Cilasoft Introduces Single View Of Data From Multiple Systems

Data aggregation, for many organizations, is more like data aggravation. Automating data consolidation from multiple files, even those that exist in different systems in different locations, has proved to be problematic, especially for businesses that run from multiple sites. When updating and aggregating data becomes a bottleneck, IT managers start searching for answers. Double the frustration when the distribution of data from one file to multiple files is also a factor.

Solving those issues was a priority for Cilasoft, a security and compliance software vendor with a long history in the IBM midrange market. Last week, Cilasoft unveiled CENTRAL for IBM i, which brings a single central view of data to shops that operate multiple IBM i environments. It doesn’t matter whether an entire database file is needed or if it’s just a piece of the database file. And because it was designed to be bi-directional, it can deploy database files from the central site to the remote locations.

Companies that run Cilasoft’s software on multiple machines needed a unified view of security and compliance log files from all of their locations, according to Guy Marmorat, president of Cilasoft. Marmorat says more than 40 percent of Cilasoft customers run on more than three production partitions or machines.

Although the unified view was, as Marmorat describes it, “the impetus for creating CENTRAL,” Cilasoft built in additional functionality. For one thing, CENTRAL can be used with any DB2 file on any number of IBM i environments. Users can define any DB2 file using CENTRAL’s script/template/transfer definitions, and they can run any command, transfer and save file. The bi-directional feature allows data to be distributed or consolidated across multiple IBM i environments. And the capability that allows users to run commands that affect multiple IBM i environments from a single machine is another piece of new functionality.

Users can define the type of exchange such as consolidating accounting files and business statistics files. The software can also be used to deploy subsets of files, transfer save files, and run programs or commands on the remote machines. The script options include Type (*FILE, *SAVF, *CMD); Direction (*SND, *RCV); Instructions (on either remote and/or central systems), and Transport Method (*AUTO, *FTP, *MANUAL). Scheduling option capabilities include choices such as a specific time every day, every x-number of minutes, repetitive or one time only, or with a specific calendar. It also features comprehensive error tracking.

There are also segregated processes that include extraction, transport, and import. Each has its own customization options. For example, users can define the key fields (original or recalculated) from which the subsets of files will be processed. There are post and pre commands/programs/SQL statements with substitution values that provide the selected transfer mechanism.

CENTRAL is available in two versions: Runtime and Open.

The Runtime version is designed to consolidate Cilasoft-generated security and compliance log files. It is also the piece needed to deploy security rules across Cilasoft products running on multiple environments. It also delivers the capability to run remote Cilasoft commands across multiple environments.

The Open version can be used without any limitation across any database file, save file, or command, regardless of whether the files or programs are used by Cilasoft applications or not.

Marmorat predicts the Runtime version–with the Cilasoft configuration pre-loaded–will be more popular in short term and the Open version ultimately will help solve many concerns as a follow-up step. Both offer the same functionalities, but Runtime is restricted with its license keys.

CENTRAL is available now as a beta version.

The pricing structure is based on the version–either Runtime or Open–and the number of systems. The price points begin with one to five systems, then six to ten systems, 11 to 30, and unlimited.

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