Dan Burger
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SQL Protection: Grief Relief from ProData
May 7, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreMore and more people are talking about using SQL. The number of classes at conferences continues to rise and the interest level remains on an upward swing. Along with that comes an interest in monitoring and evaluating SQL environments. ProData Computer Services recognized this need, and the result was a product called SQL Audit, which was announced at the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition last month in Austin, Texas.
SQL Audit tracks and monitors modifications made to any IBM i database, whether the modifications are made using ProData’s SQL/Pro or DBU, as well as IBM‘s standard SQL functions. All
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VAI Expands EDI Capabilities with S2K Integrator
May 7, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreVAI, the ERP software company known for its IBM i customer base of small and midsize manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, has announced the availability of S2K Integrator, which advances traditional EDI integration to include such items as XML files, flat files, and spreadsheets. S2K Integrator is based on technology derived from a business partnership with EXTOL International, which is OEM-ing its EXTOL Business Integrator (EBI).
As a result, companies using S2K Enterprise, VAI’s IBM i-based ERP software, will gain the capability to connect, share and synchronize data with third parties. It opens the door to such documents as
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SAN Sightings At IBM i Shops On The Rise
May 6, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe idea of using a storage area network to increase storage capacity utilization has not exactly set the IBM i world on fire, but stringing together multiple servers and consolidating the storage space of each is finding its way into more IBM midrange shops than you might realize.
I recently spoke with a couple of storage experts who believe SAN awareness is on the rise. The first is Ed Ahl, director of IBM business for Tributary Systems, a developer of storage virtualization software for IBM i and mainframe environments. The second is Tom Grigoleit, systems engineer at Meridian Group
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The IBM i 500
May 6, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreWhat can an electronic data interchange (EDI) software company tell you about the IBM i installed base? EXTOL International has 500 IBM midrange shops using its software that range from $25 million a year small to midsize businesses up to $21 billion a year enterprises. Each year it adds about two dozen new customers running its software on IBM i on Power Systems. EXTOL’s software does not run exclusively on IBM i, but the platform is an important aspect of the company’s business.
Electronic data interchange allows the computer systems and networks of business partners to transfer data–typically related to
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IBM i Skill Building At The OCEAN
May 6, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreEach summer, IBM midrange shops in Southern California mark the date on their calendars when the OCEAN User Group Tech Conference will be held. This year it is on Friday, July 19. For some shops, this training and education opportunity is exactly what’s needed: convenient and cost effective.
This year there are a total of six educational tracks and 30 sessions that include topics such as: power programming, Web programming, mobile and Web applications, infrastructure, SQL and DB2, IBM i modernization, and new technology. The subject matter experts who are leading these sessions are among the best and brightest in
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i Is For Investment
April 22, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreJust like any other company, IBM has to make decisions on which technologies to invest in. Of course IBM is in the business of selling technology, although it prefers to be known for selling solutions. As an IBM customer, you buy technology, or you can buy solutions if you prefer. In our IBM i community, where most everything is business oriented, the technology must prove to be useful. It must make business sense, so it’s interesting to take note of what technologies are most worthy of investment.
Dave Nelson, director of IBM i development, and Alison Butterill, IBM i product
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Executive Reality: You’re Not The Lone Ranger
April 22, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreWho’s the decision maker in your company when it comes to approving IT budgets and the new projects that get the green light? And more importantly, does that decision maker understand the Power Systems running the IBM i platform? For the past 10 years or so, there has been a behind-the-scenes, conference within a conference held in conjunction with the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition. It is called the IT Executive Conference (ITEC), and it needs to have a greater impact.
As far as I know, this is the only IBM i-specific conference for executives. Most of the attendees, which
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More Candles On The IBM i Cake
April 22, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreWith all the noise about the consumerization of IT, can we just turn down the volume on that a bit so we can actually hear ourselves think about what businesses really need? Let’s have a discussion about real business needs and what separates one computing system from another. The IBM i platform is designed for business. That’s not just a marketing slogan. It’s backed up with 25 years of experience in the business world–the real world.
As you most likely know, IBM is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the IBM i operating system. This is an on-going celebration that officially
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Remain Software Improves ALM Workflow, Readies Multi-Platform Capabilities
April 17, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreChange management in IBM midrange shops is much more precise than its equivalent on other platforms. It has also been very platform specific. That was all well and good when the platform was dominant in its world. But it’s rarely a standalone platform these days. Development in multiple languages has made single-platform change management too limited. And that’s what led Remain Software to introduce a workflow management product it calls Gravity.
Gravity specializes in process automation, improved collaboration, and smooth communication among development teams. That’s phase one, which is available now. The actual multi-platform capabilities will be introduced later this
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S4i Takes Document Management to the Cloud
April 16, 2013 Dan Burger
… Read moreS4i Systems‘ decision to market its electronic document management system on a subscription basis looks like a well-timed strategy. At the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition last week, there was plenty of talk about hosted services, software as a service, cloud computing, multi-platform reality, and data centers ready to help IBM midrange customers move workloads off-premise. S4i is handling some of this on its own server and has partnered with Baseline Data Services for most of it.
Electronic document management from this IBM i software vendor goes by the name of S4i Express. It consists of modules for document