Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) Isn't it funny that IBM is so proud of itself for claiming the Unix vendor crown, but in doing so it lost its way in the midrange? Funny as in odd, not funny as in laughter. There's nothing funny about watching one-third or possibly one-half of a substantial midmarket installed base walk out the door. Can you figure out what to do next Big Blue? Read this and throw some cold water on your face. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The best chance IBM has of meeting the needs of small to mid-size companies is by promoting its independent software vendor community--particularly the vendors with AS/400 experience. They're the best connection IBM has to the midrange. On paper, IBM's Smart Market program is a perfect match for the midrange. But can IBM execute the plan sometime before the cows come home? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Server revenues and shipments slipped in the third quarter, falling 15 percent and 17 percent respectively. The good news is that it didn't hurt as bad as the second quarter fall, which was a bone-jarring 30 percent in both categories. And did you happen to notice that if you subtract X64 and Unix boxes from the Q3 equation, there are some interesting numbers to noodle? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Lost data and downtime are a horror show double feature. You can talk about how it'll never happen to your shop or think you have recovery time under control, but the guy who said "stuff happens" was right and the guy who claims he has a handle on resiliency often doesn't. READ MORE >

(MCPress) COMMON President Wayne Madden provides his view of the upcoming 2010 conference in Orlando, when the user group marks its 50th anniversary. Madden's opinions cover topics such as a reduction in the number of sessions, new session topics, the effects of a new policy for speakers and volunteers, and making a profit in a tough economy. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) The IBM i commands a great deal of respect in the banking and finance industry, where it's been a major player for many years. Software and services from Fiserv are one of the big reasons. What's surprising is that managed services rather than software licensing are preferred by more than 50 percent of the software company's customers and the services side of the business more than doubled in the past year. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Competitive pricing in the content management software market is a buyer's best friend. Combine that with a quick and easy deployment promise that can be backed up by a steady hand on the return-on-investment calculator and you can see why companies are studying the benefits of eliminating a reliance on paper-based documents of all types. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The trucking industry is very familiar with i OS-based applications. Many of the largest U.S.-based freight haulers run on the IBM i. Last week the two biggest application vendors decided consolidation beats competition as TMW Solutions purchased Innovative Computing. More than 2,000 customers will be under one roof as a result. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Understanding how RPG, COBOL, and CL programs were developed and how they run on i OS Power Systems servers is an important step in extending and/or modernizing applications. Automating the analyzing process can save time, avoid bottlenecks, and ultimately trim costs (think about reduced software maintenance) when re-engineering applications. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(NGS) Business intelligence on the System i and the new Power Systems servers comes in a variety of options. IBM is very fond of its own software called DB2 Web Query. New Generation Software, in this white paper, compares DB2 Web Query with the NGS alternative called NGS-IQ. Among other things, this report examines the capabilities of these two products, the cost of implementation, licensing terms, and product support. 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 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 >

(ProData) Even years after the U.S. government enacted Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, and other regulations, companies continue to define and redefine business processes and functions that touch sensitive data within their organizations. This whitepaper examines how journaling and auditing tools can greatly simplify the job of continuously providing regulatory compliance. READ MORE >

(Bsafe) This archived Webinar examines ways to lower costs and reduce the administrative burden created by regulatory requirements such as PCI, SOX, HIPPA and GLBA. Topics of discussion include security management, system access control, automated policy enforcement, and simplified compliance techniques using templates. READ MORE >

(10ZiG) This archived Webcast examines how desktop infrastructure costs can be reduced using thin clients and centralized management. This session is presented by IBM and its focus is on shared services, desktop virtualization, and achieving a return on investment. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

December 10 -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - WRKJOB and QShell will be the topics of discussion at the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. Guest speaker is Tom Davidson, an expert in performance tuning and application development and a long-time member of WMCPA. His first session begins at 4:30 p.m. and the second begins at 7:30 p.m. In between are cocktails, networking, and dinner. The meeting will be held at Alioto's Restaurant located at 3041 North Mayfair Road. LEARN MORE >

December 10 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Bruce Vining, 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 >

December 14 -- Woodbury, New York - The Long Island Systems Users Group monthly meeting features Trevor Perry, who will be discussing how to become an IT developer in the 21st century. His presentation examines questions professionals face in the next decade, the next promotion, next job, next career, and even retirement. LISUG meetings are held at the Fox Hollow Inn and begin at 6 p.m. LEARN MORE >

December 16 -- Webinar - Organizations can get cluttered with terminal emulator programs, but it is possible to standardize without sacrificing productivity. In this online session, Norm Randa, a product specialist in the connectivity customer support department at Open Text, will cover the details. His presentation begins at 11 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

January 15 -- Sparks, Nevada - The Reno-Sparks Midrange User Group meeting features a presentation on business intelligence on the IBM i. Guest speaker is Diana Stater from New Generation Software. Stater's presentation includes a product demonstration of NGS-IQ. The meeting beings at 11:30 a.m. and is held at the Scolaris Company headquarters located at 255 South McCarran Boulevard. LEARN MORE >