Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Virtualization and logical partitioning get a great deal of credit for reducing hardware spending, but in your virtual excitement don't forget about the management of all those virtual environments. And while you're noodling that, be sure to take into account the multiple operating systems in your data center and why there needs to be separate tools for managing each environment. Is anyone actually reducing complexity? Big Blue comes to the rescue. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) One of the most well-known experts in the AS/400 community, particularly for those who have an interest in security-related topics, is John Earl. For many years, he's been a high-mileage guy, speaking at numerous local user groups and always at COMMON, where he has also served on the board of directors. This month he became the president and CEO at Patrick Townsend Security Solutions. READ MORE >

(MCPress) The OCEAN user group took a gamble by substantially reducing the registration costs for its annual, one-day tech conference, but things worked out nicely when attendance grew compared to the 2008 conference. When almost every conference during 2009 has struggled to reach 50 percent of their attendance goals, the participation here was pretty surprising. READ MORE >

(MCPress) IBM says DB2 Web Query has been shipped to 25,000 clients, but don't make an assumption that shipments equal users. Why is this modern, Web-based, report and query tool that features a SQL query engine and encoded vector indexes not being used more frequently when everyone agrees that its predecessor, Query/400, is a relic and one of the reasons that the AS/400 is widely perceived as a dinosaur? READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) If you're running a Power6-based 570 or 595, the upgrade to Power7 processors (no delivery date yet) is already on your radar. According to IBM, this upgrade will be greatly simplified--just replace the processors, memory, and system controllers within the existing system frame. That makes it quicker, slicker, and practically eliminates the need for liquor. READ MORE >

(New York Times) The problem with collaboration is that it is something different than what it is often made out to be. It is not "the more, the merrier." The biggest stack of ideas is not necessarily the best or the smartest stack of ideas. For innovation to succeed, collaboration has to involve effective collaborators. Someone still has to sort through the collective intelligence in order to move forward and manage projects. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) No offense intended, but anyone who tries to keep watch on the constant stream of system messages, logs, and journals without using system automation software is surely suffering from delusions of adequacy. It's just too much to manually monitor with any reasonable amount of accuracy and beyond that there should be more productive things for you to do with your time. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Cyber crooks want your company's data. This problem is bad and getting worse. It begins with things like social security numbers and credit card information. Encryption is the first thing you should consider, and if you are exploring the details of encryption, take the time to examine tokenization, a method for reducing the risk of handling encrypted data and cutting storage costs. READ MORE >

(System iDeveloper) I was recently talking to an RPG programmer who told me, "I live in my own little world, but that's OK, everyone knows me here." The RPG & DB2 Summit seems to take that sentiment to heart. It's three days (or four, your choice) of practical, "use-it-today" education and training that has that "everyone knows me here" feeling. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Sensitive information is not always in a digital format. If you have printed information that is not meant for everyone's eyes, a printer output authentication process can help you tighten the security screws in your organization. It works with most printers and copy machines. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Bsafe) A variety of white papers dealing with the issue of regulatory compliance can be found on this Web site. Resources are available on Sarbanes-Oxley, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, HIPAA, GLBA, and FISMA with an emphasis on data security, data monitoring and auditing. READ MORE >

(Maximum Availability) Two case studies--one involving a hospital and the other a police department--provide testimonials for minimizing downtime due to regularly scheduled maintenance and system or disk upgrades, as well as providing a disaster recovery option for tape drive failures or other catastrophes. READ MORE >

(Linoma Software) A new white paper titled "Beyond the Security Breach: Protect Sensitive Data Using Encryption and Key Management" points out how information assets need to be protected from theft and misuse. It explores the landscape of legal liabilities and identifies the technical hurdles facing both management and IT. READ MORE >

(BCD) This white paper discusses PHP as a technology and as a productive method for transforming legacy applications to Web applications or creating new Web applications from square one. It explains the popularity of PHP, how it is different from other technologies, and uses the company's WebSmart PHP as the focal point for Web 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

July 30 -- Webinar - Successful strategies for improving productivity and reducing costs across supply chains is the topic of this online session presented by David Brault, a product manager at LANSA. Topics of discussion include customer service, business process integration and information flow, data quality management, and streamlining internal applications. The session begins at 11 a.m. CDT. LEARN MORE >

August 6 -- 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. This is session number four titled "The Project Model: Planning and Design." 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 >

August 12 -- Markham, Ontario - The Toronto Users Group for Power Systems is taking part in an interactive event called the Smarter Planet Think Tank hosted by IBM. TUG attendees will join several Think Tank teams that will be challenged to devise Smarter Planet ideas for Toronto, for Canada, or even for their own companies. The event will be held at the IBM offices located at 3600 Steeles Ave. East. It begins at 8:30 a.m and ends at noon. LEARN MORE >

August 13 -- College Park, Maryland - A one-day educational seminar on SQL is being co-hosted by the Delaware Valley Computer Users Group and the Mid-Atlantic Midrange user group. This six-hour seminar is designed as an introduction to SQL on the IBM i, (System i, iSeries, and AS/400) or a review for those needing an SQL refresher course. Topics to be covered include basic concepts, as well as some intermediate and advanced subjects. David Prescott, an AS/400 specialist since 1987, will be the instructor. The sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. and will be held at the Holiday Inn located at U.S. 1 and The Beltway. The course fee is $250 for user group members and $295 for non-user group members. LEARN MORE >