Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) The technology pool has a deep end with a 10-meter diving platform for jumping in and a shallow end where wading is the preferred activity. Choosing your comfort zone whether it's personal or business involves a certain amount of guessing and second guessing. As Timothy Prickett Morgan says, "We want to do things better as well as cheaper. But change is both annoying and risky." READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) People are beginning to talk about the IBM i 7.1 operating system, which is expected by the time the COMMON conference rolls around in May. While new features like RPG Open I/O continue to build interest, this is also a good time to take an interest in i/OS pricing as well as the extended service time for V5R4. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Platform-specific, technology-oriented marketing is on the back burner at IBM, while the message Big Blue chooses to deliver touts Smart Business with its emphasis on success through simplicity. It's an application-first approach with IBM as your business guide and IT "uncomplicator." Like the AS/400 before it, the IBM i has a place in this presentation. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Co-starring in the Bernie Madoff docudrama is none other than the IBM AS/400, which plays the part of an aged, but hard-working, business computer that gets mixed up with a gang of corrupt and completely vile white collar criminals. Investigators, savvy in AS/400 technology, are called in to help sort out the mess and slap the cuffs on people destined to burn in . . . oops, sorry, I don't want to ruin the ending. READ MORE >

(IBM Systems Magazine) The recent "point release" of the IBM i operating system has users wondering whether it makes more sense to upgrade to 6.1.1 or move to 6.1 first. If you've already tested for 6.1, do you have to re-test for 6.1.1? Steve Will, chief architect for IBM i, has the answers. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Not often do you find references to fiction in Four Hundred Monitor, but then it's not all that common to find the IBM i in a position to unlock the key to the IT past while being dissected by future archeologists. Author Joseph Kennedy, a systems manager with plenty of IBM i experience, has written this entertaining tale that unfolds like a green-bar report during an end-of-month audit. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) The HITECH Act is destined to place a high priority on security, which likely brings a bonanza for security software providers. Additional regulatory compliance will have healthcare organizations scrambling to avoid security breeches and potential fines for violations. Although specifics are yet to be determined, it's certain that software will be instrumental in meeting security obligations. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Given the increasing importance of security in all types of business, simplifying processes such as object-level security implementations, exit point controls, and performing audit journal analysis will be a huge consideration for IT departments shopping for software. Security software vendors will attempt to differentiate their products by maximizing automation and honing in on the specific needs of customers. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Over the wire backups to off-site facilities that guarantee recovery--after unplanned downtime knocks you for a loop--continue to gain the trust of companies that are fed up with traditional backup policies. But then there's the issue of each platform requiring its own backup method. You know, it doesn't have to be as difficult as some people predetermine it to be. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) We're on a roll this week with security software announcements. Protecting sensitive data across multiple production and development systems is another conundrum that will get the attention of IT departments looking for solutions that can kill two (or three or four) birds with one stone. A product that can handle multiple platforms and multiple databases will have an advantage. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Human capital management, the popular term for managing a company's labor force, requires a great deal of organization, and software advances are streamlining many of these employee-processing chores. Improved dashboards and the integration of mobile devices are two areas that are ready to increase effectiveness. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Help/Systems) Business intelligence is defined in many ways. It begins with query and reporting, includes a wide scope of business analytics, and offers solutions to data distribution dilemmas. To demonstrate the benefits companies are getting out of real world implementations, you'll find these reports featuring Security Mutual Life insurance Company and Southwestern Motor Transport helpful. READ MORE >

(PowerTech) Many companies rely on security information and event management (SIEM) solutions to comply with security policies and mandated regulations. This paper discusses why SIEM solutions often offer limited coverage for the System i (AS/400), and emphasizes technical issues relevant to logging security data on the System i (AS/400). It also offers advice for developing real-time awareness of security events as they happen on the System i and provides information on integrating SIEM solutions. READ MORE >

(IBM) Virtualization technology is being used to simplify and optimize IT infrastructure. This report covers the combination of hardware and software on Power Systems that can to aggregate and manage resources using a consolidated, logical view. Topics of discussion include: reducing energy costs through server consolidation, reducing the cost of existing infrastructure, and managing growth. READ MORE >

(Skyview Partners) Many companies are saddled with manual security compliance tasks that have personnel tied up with work that could be automated. In this video, security expert Carol Woodbury explains how security software can bring costs related to manual labor under control. READ MORE >

(HiT Software) This report examines the synchronizing of data between heterogeneous databases with an emphasis on integrating IBM i DB2 with Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Data security and cost effectiveness are major topics. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

November 20 -- Webinar - Application development without change management puts software reliability at risk and opens a can of worms when regulatory compliance is a concern. This online session focuses on the topic of release management with a discussion about identifying changed components in a release to be transferred and how to correctly transfer a release 100 percent of the time. The session begins at noon EST. LEARN MORE >

November 24 -- Atlanta, Georgia - Open source applications and tools that can be used to integrate data with DB2 and RPG will be emphasized in this presentation by Susan Gantner and Jon Paris. MySQL and PHP will be highlighted for their capabilities to quickly and easily create simple browser-based database applications. Registration begins at 10 a.m. The training is scheduled to conclude at 3 p.m. A $60 registration fee will be charged. LEARN MORE >

December 6-11 -- Dallas, Texas - The Computer Measurement Group's annual conference, CMG'09, will include session topics such as cloud computing, software as a service, service-oriented architecture, virtualization, measurement and tuning, load testing, modeling, and forecasting in a variety of venues including workshops, how-to tutorials, user-experiences, and problem-solving presentations. More than 150 sessions are on the agenda. LEARN MORE >

December 8 -- Louisville, Kentucky - IBM Power Systems Technical Sales Specialist John Bizon will present a session on virtualization at the KSSA local user group meeting for IBM i professionals. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Residence Inn located at 120 North Hurstbourne Parkway. LEARN MORE >

December 10 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Bruce Vinning, an ex-IBMer and one of the top authorities on command language and the i operating system, will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. Vining recently introduced a product that provides direct database access for CL commands a big step forward for CL programmers. The meeting begins with lunch at noon and the presentation following lunch. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. LEARN MORE >