Application modernization for IBM System i users does not have to be a three-ring circus. There’s no need for lion tamers, trapeze artists, jugglers, and clowns. Keeping it simple is often the best way to go. When moving existing applications to the Web is exactly what’s needed, there’s no reason to make things more complicated than that. And that’s where Business Computer Design (BCD) is rolling toward with the introduction of WebSmart Presto and the ClearPath Modernization Suite at COMMON conference in Nashville, Tennessee this week.

It’s clear to anyone faced with a Web enablement project that rewriting apps is

IBM today announced that it has renamed its venerable midrange server line the AS/400, the computer’s original name when it was launched in 1988, in a bid to prop up sagging sales. The name change was met with screams of joy from attendees of the annual COMMON user conference at the Gaylord Opryland resort in Nashville, Tennessee, where they broke into impromptu line dances. The computer giant also promised to run AS/400 television ads at its target audience, starting with next week’s episode of “The Simpsons.”

Tuesday’s surprise decision to return to the well-known AS/400 moniker was made by Mark

It’s been about three years since Lawson Software launched Landmark, a new development environment destined to bring its applications into the 21st service oriented architecture (SOA) century. Along with giving them Landmark tools and new Landmark applications, Lawson has promised to convert its ERP suites to the new SOA world. At its recent user conference, Pramod Mathur, a key player in Landmark’s development, gave IT Jungle the lowdown on Landmark’s progression and how it will evolve in the future.

Lawson gave Landmark its formal name at its annual CUE conference three years ago in San Diego, but it had its

Cyber criminals lurking from East European Internet cafes get most of the attention from security-wary companies these days. But historically the majority of security breaches are perpetrated by internal users, such as systems administrators with powerful user profiles that give them open access to the servers they manage. Symark International is one of the software vendors helping companies control internal access to popular servers. This week the company launched its newest product: PowerADvantage.

Symark International was founded in 1985 as a mainframe utility software company. In the 1990s, the Agoura Hills, California, company moved to client-server computing, and today the

IBM updated its enterprise-strength content management system for i5/OS along with the launch of V6R1 two weeks ago. With Content Manager OnDemand for i5/OS Version 6.1, IBM delivered enhancements in the areas of storage, archiving, security, and programming interfaces, among others.

Content Manager OnDemand for i5/OS is used by larger organizations to streamline the capture of content and the distribution of documents in paper and electronic environments. The product is a variation of DB2 Content Manager for i5/OS, IBM’s “best of breed” document imaging and workflow solution. With the optional OnDemand component, users gain near real-time access to documents, as

Thin client maker BOSaNOVA recently launched a new software product that gives administrators a central point of control over large number of thin client devices. BOSmanager Enterprise Edition works with BOSaNOVA’s own Windows- and Linux-based thin clients, as well as thin clients from other manufacturers.

In the ongoing debate about whether to use standard desktops or thin clients, better control over user workstations is one of the advantages often cited by proponents of the thin client architecture. After all, if thin client users are prepared to give up flexibility and local control over their PCs, they must gain something in

Add another name to the list of software companies with first-day support for the new i5/OS V6R1 operating system that shipped a week-and-a-half ago. nuBridges, the Atlanta, Georgia, developer of B2B and data transfer software, has certified that its i5/OS offerings support the new operating system. nuBridges says support for the new operating will help to narrow the security exposure of customers adopting V6R1.

nuBridges sells several software utilities designed to help organizations move data among hosts in a secure manner. On the i5/OS front, the company sells products such as Data Secure AS400, AS400 FTP, AS400 Sockets, and

Like most System i shops, Southwest Business Corporation (SWBC) deeply relies on its servers to conduct business. If the servers are not running, the company is not making money. To that end, the financial services company from San Antonio, Texas, recently installed i5/OS systems management software from CCSS to more closely monitor its two System i servers.

SWBC sells a range of insurance products and financial services, such as accidental death insurance, employee benefits, and mortgage insurance to credit unions, mortgage companies, banks, and other financial services companies. It was founded in 1976, and has been running on the System

Only five B2B software vendors participated in the latest Drummond Group interoperability certification tests for AS3, which were released two weeks ago. Nevertheless, nearly all of them offer products that deliver AS3 interoperability for i5/OS systems.

Drummond has been running interoperability tests for the AS3 (EDI over FTP) protocol for the last three years. Since that first test, AS3 adoption has increased in the market, as any new standard would. However, its adoption lags behind its more popular e-mail-based B2B protocol brethren, the AS2 standard, even though the “push-pull” nature of the AS3 standard offers more flexibility in how invoices,

Xangati last week launched an innovative network troubleshooting product designed to give frontline helpdesk personnel a clearer view of end-user network activities. Called Virtual Task Manager, the software gives users of its Rapid Problem Identification (RPI) helpdesk appliance a direct view of end-user desktop activities and possible causes of network problems, thereby satisfying end-user issues while allowing organizations to solve problems quicker and less expensively.

Anybody who’s ever worked on a balky network or experienced e-mail problems knows the drill. Call up technical support, explain the problem, then pray to one’s deity of choice that they take the issue seriously