IBM unveiled a large number of storage-related announcements last week. At the top of the list is a new midrange disk array called the Storwize V7000 that scales up to 120 TB of storage and uses many of the new IBM storage technologies. Big Blue also unveiled a new high-end array, the DS8800, which features up to 40 percent better performance than its predecessor. also In addition, it updated various storage-related software products, including the SVC, the DS-RSM, and the SDSC.

Storwize V7000

The new Storwize V7000 is a storage area network (SAN) array designed as a repository for transactional

The capability to run the Rational Developer for Power Systems Software (RDP) development environment on Linux-based PCs is one of the big new features that IBM has included with RDP version 8, which was unveiled last week and ships later this month. Also, a new “Power Tools” feature should make it easier to combine Java, RPG, and COBOL development on the IBM i platform.

Rational Developer for Power Systems Software–or RDP or RDp as some call it–is the new name that IBM gave to the Rational Developer for System i (RDi) Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) with the Power7 launch

IBM last week delivered a new release of DB2 Web Query, an IBM i business intelligence product based on technology it OEMs from Information Builders. The new release, version 1.1.2, gets deeper hooks into JD Edwards World and EnterpriseOne databases, enhancements to the report authoring tool, and the availability of customized implementation of DB2 Web Query through IBM Lab Services.

DB2 Web Query is a special version of Information Builders’ WebFOCUS software that IBM announced in 2007. The Java-based software enables users to write queries for the DB2 for i (DB2/400) database and view the results in a Web

nuBridges last week unveiled a new tokenization product for IBM i that preserves the original format of the data after it’s been “tokenized” with characters that mean nothing. Dubbed Format Preserving Tokenization for IBM i, the new feature is available as an option with nuBridges Protect for IBM i, which provides encryption and tokenization capabilities natively on the IBM i platform.

Tokenization, which replaces sensitive data with meaningless surrogate values or tokens, is becoming an increasingly popular form of data protection as companies look to reduce the possibility of losing valuable data, as well as complying with new laws like

IBM i Shops Warming to Free & Open Source Dev Tools, CNX Says

Old habits are hard to break. Just try to take away the green-screen applications and tools from an IBM i shop entrenched in this mode of operation, and you’ll see sparks fly. But to be competitive in this world, IBM i shops must break the 5250 habit and develop for the Web. Luckily, IBM i Web development tools are maturing rapidly, and some of them, such as CNX‘s JavaScript-based toolkit, called Valence, are available under the free and open source distribution model.

CNX made the switch

You’ll find more than one dilemma barking for attention in IT departments these days. But at or near the top of the list is the topic known as enterprise application integration. The majority of companies feel this as a distinct pain in the ERP, where integration of customer relationship management, sales force automation, and human resources should, but often won’t, mesh. That’s where iWay Software fits into the equation.

iWay’s newest product, CEP Enable, is designed to remedy the integration puzzle that naturally exists between enterprise information and social collaborative applications.

Dave Watson, iWay Software vice president in charge of

BOSaNOVA Plus, a software and hardware combination that provides PC users with access to IBM System i, iSeries, AS/400 and System/36 via Twinax is now available with support for Microsoft Windows 7. By supporting the latest version of the Windows operating system, BOSaNOVA Plus version 8 offers 5250 display/printer emulation and file transfer applications to companies that have upgraded to Windows 7 or are planning to do so in the near future. Support for Windows 95, NT, 2000, Me, and XP will continue.

Additional features of BOSaNOVA Plus include support for APPC and TDLC connectivity types, a wizard that simplifies

IBM last week officially released ShowCase Reporting, a collection of business intelligence tools for the IBM i platform. While the tools had previously been available through SPSS, which IBM acquired just over a year ago, apparently IBM had not yet officially made them available through its channels.

The ShowCase brand name is arguably best known for its native IBM i port of Essbase, the multidimensional database product from Hyperion, which Oracle now owns.

But many ShowCase Essbase customers are also users of ShowCase Reporting, the suite of query, report building, and data warehouse tools that’s used by 1,200 organizations

Move over, e-mail–IBM has a new way to make businesses run. Unveiled last week, the new BlueWorks Live software service is aimed at helping businesses get a better handle on the processes that make their organizations function. IBM says that, when workers collaborate on business processes within the BlueWorks Live Web portal, their managers get better visibility into projects, and important details aren’t lost in confusing e-mail chains anymore.

According to IBM, BlueWorks Live gives customers tools that enable them to discover and document business processes that make their organization run. Drawing the processes is easy with the built-in

IBM i software developer VAI has established a partnership with Continental Resources, an IBM business partner located in Bedford, Massachusetts. As part of the partnership, ConRes will resell S2K, VAI’s ERP software.

ConRes provides an array of services, from test equipment to servers from IBM and HP. The company, which received a Competitive Leadership Award from IBM in 2009, sells IT solutions that run on Windows, Unix, Linux, and IBM i.

ConRes IT Solutions and Enterico, it’s IBM division, will offer VAI’s solutions to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in a region stretching from New England and the