• ASC Improves IBM i Chops of Cross-Platform Job Scheduler

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Advanced Systems Concepts (ASC) has recently enhanced its ActiveBatch job scheduler with more useful integration and management functionality for the IBM i server. ASC last month announced the release of ActiveBatch version 9 SP3, which focuses on improving the product’s capability to work in IBM i environments and with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) systems management tool. On the IBM i front, ASC says the enhancements focus on improving the ActiveBatch execution agent’s integration with IBM‘s native IBM i job scheduler. “The execution agent leverages the existing AS/400 scheduler,” ASC says in its announcement, “but adds all of

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• IBM Updates Online IBM i Resources

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If you find yourself perusing IBM‘s website looking for information about the IBM i operating system and Power Systems server, don’t be surprised if things look a little different than you remember them. That’s because IBM recently rolled out several updates to several online IBM i resources, including a new IBM Knowledge Center, a refresh to the IBM i 7.1 Redbook, and a new look and feel for the IBM i section of the developerWorks site. IBM Redbooks are a great source of in-depth, technical information about IBM products. If you have a question about how to do something

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• VAI Satisfies Food Truck Routing Needs for Distributor

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Hillcrest Foods, a wholesale distributor from Saratoga Springs, New York, was having difficulty routing its trucks in an efficient manner. After implementing an IBM i-based ERP system from VAI, the company’s delivery route planning is handled efficiently. And along the way, the company made other improvements to its processes that will help pave the way for growth. Hillcrest Foods is a 33-year-old distributor specializing in delivering bakery, dairy, and gourmet specialty foodservice items to bakeries, co-ops, industrial food processors, restaurants, and pizzerias throughout the Northeast. The company, which operates out of a 40,000-square foot facility in which rail car

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• Bank Finds Scheduling Salvation in the Robot

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  As a Jack Henry & Associates‘ customer, Alpine Bank deferred on many items to the provider of its core banking system. But when it came time to eliminate slack from the schedule, Alpine Bank brought in the Robot/SCHEDULE product from HelpSystems. iSeries administrator Susan DeRocher is one of three staffers at Alpine Bank, a 39-year-old financial institution based in western Colorado. DeRocher and company oversee SilverLake, the popular IBM i-based core processing system from Jack Henry that is used by many midsized banks and credit unions across the nation. But in many instances, SilverLake was calling the shots.

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• IBM’s Unveils Uber MFT Suite to End All MFT Suites

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  IBM last week unveiled a new collection of managed file transfer (MFT) software products that it says addresses the changing ways that organizations are accessing and moving data inside and outside the enterprise. The way that organizations are moving data with MFT is changing, IBM says. Instead of focusing on MFT technology and system-to-system transfers, the emphasis is now on the business use cases and ensuring operational visibility and adherence to governance. Enter IBM Connect:Direct Advanced 1.0, a new superset of MFT products designed to address the changing MFT landscape. The offering combines all of IBM’s strategic system-centric MFT products

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• Consider Tokenization to Avoid PCI Stress

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If your retail operations put you under the jurisdiction of the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), you are likely experiencing a considerable amount of stress. You have sophisticated cyber criminals gunning for your sensitive data on the one hand, and foaming-at-the-mouth auditors looking to flag the smallest misconfigured setting on the other. What’s an IBM i administrator to do? If you talk to the folks at Liaison Technologies, the topic of tokenization as a service, or TaaS, will soon be broached. Liaison sells an all-inclusive data security product called Liaison Protect that includes encryption, tokenization, and

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• Attachmate Brings Full-Function Emulation to Mobile Devices

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  If the TN5250 products you tried with your iOS or Android device left you feeling sad and frustrated, you might want to check out the latest release of Attachmate‘s Reflection suite. The company is now providing mobile touchscreen devices with the same type of emulation experience that customers are used to getting from a full Windows-based TN5250 product. The new TouchUX interface should add convenience when entering data, while the new SmartUX API will allow developers to extend functionality with buttons. The TN5250 and TN3270 products you see on the app stores don’t bring much value to the users,

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• CNX Ups the Ante in Mobile App Development for IBM i

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  CNX Corp. yesterday unveiled a major new release of its flagship Web and mobile development tool for IBM i, the Valence Framework version 4.0. The new version is based on Sencha Architect 3, which CNX says allows IBM i shops to develop Web and mobile apps almost completely in a drag-and-drop manner. The updated portal also has a place for accessing 5250 apps that haven’t yet been rewritten or modernized for the new HTML5 world. CNX has been beating the drum around Valence 4.0 for some time now, with promises of a major new release delivering many new features. “This

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• ‘ALL Out’ Effort Improves Security Tool’s Look

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  It’s no secret that IBM i applications suffer from an image problem. The green text interface of 5250 applications is arguably the platform’s biggest liability. While efforts to improve the user experience (UX) typically focus on user-facing applications, ALL Out Security is benefitting from an overhaul of its IBM i security product, courtesy of looksoftware‘s UX modernization tools. ALL Out Security developed TRACE to help IT managers detect suspicious activity on the IBM i server. The software is basically a data mining solution for the IBM i audit journal and gives users the capability to detect when potentially criminal

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• Stay-Linked Enriches Wireless Emulation Suite

  March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie

  Running wireless environments in industrial surroundings, such as warehouses and distribution centers, is not as simple as it might seem. You won’t have any trouble checking your Twitter feed using the WiFi at your local Starbucks, but there are big hurdles to accessing 5250 host applications wirelessly over TCP/IP networks. A Southern California company by the name of Stay-Linked has a proven track record addressing this challenge. Founded in 2002, Stay-Linked has developed a reputation among distributors and logistics firms for its capability to provide stable and secure connections to IBM i hosts from wireless RF devices, such as barcode

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