Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) With Sam Palmisano at the controls, the IBM gravy train has been operating under a full head of steam. No stopping in Recessionville for this 21st Century Unlimited. Earnings per share are more powerful than a locomotive. And there's no reason to think that things are about to change. IBM is on the Smarter Planet track and is still picking up speed. And the IBM i? It's getting a free ride. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) No one argued with PT Barnum when he said he had the greatest show on earth. He had the biggest circus, the biggest tents, and the biggest performances. But without the performances, the tents don't mean much and the circus isn't all that great. Maybe that's why IBM has been quiet about its Power6+ processors. The performance hasn't been that great. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Active shared memory sounds like something I could really use. But it's not the result of a ginkgo biloba mega dose. Active shared memory is what allows physical memory in a Power Systems box to be divided into shared pools--on the fly--just as IBM has been doing with portions of processor cores for close to 10 years. Turns out I'm not the only one looking for relief from memory overcommitment. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) You can feel pretty good about your IT budget if you are avoiding reductions, but don't get the idea you're the Lone Ranger. According to a recent report by those survey hounds at Gartner, 50 percent of CIOs have reduced their IT budgets. But on the sunny side of the street, 40 percent of the CIOs are holding on to existing budgets, while 10 percent increased their spending. That's better than many might guess, and Gartner predicts improvement as the year moves into its second half. READ MORE >

(InformationWeek) Given Sam Palmisano's tendencies toward selling IBM business units (remember the laptop, disk drive, and the printer divisions at IBM?), there is speculation that another piece of hardware may soon be traded for cash. Something in the server or storage area may be the first to go. READ MORE >

(IT Business Edge) Articles about solid state disk drives for Power Systems servers have been "Monitored" in this newsletter for several weeks. Yes, they are fast and expensive and they will be useful in certain situations. But if you haven't yet read the warnings, take the time to do so now. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) IBM business partners and ISVs in Japan can't count on IBM to promote and market the i, so they decided to do what they could about it. For starters, they came up with the "IBM i Manifest," an initiative to increase the installed base and get out the message that this platform is a great value and a long and prosperous life. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Performance and security are two topics that dominate conversations about data storage and backups. But data transfer speeds and data compression don't come without a price. In the IBM i (AS/400) market, the interest in virtual tape libraries has reinvigorated data storage conversations and vendors are being attentive to customer requirements. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Everyone wants business intelligence, but the definition changes with just about everyone describing it. At the entry level, there are BI products that have a single functionality that fills a specific need. As the need for increased functionality increases, the price and the complexity rise as well. But at some point, buying multiple single-function products becomes more expensive than purchasing one multi-functional solution. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) If you've had the opportunity to pop the lid off a legacy application and look inside, you probably understand the true meaning of the term "can of worms." Applications that have not been rigorously maintained can be almost undecipherable. When a modernization project gets under way, you might want to put the lid back on the can, but somehow that code has to be analyzed to understand data flows, execution paths, and business processes. These are the points where automation can stall. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Commercial open source ERP software may seem like the almost off the map equivalent of Hannah, North Dakota, but it could be on its way to "better mousetrap" status, which brings growing recognition. Opening an online store is one way to make it easier for people to find you and learn what you have been up to. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) BI for the little guy has proved to be popular for many IBM i (AS/400) users. Smaller organizations are looking for business intelligence tools that are inexpensive and easy to use, but with the capabilities to scale while continuing to provide performance at expected levels. If you've had BI projects placed on hold because they would break the budget, here's an option that might serve you well. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Profound Logic) Modernizing existing applications and creating new Web applications on the IBM i are the topics of discussion in these three archived Webinars that feature the company's software. Maximizing end user productivity, developing programs that are easier to use and maintain, and utilizing existing developer skills are covered in these sessions that can be watched on your own schedule. READ MORE >

(Aberdeen) Manufacturers are busy tightening down the screws of operational costs, but cost cutting needs to be an intelligent undertaking. The key is to avoid injuring the organization in the process. Just as bad is ignoring performance enhancing options while time and the competition pass you by. Read this report and then get on with your assessment. READ MORE >

(Information Builders) This white paper describes the challenges involved in business intelligence deployments and highlights how to make strategic, analytical, and operational initiatives work together to enhance performance across an organization. READ MORE >

