Four Hundred Monitor, March 3
March 3, 2021 Jenny Thomas
IBM’s attention on the hybrid cloud is common knowledge by now. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has been crystal clear that he is deeply passionate about the hybrid cloud, and some weeks the hybrid cloud dominates the news cycle. Like this week. Our IBM i Chief Architect Steve Will kicked it off with his latest blog post to clear up some of the confusion he says surrounds industry cloud strategies, which you can find as our Top Story below. Then read on for the latest on the hybrid cloud, as well as the latest IBM i resources and events.
Top Stories From Outside The Jungle
(IBM Power Systems) Chief Architect for the IBM i Steve Will shares his latest blog about our favorite platform and (note not or) the cloud.
(Yahoo! Finance) Banks and health care are on the radar of IBM’s hybrid cloud plan.
(ZDNet) Almost a year after announcing the preview of IBM Cloud Satellite, the platform is now becoming generally available.
(CIO) IBM is dropping its legacy focus for the hybrid cloud, and this new approach may re-attract businesses.
(The Motley Fool) IBM’s hybrid cloud has one investor rethinking his investments.
Redbooks, White Papers, Blogs, and Other Resources
(IBM) Watch this webinar on-demand to attend this roundtable webinar discussion – 10 Surprising Insights On Used IT – with IDC, IBM, Skytap, Celerity, and ChannelWorks featuring IDC research on the used IT marketplace. Learn why organizations are increasingly turning to used IT, the most important criteria in selecting a used IT equipment provider and how used IT may help accelerate your sustainability initiatives, plus more research insights.
(Precisely) This annual survey provides a revealing look at the current state of IBM i security. Take the survey to share your IBM i security challenges and get alerts to results.
(Rocket) This white paper from IDC makes the case for modernizing legacy platforms.
(New Generation Software) Hear two IT managers in the distribution and manufacturing industries whose companies run on IBM i ERP software describe how they use NGS software to affordably simplify and enhance data access as well as automate workflow in this on-demand webinar.
(Cybra) The 2021 RFID Integration Guide details the benefits of integrating RFID into the supply chain to retail brand owners, manufacturers, and distributors.
Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings
March 3 – Webinar – Join this Precisely webcast and protect your IBM i by learning which configuration settings you can use to reduce the reduce the risk of Malware infection.
March 4 – Webinar – Deep dive into IBM i application modernization with a series of 30-minute sessions presented by Fresche Solutions. Registration is free. Today’s session is entitled “Speed Up Application Development with Automated Testing” and learn how Fresche’s end-to-end testing suite reduces risk by enabling developers to automatically test the UI, business logic and the database. If you’re interested but can’t make the session, register anyway to receive a link to the recording.
March 4 – Webinar – Join inFORM Decisions for a comprehensive informative approach to document management. This webinar will explore dynamic document generation, document management, and document data capturing. Learn about the power of document handling on the IBM i in three major categories from the point of view of different stake holders.
March 8-12 – Online Training – The 400School.com presents “Introduction to Programming Concepts and Facilities for IBM i” programmer bootcamp. This live five-day hands on lab style class provides an introduction to the IBM i for programmers and other technical staff who need to understand the technical capabilities of the IBM i. The class focuses on the programming concepts and facilities, programming development tools, and DB/2 Database concepts and utilities. The class teaches the use of the IBM WDS Toolset including PDM, SEU and SDA. Several programs will be written, tested and dubugged during this class. An introduction and overview of the IBM Rational Development Toolset (RDi) is also provided. Get a special $500 discount when combined with RPG IV and/or Control Language Workshops.
March 9-26 – Online Sessions – Paul Tuohy, Susan Gantner, and Jon Paris host a free Summit Lunch & Learn Series focused on the latest IBM i development enhancements and tools. Each Lunch & Learn day includes bite-sized technical tips from Susan, Jon, or Paul; a demo of an IBM i development tool; and a live Q&A. Check out the topics and register free for select sessions or the whole series.
March 9 – Webinar – Deep dive into IBM i application modernization with a series of 30-minute sessions presented by Fresche Solutions. Registration is free. Today’s session is entitled “Gain Peace of Mind with IBM i Application Support and Services” and learn how you can maintain business continuity with an experienced backup for critical applications while reducing costs and mitigating risk with expert RPG, PHP and COBOL resources. If you’re interested but can’t make the session, register anyway to receive a link to the recording.
