Quick Response (QR) barcodes have taken the consumer world by storm. The stamp-sized barcodes–commonly used to transmit a website address to a smartphone through its camera–are being affixed to all kinds of things, including magazine ads, Web pages, storefront displays, and even tattoos. And now they’re becoming popular on the IBM i server through the work of vendors like ACOM Solutions, which recently announced support for generating QR codes.

The QR barcode was created in 1994 to assist in tracking parts in the automotive supply chain. Consumers in Japan and South Korea have been using it to share information

VAI recently issued a new release of S2K Sales Force, a WebSphere Portal-based solution that augments the company’s core IBM i-based ERP and CRM offerings. With the update to S2K Sales Force, the company has added a blogging capability, which is the first of several social media features the company plans to add. The new version also brings email-related enhancements and new analytic dashboards.

S2K Sales Force is a relatively new addition to VAI’s enterprise lineup that was added in late 2010. The software provides a management system that tracks and records every stage in the sales process, from initial

IBM rarely offers single, simple answers to questions. After all, if Thomas Watson and his successors didn’t foster a culture of interdepartmental competition, we might never have had this thing called the AS/400. And so when posed a 21st century question, such as “What tool does IBM offer for mobile application development?” the answer is, as expected, complex and nuanced.

IBM offers an array of tools for mobile application development. On one side of the house is IBM Collaboration Solutions (ICS), the new name for the Lotus Notes/Domino group of products, which encompasses Lotus tools like Sametime and Quickr, as

Infor and IBM last week announced three new IBM i Solution Editions featuring Infor’s ERP suites for manufacturers preconfigured and sized for IBM i servers. The three new offerings are based on Infor’s ERP LX (BPCS), ERP XA (Mapics), and ERP System21.

IBM i Solution Editions are the result of work that IBM does with IBM i application developers to simplify the acquisition, configuration, and roll-out of IBM i solutions running on the latest IBM Power 7 servers. IBM currently offers three choices of hardware, including a four-core Model 720 and a six- or eight-core Model 740 server.

The four-core

Organizations that are hesitant to completely outsource their critical business servers are increasingly turning to remote management services that give them some of the financial benefits of outsourcing without all of the risk. Now, as the result of a partnership between IBM i- and z/OS-monitoring specialist EView Technology and the Texas-based remote hosting provider Clearpointe, companies have another option when it comes to remote management of their IBM i environment.

EView is a Raleigh, North Carolina, company that develops software that allows IBM i and z/OS servers to be administered with enterprise operations management consoles from Microsoft or Hewlett-Packard

Kisco Information Systems last week unveiled a new release of its WebReport/400 utility that enables customers to publish IBM i content through their own intranets powered by the Apache HTTP server that IBM integrates into the IBM i operating system.

WebReport/400 allows IBM i shops to make more effective use of the spool files and reports generated by their applications. The software can automatically convert IBM i spool files to PDF, HTML, RTF, XLS, or CSV formats, and then distribute them via email, fax, FTP, or the Web.

WebReport/400 version 11.05 introduces a new report intranet feature that uses the

SpoolFlex developer DRV Technologies last month unveiled a partnership with GroovySoft, a French company that specializes in introducing IBM i and z/OS products to worldwide markets. The move will help drive the international expansion for the Atlanta, Georgia, developer of IBM i tools for automating the handling of spool files and system messages.

The partnership with the Montpellier, France-based GroovySoft will help DRV expand not only into the European market for IBM i software, but also the Asian markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, according to DRV president Richard Voss.

“We are excited about our potential for growth

Development tool maker mrc last month unveiled new software that it claims will help eliminate the hassle that organizations face when trying to prepare and maintain Web sites in multiple languages. The company says its new product, called m-Power Translate, automatically generates copies of the same Web site in multiple languages.

According to mrc’s announcement, m-Power Translate eliminates the need for companies who want to do business internationally to pay for multiple translations for each language, and then to pay for the ongoing maintenance of those website whenever something changes.

Instead of handling translations manually or as a one-off job,

The Swiss banking system is renowned for the tight-lipped approach it takes to information security. This has led to a steady stream of business from wealthy individuals and organizations who want their affairs handled with the highest of confidence. So when IDB (Swiss) Bank sought an encryption solution for its IBM i environment, its worth noting that it selected a solution from Linoma Software.

IDB (Swiss) Bank provides private banking and financial services to private and corporate clients around the world. The bank, which is headquartered in Geneva and has a branch in Zurich, is a subsidiary of Israel

JDEtips recently announced that it has reinstated its JD Edwards World training regimen, with the first live, instructor-led classes set for this fall in Texas.

About five years ago, JDEtips moved away from training on JD Edwards World in favor of providing learning services for World’s better-known, cross-platform sibling, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. The decision to bring back JD Edwards World training shows that Oracle‘s old (but solid) RPG application still has legs.

“I grew up with World software in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and I’ve never forgotten the way it gets the job done for so many