Alex Woodie
Alex Woodie is Senior Editor at IT Jungle. He was previously editor of two of IT Jungle's main newsletters, Four Hundred Stuff and The Windows Observer. Prior to joining Midrange Server (as Guild Companies was formerly called) in October 2001, Alex was a products editor at now defunct publisher Midrange Computing, where he was first introduced to the AS/400 and covered hardware, software, and services for Midrange Technology SHOWCASE magazine. Before joining Midrange Computing, Alex was a staff writer for The Insurance Journal and a reporter and columnist with The Paradise Post newspaper. Woodie obtained his Bachelors of Arts degree in journalism from Humboldt State University in 1997. Upon graduation, Alex intended to make his way onto a major daily newspaper, but in 1999 he found himself drawn to the high-technology industry, where his background in science and engineering has suited him well. He lives in Northern San Diego County. When he is not writing next week's newsletters, Alex can be found in his favorite chair reading the day's paper, in the kitchen, or at the beach.
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New Run SQL Scripts Features in ACS Update
August 23, 2023 Alex Woodie
If you’re a fan of the Run SQL Scripts features in IBM i Access Client Solutions, then there’s good news: IBM has adopted several suggestions on how to improve the functionality in the latest release of ACS.
IBM quietly released ACS version 1.1.9.3 last month, enabling a series of new functions in the popular Java-based utility used by IBM i professionals to interact with the platform, as well as a handful of fixes.
At the top of the list, according to an IBM Support document on the new release, are enhancements to Run SQL Scripts (RSS), the handy facility that …
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A Hacker’s Dozen: 11 New Security Vulns Reported in IBM i
August 23, 2023 Alex Woodie
IBM on August 18 reported 11 new security vulnerabilities in IBM i’s Java stack, including two critical Java flaws that should be patched immediately. The new batch of vulns continues what has been an active summer for security flaws on the platform.
IBM revealed the existence of the 11 Java security flaws in IBM i version 7.2 through 7.5 and the availability of emergency program temporary fixes (PTFs) on the security bulletin section of its IBM Product Security Central webpage.
The security bulletin shows 11 flaws, CVE-2022-21426 through CVE-2023-21968, impacting various components of the Java stack, including the Java Software …
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Infoview Launches New IBM i Integration Tool
August 21, 2023 Alex Woodie
Infoview Systems has launched a new integration product for IBM i customers. Called infoConnect Hub, the software is designed to expose IBM i data and applications to outside programs as a basic REST API, without any IBM i programming skills required, the company says.
Integration continues to be a challenge for many enterprises, particularly those running “non-standard” platforms like IBM i. When there’s a need to access a program or fetch data from an IBM i server – such as checking a stock balance, delivery date, or fulfillment status – it often requires folks with IBM i skills to develop …
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Fighting Fake News in Digital Transformation
August 16, 2023 Alex Woodie
It’s not news that businesses across the globe are embarking upon ambitious digital transformation projects, which are often advertised as an imperative to commercial survival. While these projects can be successful and profitable, they can also lead to business disruptions and losses thanks to unscrupulous vendors that aren’t attuned to customer needs. That’s why it’s so important to highlight the fake news and misinformation that’s so rampant in digital transformation.
ERP projects are notorious for going off the rails, and modern-day digital transformation projects are no different. In fact, more than half of digital transformation projects experience a “material disruption” …
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MOVEit Vulnerability Yields Another 4 Million Breached Records
August 16, 2023 Alex Woodie
A zero-day security vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software discovered in late spring has been wreaking havoc across American companies this summer. The latest victims are people signed up for Colorado’s version of Medicaid, who had their data compromised when cybercriminals used the flaw to access their data in the IBM Cloud.
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) recently notified customers that a security incident took place that resulted in unauthorized actors having access to the protected health information of members involved in two of its programs, including Health First Colorado, which is the state’s …
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Raz-Lee Updates Anti-Ransomware
August 16, 2023 Alex Woodie
Ransomware is not the summer blockbuster that it was in 2021, when hundreds of unprepared organizations across the country succumbed to attacks. But neither has ransomware disappeared as a security problem. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to stake out a ransomware strategy, which could involve deploying Raz-Lee Security’s unique IBM i software.
Raz-Lee Security rolled out its Anti-Ransomware product back in the summer of 2018, well before the huge uptick in attacks that occurred in 2021. The software works by first detecting ransomware attacks, which would typically target files in the IFS. It then would take action, …
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A Simple Plan To Boost IBM i Visibility
August 14, 2023 Alex Woodie
If you are a consumer of mainstream news, it can be hard to find anything about IBM i. The proprietary business platform isn’t marketed by IBM in advertisements and it receives very little coverage in mainstream IT publications. But a salesman for an IBM i business partner has come up with an easy yet compelling way to boost the visibility of the platform.
Earlier this month, Josh Bander, who is an enterprise account executive at Briteskies, shared a recent conversation he had through his LinkedIn page .“Over the weekend, I spoke to a few of my friends in IT, …
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SAP Raises Costs, Slashes Innovation for On-Prem Software
August 9, 2023 Alex Woodie
Companies that run SAP on-prem, including all of its IBM i customers, will be left out in the cold following the German ERP giant’s latest moves, which includes a 5 percent increase in annual on-prem support costs and a pledge from the CEO that all new “innovation” only will be delivered in the cloud.
SAP, like most enterprise software vendors, has been trying to get its customers to move to cloud versions of its ERP software for some time. Moving customers to cloud subscriptions not only smooths out the revenue stream for companies like SAP compared to the sporadic …
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A Decade of Data Breaches: Some Things Never Change
August 9, 2023 Alex Woodie
Why did Willie Sutton rob banks? “Because that’s where the money is,” he told a reporter. Fast forward to 2023, and data is the new currency, so it’s not surprising that bad guys are doing their best to steal it. While some techniques have changed, many aspects of data theft have remained the same over the years, according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report.
It was 2003 when the telecommunications company Verizon set up the Verizon Threat Research Advisory Center (VTRAC) to study emerging cyber threats. A year later, VTRAC investigators assisted in publishing the first Verizon Data Breach …
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Google Introduces VS Code-Based IDE, Project IDX
August 9, 2023 Alex Woodie
Google this week took the covers off Project IDX, a new integrated development environment (IDE) based on Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code that’s designed to assist developers in creating full-stack, multiplatform applications with pre-built integrations to AI models.
Google’s new Project IDX, which is based on VS Code (via Code OSS), is a browser-based IDE that allows developers to create Web and mobile applications. Currently in preview, it’s designed to work with languages like JavaScript and Dart via Web application frameworks, such as Angular, Flutter, React, and Vue.js. Support for Python and Go languages is in the works, the company …
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