(IBM) For those running IBM i, AIX, and/or Linux on Power Systems servers, this white paper on PowerVM explains the active memory sharing feature that allows memory sharing among partitions. Among the benefits discussed are increased memory utilization and reduced system costs. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

June 18 -- Webinar - This session for Infor ERP XA customers will cover customer relationship management features available in CRMi, a module that improves the management of customer information stored on the IBM System i. Topics on the agenda include: marketing campaign management, prospect management, sales process management, quotation management, and creating a customer information portal. The session begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

June 21-25 -- Clearwater Beach, Florida - The System i Connection Conference is an educational event featuring a range of sessions that include system management, security, DB2 and SQL databases, virtualization, Linux, PHP, and RPG. The annual Florida conference is produced by Barsa Consulting and sponsored by COMMON. It includes a vendor expo. LEARN MORE >

June 23 -- Webinar - Advice on business continuity by preventing system and application downtime will be discussed during this one-hour session co-hosted by IBM and Vision Solutions. Guest speakers are Stephanie Carmel, IBM's worldwide vice president for ISV solutions and Alan Arnold, Vision Solutions' chief technology officer. They will be discussing real world examples of resiliency options for a variety of situations, data, and budgets. The presentation begins at 10 a.m. CDT. LEARN MORE >

June 23 -- Virtual Forum (North America) - Experts from IBM will demonstrate how businesses can improve productivity through virtualization, energy efficiency, and flexible sourcing. Also on the agenda is information on how to prepare infrastructure to address business needs and to take advantage of emerging capabilities and delivery models such as cloud computing. Interactive general sessions allow attendees to visit product exhibits, get questions answered, and join the live chat with experts. The event begins at 11 a.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

June 24 -- Virtual Forum (Asia-Pacific, India, & Europe) - Experts from IBM will demonstrate how businesses can improve productivity through virtualization, energy efficiency, and flexible sourcing. Also on the agenda is information on how to prepare infrastructure to address business needs and to take advantage of emerging capabilities and delivery models such as cloud computing. Interactive general sessions allow attendees to visit product exhibits, get questions answered, and join the live chat with experts. The event times vary depending on attendee's location. LEARN MORE >

June 24 -- Webinar - The annual State of the System i Security Report is covered in this online session hosted by PowerTech, the company that conducts the survey and publishes the report. The focus will be on steps organizations should take to address commonly overlooked and dangerous security exposures. It begins at 8 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >

June 24 -- Webinar - Automating the accounts payable process and reducing per-payment costs is the topic of this online session hosted by ACOM Solutions. This 25-minute session will provide an overview of a check and e-payment environment as well as versatile remittance options. It begins at 11 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >

June 25 -- Webinar - DB2 Web Query is not always the best path to modern reporting and business intelligence on the IBM i (IBM Power, System i, iSeries, or AS/400). This online session examines DB2 Web Query features, licensing terms, pricing, and support considerations. It also includes a demonstration of NGS-IQ, an alternative to DB2 Web Query that is available from New Generation Software, the company that hosts this Webcast. This session begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

June 25 -- Webinar - An eight-part online session on project management and working with technology vendors to prepare a successful implementation will be presented on an every-other Thursday schedule through October 1. Subject expert Susanne States, director of sales and client services at S4i, is the session leader. States is a tenured veteran of organizational development and project management. The focus of these sessions will be on driving efficiency, improving customer service, and gaining competitive advantage by putting in place adequate processes and resources. Each session begins at 11 a.m. CDT and concludes at 12:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

June 25 -- Fort Washington, Pennsylvania - A one-day seminar on DB2 Web Query for System i is being presented by Paul Lambert. The class agenda includes the purpose, benefits, and implementation strategies for DB2 Web Query and a discussion of the architectural concepts surrounding the IBM software product. Topics include: installation and management, converting existing Query/400 reports, the developer's workbench, OLAP, and many tips and techniques. The seminar begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The course fee is $285 for non-user-group members and $250 for user-group members. LEARN MORE >

June 30 -- Webinar - Building and deploying dashboards with IBM's DB2 Web Query Developer Workbench and Active Dashboards will be covered in this online session that will examine how to combine reports into a single interface that provides a single view of key performance indicators and other "state of the business" data. The session begins at 11 a.m. LEARN MORE >