DB2/400 Storage Engine for MySQL Now Available as Public Beta
by Alex Woodie

MySQL and IBM last week started a public beta for the new DB2 for i (IBMDB2i) Storage Engine for the MySQL database, a long-awaited product that will allow System i shops to care and feed for their MySQL-based PHP applications running on their i OS server just as they do for ordinary DB2 for i (DB2/400) applications. The Storage Engine will be available for customers at V5R4 and i 6.1 versions of the operating system, but they must install several PTFs first. READ MORE >

PHP Saves Company Millions by Refurbishing Old ERP System
by Alex Woodie

A $1.7 billion construction company has saved millions of dollars in license fees and years of time by refurbishing a 30-year-old RPG-based ERP system with Zend Technology's PHP development tools rather than buying a new, brand-name ERP package in the seven figures. The two-year programming effort for APi Group of Minnesota paid off when its IT staff replaced all of the old 5250 green screens with Web interfaces, at a fraction of the cost, time frame, and pain of a full-scale ERP migration. READ MORE >

ManageEngine Goes On Demand with Data Center Tools
by Alex Woodie

ManageEngine recently announced a beta test for OpManager OnDemand, a software as a service (SaaS) version of its systems management tools for monitoring servers and networks. The new offering gives customers a Web-based console to monitor a wide swath of their IT infrastructure, while eliminating the need to install software, provision servers, and pay big upfront license fees. Over the coming months, the company plans to deliver more of its IT management tools via SaaS, including possibly its relatively deep System i monitoring capabilities. READ MORE >

RSA Cracks Down on Security Threats with enVision 4.0
by Alex Woodie

RSA yesterday unveiled a new version of its security information and event management (SIEM) software, enVision 4.0. With the new release, the EMC subsidiary has introduced several new features aimed at making it easier to correlate and make sense of the security-related log and vulnerability data that is inundating organizations. And in a bid to show enVision is not just for big enterprises, RSA unveiled two new appliances for medium size companies. READ MORE >