Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) IBM is quite proud of its user-based pricing plan on the i5 515 and 525 and it prefers to keep price based on performance out of the discussion. To do so, however, is to tell only half the story. To get the complete picture, a box-to-box performance competition is inevitable. This week it's System i versus Unix in a benchmark comparison that may surprise companies in the SMB market. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The story of voice over Internet Protocol is a story about network infrastructure. It's also a story about return on investment when compared to the PBX phone systems widely in place at organizations of all sizes. When it comes to cost savings, VoIP has a very strong case, but it must overcome technology's biggest foe--reluctance to change. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction runs its back office operations on an iSeries Model 820 at its headquarters in Raleigh. It also has 115 AS/400, iSeries, and System i servers supporting the system from locations throughout the state. Until recently, it had no disaster recovery plan, but that has changed and it would be safe to say the organization is prepared come hell or high water. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) No matter what name you call it, the AS/400 is certainly an endurance champion. After 18 years on the market, it continues to be a powerful competitor in a highly competitive field. Although it's commonly viewed as a legacy system and is very traditional in many of its real world applications, IBM has done a great deal to make the box and its operating system technologically advanced. Perhaps the most important attribute though has been its ability to remain so useful to so many companies for so many years. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM has done a good job bringing WebSphere Development Studio Client (WDSc) into the RPG development world. That's the good news. A few glitches, some of them better described as horrible mistakes, have the potential to drive System i users to options, including that recurring nightmare called inaction. The simple fact is that these ill-advised moves could easily have been avoided. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Thoma Cressey Bravo, the private equity firm behind the consolidation of the three largest high availability vendors in the System i market, can't afford to get lazy with its acquired installed base of customers. First of all, there are worthy competitors who are hungry for business. And secondly, the number of shops using HA remains under 10 percent and the adoption of HA is expected to grow considerably. That means there is hay to be made. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Grid computing on System i isn't technically a no show, but it sure is hard to find. If you counted the System i devotees who are messing around with grid, it's likely you wouldn't have to use more than your fingers. And that would include all the folks at Rochester, too. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) offers some enticing benefits compared to the traditional PBX phone systems in use at most organizations. The System i executives at IBM have been emphasizing it for more than a year with software coming from 3Com. Now 3Com has company as Nortel readies its VoIP on System i applications for a fourth quarter intro. READ MORE >

(MCPress) With Nortel preparing to launch a VoIP product, what will this mean to companies as they evaluate their options? Certainly Nortel customers who believe they have been treated well will take a look. Other than that, it seems as though Nortel is a better fit for the small to mid size companies, while 3Com seems better suited for larger enterprises, but it's really too early to say because Nortel is six months from its launch date and product specifics are few and far between. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) It's true that IBM is no longer updating its widely used Query/400 tool. It's not true that users are doomed. It could easily be just the opposite. Modern business intelligence tools offer a much greater degree of flexibility--things like drag and drop ease of use, loading queries into ubiquitous Excel spreadsheets, and convenient distribution as PDF documents. Don't worry about all the old queries being rendered useless either. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Document management, if you have such a system in place, monitors System i print queues, processes the output according to segmenting and/or bundling rules that you set, converts output into PostScript, PDF, HTML, RTF, CSV, or plain text formats and electronically distributes, prints, or archives that output. That's what your doc management system does, right? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The capability to send IPDS print jobs to low-cost PCL or PostScript printers has been a welcome relief to organizations that previously were locked into using IPDS-specific printers. Now you can get that flexibility along with an interface that allows management of IPDS devices and spool files from within a Web browser. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Certified encryption solutions with cross-platform capabilities that include System i, System z, Unix, Linux, and Windows platforms using the same encryption API set is now available from Patrick Townsend & Associates. The range of data types, including whole DB2 files, individual fields, spool files, save files, and entire tapes. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Key Information Systems) The benefits of IP telephony are covered in this report on managing voice information like you manage your other corporate data. The emphasis is on making the network infrastructure a foundation for voice communications using Internet Protocol, commonly referred to as voice over IP or VoIP. Key issues include cost comparisons and management issues. READ MORE >

(iMessaging Systems) This white paper examines interactive voice response software (sometimes referred to as call routing) and how it works with OS/400-based applications. The description includes examples of how customers can gain automated 24-hour-a-day access to company services and information. Cases are taken from several industries and an ROI analysis based on each example. READ MORE >

(MKS) Here's an exploration of the management issues surrounding application modernization that offers ways to minimize the impact on the organization and its IT infrastructure through better management and process controls. This report examines organizations accustomed to a single platform and the tools needed to help them coordinate a variety of development activities. READ MORE >

(BOSaNOVA) When it comes to data security, it is necessary to take steps beyond firewalls, virtual private networks, and intrusion prevention systems. That's why the topic of data encryption has gained so much attention. This white paper looks at risk assessment and regulatory compliance while make a strong case for encryption. 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 21 -- Webcast - A session pertaining to PHP applications running on i5/OS is being presented by Ed Kietlinski, a solutions consultant for Zend Technologies. Points that Kietlinski will make include application performance and management, increased productivity, quicker problem resolution, and greater uptime of your application. The event begins at 8 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >

June 21-22 -- Scottsdale, Arizona - The IBM System i Spring Technical Conference features excellent training sessions on topics ranging from server consolidation and WebSphere to PHP and VoIP. Other topics include: Java Virtual Machine, free-format SQL in RPG applications and enhancements to CL, workload management, and database-performance management and index-maintenance tools. Educational sessions are geared for IS managers, programmers, system analysts, administrators, and operators. LEARN MORE >

June 21 -- Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania - The Mid Atlantic Midrange is hosting a one-day seminar titled "A Power Day of Java and PHP Technology--Grounds for Java & PHP" presented by Blair Wyman from IBM Rochester. LEARN MORE >

June 27 -- Webinar - This session is specifically for the users of Infor ERP software who need better reporting and data analysis tools than Infor provides. The focus will be on producing visual presentations, analytical models, spreadsheets, and more useful and easy-to-read reports. Topics of discussion will include the use of ad hoc query, DB2 integration with Microsoft Excel and other Office productivity tools, online analytical processing, and live, Web-based performance dashborards. This presentation is hosted by New Generation Software and highlights that company's NGS-IQ business intelligence software. The session begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

July 11 -- Webcast - A session pertaining to SugarCRM, the commercial open source customer relationship management software is being presented by Ed Kietlinski, a solutions consultant for Zend Technologies. Topics of discussion include the importance of open-source applications and the flexibility and cost effectiveness of Zend's PHP along with SugarCRM. This session is not specifically tailored to System i users. The event begins at 9 a.m. PDT. LEARN MORE >

July 16 -- San Francisco, California -- ASNA, iSeries Modernization Technical Seminar. Unlock, extend, and leverage the value of your iSeries to enable business change! This one day iSeries modernization event introduces you to Web Services expands the definition of modernization unravels SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) while explaining how you can use your team's skills to take advantage of all of the benefits of these new technologies. LEARN MORE >

July 16 -- Irvine, California - The annual one-day OCEAN Technical Conference will include technical sessions by Bob Cozzi, Bob Tipton, Trevor Perry, Alison Butterill, Scott Klement and others. Traditional RPG developer and infrastructure classes are on the agenda and there will be sessions on new technology and development approaches as well. Reservations before July 1 are eligible for a discount price. The event also includes a Vendor Expo. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency. LEARN MORE >