements through increased awareness of power-related issues and data center planning. Data centers that use less energy, generate less carbon dioxide, take up less space, and can also save big bucks READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

January 10 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Guest speaker Gottfried Schimunek, a senior IT architect with IBM, will be talking about i5/OS V6R1 at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 local user group. V6R1 is expected to become available during the first quarter of 2008, and System i users will want to know what's new. RPG enhancements are always a popular topic and changes to the machine interface, which doesn't happen very often, should create some interest as well. LEARN MORE >

January 15 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on WDSc for RPG programmers presented by Joe Pluta will center on every day programming tasks in WDSC. It begins at 3:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. Pluta will present a session focused on using EGL to develop System i applications. In between the two sessions will be the usual user group networking and a dinner. The event takes place at the IBM offices located at 600 Anton Blvd. LEARN MORE >

January 15 -- Webcast - This session, presented by Suzanne Miller, a certified PCI auditor and member of the PCI Security Standards Council, serves as a guide through the latest PCI security standards and provides details on protecting sensitive credit card information. Topics for discussion include the major challenges of PCI compliance, the new PCI Data Security Standards added in 2008 and how they affect your organization, the impact of "PCI-compliant" software, the danger of relying on SAS-70 Assessments from third-party vendors for PCI compliance, and the consequences of not complying with the PCI Data Security Standards. The Webcast, hosted by Linoma Software, begins at 11 a.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

January 15 -- Webinar - An overview and demonstration of MKS Integrity for requirements management in the application development process will be featured in this online session. Topics of discussion will include capturing requirements, reusing requirements across projects, managing changes to requirements throughout the lifecycle, reporting on project status in real-time, and deploying final applications. The event begins at 1 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

January 16 -- Webcast - Protecting sensitive customer and employee data is the focus of this session that examines compliance with state and federal regulations, as well as the PCI standards. Special emphasis will be given to encrypting System i database fields such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, wages, and bank account numbers. How to protect backups and data transmissions using encryption technology will also be discussed. Additional topics will include popular encryption standards (Open PGP, AES, SSL, SSH, ZIP), recommendations on where they are best applied, proper key management, and auditing requirements for meeting PCI standards. The Webcast, hosted by Linoma Software, begins at 11 a.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

January 16 -- Independence, Ohio - The future of the iSeries will be the highlighted topic during the Application Systems Users Group of Greater Cleveland meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. and takes place at Harry's Steakhouse. Guest speaker is Mike Smith, IBM's System i5 chief software architect. Registration by Monday, January 14, is requested. LEARN MORE >

January 17 -- Webinar - An online session titled "Using System i Projects in WDSc is being presented by COMMON for its membership. Guest speaker is Don Yantzi from IBM. The session begins at noon CST. LEARN MORE >

January 18 -- Houston, Texas - A one-day application modernization technical seminar focusing on service oriented architecture, Web services, and extending the value of RPG-based applications and OS/400-based system hardware is being presented by ASNA. This event provides an introduction to Web Services and service oriented architecture while emphasizing team skills. LEARN MORE >

January 20-24 -- Orlando, Florida - The annual Lotusphere conference attracts a large following of developers, administrators, and IT and business professionals who come for the presentations on the latest innovations, the hands-on training, and perhaps most of all, for the networking with other Notes and Domino peers. New for additions to the Lotusphere agenda include the product-oriented "QuickStart" sessions for the Lotus products announced at last year's conference and shipped during 2007. These products include: Lotus Notes and Domino 8.0, Lotus Quickr 8.0, Lotus Connections 1.0, and Lotus Sametime 7.5. There will be two Opening General Sessions Monday morning and regular events such as YellowSpace, JamFest and SpeedGeeking. A complete listing of educational tracks and sessions can be found on the event Web site. LEARN MORE >