Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) When IBM executives call the System i users loyal, there's a bitter sweetness in that description. Not that the loyalty to the platform isn't strong, but that the loyalty to Big Blue is kind of lukewarm. Proof of that comes from the amount of competitive sales that IBM loses on the other platforms that exist in each shop where a System i is running. HP, Sun, and Dell are all doing a nice business selling Windows, Unix, and Linux to these loyal System i customers. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Movie titles notwithstanding, IBM hopes Blades of Glory will be a blockbuster Power Systems success as the version known as the i Edition Express becomes available May 30. Will this single-socket, dual-core, Power6-based blade server be the i candy the majority of System i, iSeries, and AS/400 shops have been waiting for? It's looking good. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM's Global Services is the largest IT services company in the world. Until recently no one else was even close. But now that Hewlett-Packard has purchased EDS, the global IT services market has another heavyweight contender. Both HP and EDS are veteran IT services companies with business relationships inside the largest enterprise and government customers. READ MORE >

(SearchITChannel) Microsoft SharePoint and IBM Lotus Quickr are similar products existing in different worlds. SharePoint dominates the collaboration software market, but will only runs on Windows platforms. Quickr is the choice for organizations that are long-time Lotus users. In between are businesses that have a mixture of Windows and Lotus and could go with a Windows migration or make a non-proprietary choice. READ MORE >

(Search400) Vendors continue to introduce software as a service (SaaS) offerings, but so far there is little evidence of popularity in AS/400 shops. Fear of data being "out of my control and in someone else's hands" is one issue, but it's not the only issue. Speed of information access is not comparable to internal systems, and then there are data integration issues to take into account. Still, there are many positives to consider and success stories do exist. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi. This computer needs a better name than i. You want to argue about it? There are plenty of people who do and they aren't hard to find. But as long as you're in a feisty mood about this subject, take a look at this lesson based on the Internet search engines. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Ben Franklin supposedly said, "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it." Businesses executives are learning that online fraud can ruin a reputation and cripple a company. When your brand is your most valued asset, protecting it becomes your priority. Because losing your customers' trust due to cyber crimes such as phishing and pharming can be deadly. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Spool file processing is often responsible for brain pain similar to an ice cream headache only the duration is much longer. Pain and suffering aside, spool file processing can be labor intensive and a drain on resources. There are things, however, that can relieve this pain in the neck workflow bottleneck. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Security starts with tightening the screws by monitoring passwords, user authorities, security levels, system values, exit points, object and library access, and other variables. How often the monitoring takes place depends on how lucky you feel and your tolerance for risk. Extreme vigilance comes with a real-time security monitoring tool. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Even after transforming green-screen applications to a Web 2.0-style interface, some companies still feel the weight of the interactive processing monkey on their backs. Eliminating interactive processing, as you may well know, saves money in most cases. And moving from green screens to a graphical user interface is welcomed by all but the most dedicated and skillful green-screen advocates. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) According to IBM's Global Solutions Directory, 140 applications have been certified to run on the new i 6.1 operating system that became generally available in March. The same directory identifies 414 applications certified for V5R4 and 1,164 certified for V5R3. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that's incapable of making its information easily accessible and easily shared is a big frustration. Improvements to any large degree can be few and far between. But they do come around, and when they do users are apt to want whatever helps in this regard. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The ranks of Blackberry-equipped mobile workers will surely expand now that the popular smartphones support additional business applications as a result of the continuing cooperation of IBM and Research in Motion, creator of the Blackberry. The latest round of business app improvements includes portal dashboards, business intelligence, plus advanced collaboration and unified communications software. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(MKS) This white paper explores management issues surrounding application modernization and offers ways to minimize the impact organizations and IT infrastructure. It emphasizes management and process controls to ensure the successful implementation of modernized applications. READ MORE >

(SafeData) This report, "High Stakes of Data Availability," provides a brief overview of data availability and recovery options and make a case for electronic vaulting as a managed service. The backup and recovery options considered in this white paper include tape backup and off-site storage, high availability, managed high availability, electronic vaulting, and electronic vaulting with recovery. READ MORE >

(CompTIA) This trends in IT security survey involving more than 2,000 IT professionals highlights key security risks and an increasing percentage of IT budgets dedicated to security. The quick overview is available on the organization's Web site, but the in-depth report requires membership. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) There's a new guru in town. Security expert Pat Botz, who many of you know from his years as the lead architect for IBM's OS/400 and i5/OS security team, has signed on to provide tips in the Four Hundred Guru e-mail newsletter. His first piece of advice relates to security and PHP application development. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

May 22 -- Fairfield, New Jersey - Guest speaker Debbie Saugen will discuss backup and recovery at the regular monthly meeting of the North Eastern Systems Technology Users (NESTU) meeting. Topics will include backup strategies and the latest capabilities built in to i 6.1 OS. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. LEARN MORE >

May 22 -- Webinar - Automating data transfers and securing data using multiple encryption methods will be the topic of this online session presented by Bob Luebbe, chief architect at Linoma Software. Luebbe will discuss consolidating data transmission and processing from a single point of control and administration, securely moving data, and the advantages of a browser-based user interface, built-in scheduler, and comprehensive logging features. Linoma's GoAnywhere product that installs on System i, Windows, Linux, and Unix servers will be spotlighted. LEARN MORE >

May 22 -- Kent, Washington - A presentation on the IBM Rational Developer for System i will be the highlight of a meeting co-hosted by the Pacific Midrange local user group and Cascade iSeries User Group. Guest speaker IBM's Nazmin Haji will explain the components of IBM Rational Developer for System i (RDi), IBM Rational Developer for System i for SOA Construction (RDi SOA) and Host Access Transformation Services (HATS). The session also includes an introduction of Enterprise Generation Language (EGL). This is an all-day session from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the CenterPoint Corporate Park, 20809 72nd Avenue South, Suite 120. LEARN MORE >

May 28 -- Webinar - This online demonstration of the MKS Implementor 2008 application lifecycle software focuses on the developer experience when using Remote System Explorer, WDSc, and RDi. Particular emphasis is placed on reviewing work assignments; the check out, edit, compile, and check in process; release and deploy; and updating project information such as status and time entry. The one-hour session begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

June 1 & 2 -- Nashville, Tennessee - The Information Builders 2008 Summit has a two-day track specifically for System i end users and ISVs interested in DB2 Web Query and its business intelligence capabilities. The session topics include creating and executing reports from DB2, step-by-step processes for embedding Web Query reports and graphs into Web sites, portals, and other Web-based applications. For registration and additional information, contact at Kathy_Drago@informationbuilders.com or by calling 800-969-4636. The entire conference stretches over five days and includes in-depth information and training for Information Builders products such as WebFOCUS, FOCUS, and iWay Software. LEARN MORE >