Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) IBM has rolled out new Power Systems servers as part of its October announcements. That means it's time to talk about processor options, I/O boosts, new motherboards, main memory modules, PCI Express slots, and--drum roll, please--pricing. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Also on the October announcement agenda is word that the IBM i 7.1 operating system-database combo was tweaked. More performance upgrades for DB2 on i and SQL, support for thin provisioning on external disk arrays, Linux partitioning enhancements, and Ethernet link aggregation capabilities are a few of the most notable enhancements. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) On the subject of a Power 7+ processor launch, IBM seems to be saying, "If the phone doesn't ring, you'll know it was me." According to processor roadmaps, the timing is right for Power Plus, but Big Blue is keeping its lips zipped regarding an arrival time. Preserving Q4 sales might be the reason for holding off. READ MORE >

(IBM Systems Magazine) One of the capabilities an operating system needs if it is going to be used to implement pure cloud solutions has been added to IBM i 7.1. It's called image management and it can be used to create many partitions with the same base application image. READ MORE >

(GigaOM) What does it take to keep your best employees happy? Rock star-type compensation? Piling on the perks? That's just not going to happen in most instances. But here are several ideas that may be the most important factors after all is said and done. It begins with a culture of education. READ MORE >

(CIO) Corporate IT is just beginning to feel the pressure of "consumerized" IT. There's no question about whether this trend will continue. The questions are about how fast it will happen and how ready organizations will be to make use of it. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Thousands of lines of old code live in your database. That could be good or that could be bad. If you like what you have, that's fine. But if you're moving forward with modern programming aimed at interoperability, you're probably looking at SQL and how to clean up some of the old code that's still vital to your organization. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Paying attention to IBM i performance metrics such as CPU, disk, and memory consumption makes the difference between the effectiveness of running on all cylinders and the added costs of a system that is operating as if one arm is tied behind its back. Making it easy to monitor performance increases the odds that things will actually run more smoothly. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Employee time and labor management technology is moving in the direction of better integration between payroll and HR, providing benefits such as tighter security, improved capabilities for running ad-hoc queries and reports that analyze labor trends, and easier application maintenance. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) When customer service representatives are wasting time by jumping from Windows, Web, and green-screen sessions, customer satisfaction rates drop, CSRs get frustrated, and company executives wonder why revenues aren't meeting expectations. Has anyone thought about simplifying the screens and improving the workflow? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What do you get when you take social networking to work? Social business. And IBM's enthusiasm for making Lotus socially sophisticated continues to add features and functionality. The version 8.5.3 release of IBM's Lotus Notes and Domino brings with it some social surprises. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Xcase) If your database is DDS-generated, this white paper describes how SQL with DB2 on i can ease staffing burdens, shorten development cycles, improve application performance, increase data integrity, and create a database that does more work for you. READ MORE >

(Linoma Software) "Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers" is a white paper that elaborates on increasing IT manageability, decreasing security exposures, and adhering to compliance and auditing requirements. READ MORE >

(Skyview) A collection of security-related white papers written by Carol Woodbury on topics such as upgrading to IBM i 6.1 or 7, tips for passing audits, and common compliance issues for IBM i and AIX can be found here. READ MORE >

(Vault400) The risks of unplanned downtime and problematic recoveries loom larger as companies examine the shortcomings of their tape backup habits. Limited shelf life, tape drive failures, misplaced and mislabeled tapes, faulty recovery strategies, and increasing data management burdens with fewer IT resources are factors that are discussed in this report on the virtues of electronic vaulting. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

October 13 -- Webinar - Whether your smartphone is company issued or a personal device, it likely contains sensitive corporate information or personal data. This session discusses securing information, the growing threat of malware, and security policies that include anti-theft and anti-spam considerations. The presentation begins at 11 a.m. CST LEARN MORE >

October 20 -- Fairfield, New Jersey - Guest speaker Pete Massiello, an expert at configuring, installing and implementing Power Systems, will discuss the IBM i System Director Navigator Console, the Windows client, Web-based interface for managing systems and databases. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. LEARN MORE >

October 20 -- Costa Mesa, California - Two sessions on RPG topics presented by Paul Tuohy will be the featured at the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. Tuohy, one of the collaborators of the RPG & DB2 Summit events, will focus one session on tricks and techniques for the RPG IV programmer and his second session will cover designing and running a website on the IBM i. Dinner and networking begins at 5 p.m. with the first session at 6 and the second at 7:30. The meeting location is the IBM South Coast Office located at 600 Anton Boulevard. LEARN MORE >

October 20 -- Grand Rapids, Michigan - The Michigan Power Systems Technical Specialist team will be leading this presentation on trends, directions, and issues. The event begins at 8 a.m. and concludes with lunch at 11:30. The event will be held at the IBM Grand Rapids offices located at 2900 Charlevoix Drive SE. LEARN MORE >

October 23-27 -- Las Vegas, Nevada - IBM's Information on Demand conference is designed to be three technical forums in one location. The Information Management Forum is all about IBM technologies, the Business Analytics Forum that examines strategic directions, and the Enterprise Content Management Forum that includes topics such as case management; content analytics; document capture and imaging; information lifecycle governance; and social content management. Outside the technical class rooms, there's a Business Leadership Forum where the focus is on customer care and insight, risk and compliance, and operational efficiencies related to proper management of content and data. More than 700 sessions covering a wide range of products, solutions, issues and opportunities are on the agenda. LEARN MORE >

October 25 -- Webinar - IBM Power7 upgrades and high availability deployments will be the focus of this online session co-hosted by United Computer Group and Maxava. Cost effectiveness of CBU or Solution Edition servers will be emphasized. Topics of discussion include tips for planning operating system upgrades to i 6.1 or 7.1, and adding high availability or disaster recovery as part of the OS upgrade, minimizing downtime. Jim Kandrac, UCG president, and Raymond Hammel, Maxava senior solution consultant, will host the event, which begins at 2 p.m. EDT. LEARN MORE >

October 26 -- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - Dale Perkins, an IBM consulting IT specialist, will present two sessions that take a closer look at the IBM hardware and software announcements that were made in early October. His first session will be at 5 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. In between is time for dinner and networking. This meeting will be held at the Living Arts Centre located at 4141 Living Arts Drive. LEARN MORE >