March 15-19 – Online Training – Attend the “IBM i iSeries AS/400 Administration and Control Workshop” with the 400School.com. This live five-day hands-on workshop provides an introduction to system administration and control for IBM i. Emphasis is placed on normal day-to-day administration tasks, backup and recovery, system configuration and maintenance. Security concepts and user setup is detailed as are the QAUDJRN auditing capabilities. The audience for this class is the new and intermediate level system administrator and operations staff members who want to advance into performing more complex system administration duties.
March 16-17 – Webinar – COMMON presents the “IBM i Futures Conference” to help companies prepare their IT operations in the aftermath of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear from IBM Distinguished Engineers and Master Inventors, IBM Champions and other experts from the IBM i community about new technologies like AI, Quantum and IoT. Listen to real-life customer stories of businesses who have not only adapted, but thrived in the “new normal” by running on IBM i
March 22-26 – Online Training – The 400School.com presents the “Expanded Control Language Programming Workshop” programmer bootcamp. This live five-day hands-on lab-style workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to the IBM i control language, with a focus on writing programs. Students will write, test and debug numerous control language programs of increasing complexity. Each student receives the Control Language Programming for IBM i textbook. Special $500 discount when combined with RPG IV and/or Concepts and Facilities workshop.
March 25 – Webinar – From ATM machines to POS systems, Excel spreadsheets to healthcare applications, and everything in between, each time an application connects to your IBM i a network connection is being made. Do you know who is making the connection? Do you know what is being accessed through these connections? Do you have log data to trace them? This one-hour session from Trinity Guard will dive into the how-to’s of securing IBM i network connections and help you gain a deeper understanding of this critical component in safeguarding your organization against costly security breaches.
March 29- April 2 – Online Training – The ” ILE COBOL/400 for COBOL Programmers Workshop” from 400School.com is a live five-day hands-on lab-style workshop designed for students with some knowledge of COBOL who need to understand the extensions made for IBM’s version of ILE COBOL/400. A main focus is Database I/O and the way that COBOL/400 interacts with IBM i DDS to process externally described database files and internally defined files. Additional Focus is placed on screen display files used for COBOL/400 interactive programming, as it replaces the mainframe CICS programming model.
April 27-May 20 – Hands-On Workshops for IBM i Developers – Summit Hands-On Live! features your choice of eight interactive, 1-day workshops online with Paul Tuohy, Susan Ganter, Jon Paris, or Mike Pavlak. Cement new skills in SQL, RPG Procedures & Service Programs, RDi, Python, and building modern RPG applications. Each of the eight single-topic workshops includes in-person instruction, hands-on labs, a lab workbook, and access to an IBM i. Check the link above for full details.
May 3-5 – Framingham, Massachusetts – Plan now for the 2021 Northeast User Group (NEUGC) Conference. NEUGC is the largest technical conference in New England for IBM i.
May 24-27 – Columbus, Ohio, and Virtual – NAViGATE is COMMON’s new Hybrid event, completely reimagined content that focuses on quick tips-and-tricks, business cases, lessons learned, and innovative technologies and solutions – education that can immediately impact your job and organization that is entirely new content. NAViGATE will feature more than 250 short-format sessions presented by industry experts, peers, and solution providers from the i community, plus an in-person tabletop Expo, and Virtual Expo, of leading solution providers. This conference will offer unique in-person and virtual networking opportunities for attendees to interact and share knowledge.
October 4-6 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – The 2021 IT Executive Conference was created with the needs of IT managers and decision makers in mind to provide content and insight on leading topics that impact business. With a focus on strategic issues, ITEC attendees will hear from, and network with, IBM executives, industry recognized experts and peers on how to maximize IT investments.
October 4-7 – Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Virtual – POWERUp 2021 will be COMMON’s first Hybrid conference and will offer an in-person experience and virtual access to our remote attendees. Join friends and colleagues in the COMMON community and enjoy the best in Power Systems and IBM i education over the course of four days. Choose from nearly 300 sessions, which cover a broad range of IT topic areas that will be delivered live in-person and virtually. POWERUp will also boasts the largest Expo of its kind so that all attendees can learn about all the great products and solutions available to this community from our vendor partners. This conference is structured to give you the pure education and professional connections needed to best enhance your career.
