• Sugar Says CRM-to-Social Opportunity is Sweet

  November 12, 2013 Alex Woodie

  When it comes to user interfaces, business software developers often take their cues from the wider consumer world. That trend continues today with the launch of SugarCRM‘s seventh major release of its eponymous CRM application. With the new Sugar UX user interface, the Silicon Valley firm has incorporated into their CRM system the data and customer relationships that exist in the social media world. In the old world of CRM, data lived in separate silos, and wasn’t easy to cross-pollinate. There was no simple way to take advantage of, say, a customer service representative’s 500-plus LinkedIn contacts within the

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• Mobile Password Management App Supports IBM i

  November 12, 2013 Alex Woodie

  The bring your own device (BYOD) movement is freeing users from the bounds of cubicle land. However, forgotten passwords remain a problem and keep users tied to the help desk. Last week, ManageEngine announced a new Apple iOS app for its self-service password reset software, called ADSelfService Plus. It also announced that, with ADSelfService Plus version 5, the software now supports IBM i, giving users the capability to reset their IBM i passwords from iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. Forgotten passwords remain a big problem. ManageEngine says that 40 percent of help desk tickets are for password resets, and take

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• What Does ‘Big Data’ Mean for IBM i?

  November 12, 2013 Alex Woodie

  When IBM i 7.1 Technology Refresh 7 (TR7) ships on Friday, it will contain several updates to the DB2/400 database designed to help it handle big data, including an expansion of SQL indexes, easier movement to SSDs, and tools to track the growth of tables over time. But what exactly does big data mean on the IBM i? We set out to find some answers. The traditional definition for big data has to do with the three “Vs,” which refer to the volume, velocity, and variety of data types. IBM sometimes likes to add a fourth “V” to the mix

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• Silver Surfers Shredding Up The Technology Market

  November 11, 2013 Jenny Thomas

  In surfer lingo, to shred a wave means to surf aggressively. And while “aggressive” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when many of us think of our silver-haired elders, according to researchers at Gartner, the older generations who are hanging ten all over the technology market. In fact, Gartner says these silver surfers represent a more important technology market than Generations X and Y. That term, silver surfer, harkens back to the Marvel Comics superhero, of course, and the members of this elder group of Web users also have powers of their own. Gartner’s research reveals that overlooking

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• IBM Brags About Its Cloud Prowess Thanks To SoftLayer

  November 11, 2013 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  IBM is ratcheting up the marketing machine after having lost out in a contentious bidding war with Amazon Web Services for a $600 million contract to build a private cloud for the US Central Intelligence Agency. To get a different story out there, Big Blue is now citing the data of a third party hosting counter to claim that the IBM Cloud, which means the SoftLayer cloud it bought earlier this year for an estimated $2 billion. Citing data compiled by HostCabi, IBM is saying that it has over 270,000 Web sites hosted, ranking it second in the world

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• IBM Offers Freebie Flex System Chassis To Pump Up PureSystems

  November 11, 2013 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  As The Four Hundred told you two weeks ago, Big Blue has just put out a new bundle of Flex System converged iron and the IBM i operating system using a Flex p260+ node designed especially for entry IBM i shops. Now, IBM is giving a deal on the underlying Flex System chassis to sweeten the deal a bit more. In announcement letter 313-113, IBM is offering two models of the Flex System chassis and their power supplies, power cables, and breakout cables at a very steep discount. How does 100 percent grab you? IBM’s Flex System chassis, front

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• Revenue Stream Floats Agilysys

  November 11, 2013 Dan Burger

  The hospitality and gaming industry flies when the overall global economy flies. And although the economy is not exactly soaring, it is off the ground. Hotels and casinos are expanding with more choices, new locations, and indications that competition does not allow any napping. That’s good for a software company like Agilysys, which is counting on brick and mortar growth and a highly competitive hotel/gaming market to stimulate IT spending. The second quarter financial results for Agilysys indicate a net revenue pop of 10 percent year-on-year with the identical gain when comparing the first half of fiscal 2014 with

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• Porter Makes Employee-To-Consultant Migration

  November 11, 2013 Dan Burger

  Career goals have always been in the back of Justin Porter’s mind. He’s an IBM midrange guy with broad IT knowledge, a business degree, and literally a field of dreams. Some of you may recognize his name. Porter is an active member of the IBM i community, is the youngest member on the COMMON board of directors, and is one of the volunteers who helped organize and fuel the Young i Professionals organization. Recently he began his own consulting business called Integrity First Technology Services. If you know Porter, you know the name of his company is more than

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• Mad Dog 21/21: The Gerstner Comparison

  November 11, 2013 Hesh Wiener

  IBM has vowed to boost pre-tax earnings per share above $20 in 2015, a big jump from last year’s $15.25. It expects it will hit this target even though its revenue may be 4 percent lower in 2013 than in 2012 and 6 or 7 percent below that of 2011. Basically, IBM believes it can continue to improve the quality of its results even if it fails to boost profit quantity by keeping downward pressure on costs, upward pressure on margins, eluding competition and repurchasing shares to shave its EPS denominator. IBM has done all of this for two decades,

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• Rimini Gets Tired Of Waiting, Files For IPO

  November 11, 2013 Alex Woodie

  When it comes to going public, it is apparently now or never for Rimini Street, the biggest provider of third-party maintenance and support services for Oracle and SAP customers and their ERP, CRM, and BI applications. The Las Vegas company announced last week it has filed the necessary paperwork to make an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Rimini has talked about going public for several years. But company representatives have said repeatedly that they wanted to wrap up some pesky legal matters with Oracle before moving forward with the IPO plans. Oracle filed suit against Rimini in early

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