Dan Burger
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West Coast IBM i Conference Up Next
July 8, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreTime is still on your side, but it won’t be for long. IT departments need to stay current on skills and technology. Those that don’t will become a drag on their companies’ growth and competitiveness. IBM midrange shops aren’t any different in that regard. But there is a difference–the opportunities for training and education are not as prevalent as with other platforms. This is particularly true on the West Coast, where the annual OCEAN User Group one-day tech conference is the only event of its kind. The conference is scheduled for Friday, July 19.
IT continues to be one of
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Magic Follows Up 2012 Success With Q1 2013 Momentum
July 8, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreMagic Software Enterprises turned in its best year ever in 2012, and the momentum is continuing in the first quarter of this year. In the quarter ended in March, Magic Software amassed $33.4 million in revenues, an 11 percent increase over the year-ago period.
Non-GAAP operating income for the first quarter increased 12 percent to $5.2 million, compared to $4.7 million in the same period last year. Operating income increased 10 percent to $4.6 million, compared to $4.2 million in the same period last year.
Magic’s use of non-GAAP numbers goes against generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Non-GAAP numbers generally
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Cilasoft Sales Boosted by Security Migrations
June 25, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreCilasoft, an international software company based in France that specializes in security, audit, and compliance software for the IBM Power Systems running the IBM i operating system, is reporting a 20 percent gain in revenue in 2012, according to company president Guy Marmorat.
A growing portion of the increases comes from companies already equipped with security software. These replacement deals, which Marmorat estimated were responsible for one-fifth of all sales in 2011, have increased to more than one-third of Cilasoft sales in the first quarter of 2013. To better accommodate IBM i shops that are unhappy with their previous
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Taking A Ride On The IBM i
June 24, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreWhat’s ahead for the IBM i platform is a very good question. IT Jungle readers are pretty well versed on what’s been accomplished during the platform’s 25-year run. Many of you have been with the platform from the beginning and more than a few recall when IBM stormed the midrange with its first mini mainframes. While looking back provides many good memories, it doesn’t do much to keep modern businesses running. So the road ahead has our attention.
The IBMi25 campaign, which was devised as a three-month saga that played up the history of the platform but differentiated it from
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IBM Cuts Systems And Software Jobs, Hopes To Boost Profits
June 24, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreLike night follows day, darkness is descending on nearly 3,000 IBM employees who are being dishonorably discharged–the company prefers the term “workforce rebalanced”–from the payroll of the IT giant in the United States and Canada. On a global basis, the number is expected to exceed 5,000 and possibly as many as 8,000 could be without jobs by the end of the year. Earnings per share, which guides IBM’s decision making, should benefit, while families and communities get the dirty end of the stick.
Don’t let that first paragraph fool you. I despise the influence of stock prices over corporate citizenship
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Take A Survey, Help Gateway Technical College Help You
June 24, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreThere are two ways to look at the IT skills shortage: macro and micro. Macro is an industry-wide view and micro is how the skills shortage affects the organization where you work. A week ago, in the But Wait There’s More section of The Four Hundred, readers were encouraged to participate in a survey designed to gauge the severity and focal points of the IBM i skills shortage. Equally important was the objective of matching up companies that are searching for talented entry-level workers with IT educations that included IBM i-related skills with the colleges that specialize in that
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Agilysys Back To Profitability; Sells Retail Division, Buys New Product Line
June 17, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreA two-week flurry of activity, including a financial report that showed a return to profitability, the sale of one business unit and the acquisition of another, has Agilysys popping up on the BusinessWire like thunderstorms on a Florida summer afternoon. Agilysys is best known in the IBM midrange community for its hospitality and gaming software that is dominant in those markets. However, the company has more than that on its plate.
Two weeks ago, Agilysys announced it was selling its Retail Solutions Group to an affiliate of Clearlake Capital Group for $34.55 million in cash. An estimated 200 customers buy
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Industry-Driven Training Aims At Skills Gap
June 17, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe skilled workforce is a big concern for all companies. In the IBM midrange community, you won’t find many people who believe it isn’t a problem. Potential entry-level employees with IBM i skills are scarce. And companies that are hiring tend to be particular about that. In most instances, organizations are not looking for one-dimensional individuals. Broad-based skills, including multiple languages and operating systems, are more the norm.
What’s being done to address this?
Some companies have found success when the IT and HR departments work together on a recruitment strategy that has close ties to colleges where IBM i
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Technology Drives More OS Upgrades Than Deadline Pressures
June 10, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreIt is not like the just-opened valve on a fire hydrant, but the number of OS upgrades from i5/OS V5R4 to IBM i 6.1 and 7.1 is a steady stream of activity. Up at the enterprise level of the IBM midrange, this is old news. It’s unlikely any of those shops are still sitting on i5/OS V5R4. But in the small to midsize businesses, the OS upgrade activity buzzes along like tree cutters turned loose on 500 acres of forest. Technology marches on, finally.
There has been a lot of talk about the end of tech support for i5/OS V5R4
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DevCon Technical Conference Is No More
June 10, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreTimes are tough in the IT conference business. Last week, the annual IBM i application development conference known as DevCon said that it is folding its tent as a result of declining attendance rates in recent years. Less than a month ago, COMMON Europe pulled the plug on its annual Power Systems conference. Disappointing pre-event registration totals and the loss of IBM support were cited as the cause. In April, the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition had its lightest attendance ever. Declining conference attendance is widespread throughout many industries. It is another sign of the times.
A form letter was