Dan Burger
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Leaders, Team Players, Power Systems Advocates Wanted For COMMON Board
September 15, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreVolunteering has a much larger impact on your community than most people think. And if you narrow that down to the IBM midrange community, the same is true: The impact of volunteers is both underestimated and underappreciated.
There is an economic impact that adds a financial spark to the IBM i platform by creating and organizing advocates who are also helping themselves professionally through networking, education, and mentoring. There is a personal feeling of being connected and giving back to the community and keeping it strong. And then there are social benefits that are tied into all of the above.
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IT Budgets Increasing; Outsourcing Doesn’t Keep Pace
September 15, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreI was surprised to hear that companies are increasingly inclined to invest in internal IT operations, including hiring more permanent staff, than to outsource tasks to off-premise providers. This information comes in the form of a survey and study conducted by Computer Economics, a company well known for its analysis of the IT industry. When comparing outsourcing as a percentage of IT budgets, 2014 shows a lower percentage than any of the past five years. Spending on outsourcing is averaging 10.2 percent of total IT spending this year. That’s a slim decline from 10.6 percent in 2013 and a
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Database Deficiencies Not Only a Hardware Solution
September 9, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreDatabase deficiencies can often be masked by server horsepower. But at some point, powerful servers are unable to keep response times in the sub-second category. When companies get maxed out on hardware, software and databases start getting the attention. And in the IBM midrange, the term database modernization creeps into conversations. David Andruchuk likes to be part of those conversations. His company, CSDA, provides a database modernization service for a performance bump and also for business flexibility.
Database modernization tends to focus on converting DDS-based files to DDL-based files. “It’s easy to modify DDS code to DDL code,” Andruchuk
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Database Deficiencies Not Only a Hardware Solution
September 9, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreDatabase deficiencies can often be masked by server horsepower. But at some point, powerful servers are unable to keep response times in the sub-second category. When companies get maxed out on hardware, software and databases start getting the attention. And in the IBM midrange, the term database modernization creeps into conversations. David Andruchuk likes to be part of those conversations. His company, CSDA, provides a database modernization service for a performance bump and also for business flexibility.
Database modernization tends to focus on converting DDS-based files to DDL-based files. “It’s easy to modify DDS code to DDL code,” Andruchuk
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Paper Or Digital Forms? Having It Both Ways
September 8, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreFinding the cost savings in digital document management is one of the easiest search and replace substitutions an organization can undertake. It begins with the people costs associated with handling paper records and includes the reduction–but not the elimination–of printing, mailing, and storage of business-related information. The experience of one industrial supply company provides a good example of the reality of this cost saving project.
Midway Industrial Supply is an equipment and parts distribution company with thousands of customers and a sales staff that services those customers. The business runs on an IBM IT infrastructure that began with
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Open The Door, Let The Future In
September 8, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read morePeople in the IBM i community continue to have their sights set on the future. The problem is that the numbers aren’t as big as they should be. With more than 100,000 IBM i customers worldwide, it would seem that future think would be a higher priority. One of the gauges that I use for this is the attendance at the technical conferences. Attendance is on the rise, but there should be a higher level of participation based on the system capabilities and the skills investments of companies using it. There will be several tech conferences with IBM i training
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‘Game Changer’ Mobile App Rollout Under Way
August 25, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreA mobile workforce benefits from remote access to information and applications. Done right, a mobile application development project can be created, tested, introduced in phases, and enhanced within a schedule that handles risks and reduces project management trauma. Last year, one of 21 regional centers within the California Department of Developmental Services began a search for mobile application development assistance. It found a partner, developed a pilot project, and is on its way to a statewide rollout.
The California Department of Developmental Services provides services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities. The San Diego-Imperial Counties Developmental Services, Inc. (SDICDSI),
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The Coder’s Shortcut To Satisfaction
August 25, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreIf the words investigative, inquisitive, and analytical fit you like a kite fits in the hands of ol’ Ben Franklin, you probably don’t shy away from challenges–like building a robotic dog in your basement or learning to fly–programmatically speaking–without SEU, the old green-screen development tool. I can’t help you with your robotic dog, but here’s some help for those of you with SEU abandonment issues. Let me steer you to Susan Gantner’s recently updated version of Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts for RSE.
Gantner is possibly the most well-known trainer-educator-author in the IBM midrange. I’d make a bet her
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Oracle Bests Rimini Street in Latest Court Battle
August 25, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreRimini Street, the third-party software maintenance company that continues to build business by contracting its services to Oracle and SAP customers, finds itself holding the dirty end of the stick after a federal judge last week ruled Oracle’s copyrights were encroached upon by Rimini Street. The judge also determined Rimini Street’s counterclaims against Oracle for defamation and unfair competition are unfounded.
Oracle in 2010 filed a lawsuit claiming Rimini Street stole Oracle intellectual property in the course of building its software support business. The legal drama is playing out in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.
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IT Evolution Chicago Style
August 25, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreTo successfully take on the challenges of building a modern, high-efficiency digital enterprise, IBM midrange organizations should be re-energizing their in-house IT staff for roles that are the natural evolution of enterprise computing. Not making the effort to do so is a missed opportunity. In most IBM i shops the IT personnel have deep experience with the IT infrastructure as well as intimate knowledge of your business and your industry niche. This isn’t the kind of knowledge you can acquire from outside your organizations.
Developing the talent to manage the modernization of IT starts with the value accrued in your