Dan Burger
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Applications Misfire When Database Integrity Ignored
September 24, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreBy the time the cow is out of the barn, it’s too late to close the door. For many companies, including those in the IBM midrange community, applications that have served well for many years with patches and fixes are needing attention just like that barn door. The choice between proactive and reactive problem solving is one way of looking at the situation. The choice between application-centric development and data-centric development also awaits.
Just about every IBM i shop is engaged in application-centric development, which is both good and bad. Application development is the engine that drives business and can
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Sirius Fluffs Up A Cloud For IBM i SMBs
September 17, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreWhat Sirius Computer Solutions has learned in the managed services business, it hopes to apply to a new cloud services business the company has drawn up specifically for small to midsize IBM i shops. The targets in the sights of the shooters at Sirius are companies that find even the smallest Power 720 running IBM i much more than they need. Although the Power 720 is the volume leader among IBM i boxes, its performance and cost exceeds what many SMB customers can put to use, or what they want to pay.
Sirius believes the cloud is the only way
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Casualties Stack Up In The IBM i Job Wars
September 10, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe positive forecasts for the IT job market in general are not to be confused with the weather charts in IBM i-land. We have our own microclimate. Although the climate is similar, the landscape is different–the average employee’s years of experience and skills are sometimes as different as the weather in Laredo and Laramie. Also a factor is that mid-career talent gets more attention than post-mid-year talent (also known as geezers–sometimes affectionately, sometimes not).
Although most surveys I’ve read indicate close to two-thirds of all companies are intending to hire IT staff this year, it is harder to find
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App Dev Outsourcing Up, Satisfaction Down
September 10, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreContrary to what some people have been saying, outsourcing IT is on an upward trend. Indicators leading to the forecast for long-term growth in IT outsourcing can be seen in the latest report from Computer Economics. Based on outsourcing as a percentage of IT budget, the gradual climb has moved from 6.1 percent in 2009 to 8.6 percent in 2012–not exactly monumental change, but a trend nonetheless.
When the topic of outsourcing is discussed, you better hold on to your hat. This is a hot button topic, particularly when the conversation centers on the high cost of application development
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Scant New Talent Is Finding IBM i
September 4, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreIBM i shops are worried. Some would say things are well past the worried stage and the lack of college grads with skills that match IBM midrange requirements has become a huge concern. Coincidentally, there are a lot of college graduates with huge concerns about finding jobs. It shouldn’t be that hard to raise the success rate for both sides. Where is the breakdown occurring?
Let’s start with a positive. At Delta Dental of Wisconsin, the state’s largest dental benefits provider and a company running its core business on IBM i, the IT and HR departments work together on a
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Become Omni-Potent With Your IBM i Skills
September 4, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreThere’s no mistaking the vibe that is picked up by conference attendees. I don’t want to overstate this and make it sound like walking into a conference is a life-changing moment, but there is something that fuels creativity and ambitions when you escape the daily IT department environs and learn something new. Being in a roomful of people who are sharing the same vibe adds to the feeling. It’s a feeling that not enough people are getting in this era of nervously holding the IT reins too tightly.
If you are in the Greater Chicago area, you have an opportunity
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SAP On IBM i: The Best Alternative?
August 27, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreIBM considers SAP to be one of its top independent software vendors (ISVs) on the IBM i platform. As such, SAP gets preferred treatment. If SAP suggests certain features for the operating system or the database that would help its game, it is likely to get done. Technical advice from IBM that benefits its SAP software development is part of the living arrangements. Some of the best brains IBM i has work with SAP customers.
How’s that working out?
A lot of people would rather slow dance with a half-starved grizzly bear than mess with an existing ERP system. What
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Join John Earl’s Battle
August 27, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe IBM midrange community has known John Earl for a long time. He has guided several of the top security ISVs in the IBM midrange and is one of the most well-known, well-liked, and well-respected security subject matter experts in our industry. He has also served as a director of COMMON and has shared his knowledge and advice with tens of thousands of AS/400, iSeries, and IBM i enthusiasts while speaking at local user group meetings and writing hundreds of technical articles.
Earl stepped away from his role as president and CEO of Townsend Security in March 2012 for medical
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Windows Replaced By IBM i, Hosted Software, And Web Portal
August 13, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreGetting something for free sounds good until you discover that it’s worth pretty much what you paid for it. In this case, Windows-based Web applications are delivered as a free hosted service. Some of the users would pay to have a better alternative. And that’s where Nathan Andelin steps in. Andelin writes applications in RPG and hosts them on an IBM Power Systems 720 running IBM i. And he’s found customers who will give up their free option for something better.
Even though the hosted service Andelin offers has a fee, that is not a deterrent. It’s a matter of
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Go To Where The IT Jobs Are
August 13, 2012 Dan Burger
… Read moreAll things considered in the job market, most employers prefer to recruit locally rather than considering people from out of town or out of the region. And most people searching for work would prefer a local job rather than one that requires relocation. But when the local well runs dry, you need to look for places where opportunity is likely to knock.
According to the latest news from the career-minded folks at Dice, IT folks fishing for jobs will have better luck finding honey holes in the technology-fueled economies of California, Virginia, Texas, New York, and Florida. If you