Industrial Strength Software Debuts DB2/400 Optimization Tools
by Alex Woodie

Industrial Strength Software, a provider of programmer utilities and change management tools based in Illinois, recently introduced two tools designed to help System i shops get the most performance out of DB2/400. The new tools, called the DBAnalyzer (DBA) and DBOptimizer (DBO), work together to identify inefficient database structures and to automatically optimize them for peak performance, thereby reclaiming disk space and processor turns. READ MORE >

Turning a System i into a Time Machine: Nippon Express and CCSS Show How It's Done
by Greer Hahn

As the spectre of recession begins its inevitable and indiscriminate creep into boardrooms across the world, the attentions of CEOs begin to scan the body of the organization, looking for areas in which to trim the fat that might sustain them through the tough times. So how do IT managers justify and protect their existing budgets and prove their System i environment can punch above its weight? Simple--they turn their System i into a time machine. READ MORE >

inFORM Helps Save the Earth with Updates to i-Based Document Management
by Alex Woodie

Today is Earth Day, and that means you're supposed to think about ways to save the environment from the world's most destructive force: man. One relatively painless method is eliminating the use of paper in favor of electronic documents, and to do that, you need an electronic document management software solution. One company developing native System i (i, i5/OS, OS/400) document management software, inFORM Decisions, recently updated its suite of products to in hopes of helping customers stay in the green. READ MORE >

United Computer Group Sailing Smooth Through Rough Water
by Dan Burger

'Protecting Data for the SMB' could be the title of a book written by Jim Kandrac, president of UnitedComputer Group. The Brecksville, Ohio, company is doing quite well. According to Kandrac, its revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was up 198 percent compared to the same quarter in 2007. That's pretty explosive stuff. When most companies are happy with status quo or small gains, where do numbers like 198 percent growth come from? READ MORE >