Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) In the high end of the midrange market, IBM beats its competitors like rented mules. Sorry, PETA, but it's true. That's why Big Blue has opened the Power7 show by first introducing the middle tier of hardware lineup. It's the right product for this crucial market. Bring on your ever-increasing workloads and run them on Power is the message behind all the talk of a Smarter Planet. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) OK. At some point, the confetti stops dropping from the ceiling and the band has played every fight song and Sousa march it knows. The applause for the first Power7 servers to take the stage is fading, thanks to the sound man who is ready to twist the dial once again as soon as the spotlight shines on the high-end and the entry-level Power7s. When those servers will arrive and what they will be are questions slowly being answered. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The eight-core Power7 chip--the brains and the muscle in the just announced Power 7XX line of servers from IBM--has some credentials that should not be overlooked. It has increased the number of cores, increased the number of threads, and--this is the part to remember--increased per-core performance. None of the other chip makers can put this on their resumes. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) How long can you tread water in these economic times? I'm talking about personal finances here. Some people are wondering about raises in 2010. Some are wondering about keeping jobs or maybe finding one again. We're not out of the deep water by any means, but there might be a lifeboat on the horizon. Sure hope it arrives before hypothermia sets in. READ MORE >

(MCPress) IBM's Power7 servers are poised to ramp up the efforts to bring more HP and Sun customers into the Big Blue community. The lure includes plenty of new technology, but energy savings are going to be a big deal and so is scalability. New high-end servers are promised but have yet to be announced. On the low end, IBM isn't making any promises on smaller POWER7 servers. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Power7 is IBM's foundation for the Smarter Planet initiative. So you may have noticed the demise of "Power Equation" as Smarter Planet marketing now rules the Big Blue world. Look for "Smarter Systems for a Smarter Planet" and "Power Your Planet" ad campaigns to take over. READ MORE >

(Financial Times) This is the story of the networked app and the mobile phone. And it is often told something like this: "If you build something truly useful (the better mousetrap), people will want it." But that story is really more about want than need. In the business world, the person paying the bills is more likely to ask if there's a competitive advantage and what's the cost of obtaining it. READ MORE >

(Business Week) If you don't think your supervisor is an idiot, then it's likely you know someone with that opinion. Some managers have no clue, no plan. Others rely on ill-conceived but widespread notions that are mercilessly crippling workers and even entire companies. Check this list of brainless and injurious policies then, if necessary, bring this article to someone's attention. Anonymously, perhaps. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) IBM i shops eager to take advantage of price/performance increases available with the new Power7 hardware will have to wait until next quarter for the i/OS compilers. Rational Developer for Power Systems (RDp), which provides one development tool for writing applications for i/OS, AIX, and Linux, is expected to arrive with the announcement of i 7.1. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Web application development for mobile applications has some companies frozen in their tracks. So here's a story about one developer, who claims he's not really a Web developer, and how he mashed a method to deliver useful data--sales figures and inventory levels--to iPhone users. Who says building composite applications that rely on i/OS-based ERP systems is harder than the ice on a Minnesota farm pond in February? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Integrating Microsoft Office SharePoint Server with other applications in the data center is another job that typically requires a ton of manual coding. Traveling that road is not fun and it's not cheap. But things have changed. Here's a tool that will allow you to map database fields from ERP applications into SharePoint without the expected trouble. Benefits such as document workflow and reporting capabilities are a pleasant surprise. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The Gray Bar Hotel is just another name for prison. But in the AS/400 world there are a lot of folks who feel like they are incarcerated in the Green Bar Hotel. Yes, those green-bar reports can be confining. Especially for companies looking for answers that only improved business intelligence and data warehouses can provide. Well, it seems we have a jail break going on and this may be your chance to get out from behind the bars. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Cetova) Migration pitfalls for JD Edwards shops moving from Oracle's JD Edwards World to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne are examined in this report published by a software company specializing in business intelligence and reporting tools. Multi-dimensional analysis is emphasized. Features and functionality are also closely studied. READ MORE >

(SkyView Partners) Carol Woodbury, former chief security architect of the OS/400 operating system and founder and president of SkyView Partners, wrote this white paper explaining the purpose behind a variety of recently enacted laws, regulations, and standards. Explaining how they can be put to use in an organization and the security-related duties that are required to be in compliance with these regulations is the focus of this report. READ MORE >

(ITG) Minimizing IT costs, complexities, and risks is an attractive proposition for most small and mid size businesses. How this can be accomplished eludes the vast majority. Coincidentally, that majority also know little or nothing about the IBM i operating system that runs on Power System servers. Here's the case for adopting that system. READ MORE >

(IBM) This IBM Redbook provides a technical overview of features, functions, and enhancements available in IBM i 6.1 (formerly called i5/OS V6R1). It summarizes changes in the operating system and also many of the licensed programs and application development tools associated with IBM i. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

February 18 -- Webinar - The encryption of IBM i data including: database fields (credit card information, social security numbers, and other sensitive data), backup tapes, and files on the Integrated File System will be discussed during this online session hosted by Linoma Software and featuring the company's software. Also on the agenda are topics such as proper key management, securing access to masked/decrypted values, audit logging, tokenization, and the centralization of sensitive data that can minimize the scope of compliance audits. This session begins at 11 a.m. CST. LEARN MORE >

February 21 -- Bloomington, Minnesota - A presentation on SQL grouping functions is on the agenda at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting. IBM's Tom McKinley will be the guest speaker. The session begins at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Comfort Inn located at 1321 East 78th Street. LEARN MORE >

February 24 -- Webinar - IBM Smart Business offers mid-size companies a combination of hardware, software, and services that provide a simpler approach to managing IT systems. Smart Business highlights the capability to remotely monitor and tune applications and systems software. It is business application focused and is IBM's vision of what is needed in small to mid size companies. The session begins at 2 p.m. EST. The session is hosted by VAI. LEARN MORE >

February 24 -- Webinar - Streamlining and simplifying modernization projects while satisfying regulatory compliance standards is a focal point of discussion during this online presentation that emphasizes automation, repeatability, traceability, and visibility throughout the development processes. Aldon, an application development change management software company, hosts this event, which begins at 9 a.m. PST. LEARN MORE >

February 25 -- Webinar - The top five tasks facing security administrators in 2010 will be discussed during this online session presented by Carol Woodbury, former chief security architect of the OS/400 operating system and president of SkyView Partners. Woodbury will use SkyView software to demonstrate how it can reduce the time it takes to perform these tasks. The presentation begins at 8 a.m. PST. LEARN MORE >