• New Run SQL Scripts Features in ACS Update

  August 23, 2023 Alex Woodie

  If you’re a fan of the Run SQL Scripts features in IBM i Access Client Solutions, then there’s good news: IBM has adopted several suggestions on how to improve the functionality in the latest release of ACS.

  IBM quietly released ACS version 1.1.9.3 last month, enabling a series of new functions in the popular Java-based utility used by IBM i professionals to interact with the platform, as well as a handful of fixes.

  At the top of the list, according to an IBM Support document on the new release, are enhancements to Run SQL Scripts (RSS), the handy facility that …

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• Four Hundred Monitor, August 23

  August 23, 2023 Jenny Thomas

  A recent report from Goldman Sachs found that up to 300 million jobs globally could be lost to automation in the coming years. According to the study, administrative roles, such as office support, customer service, and HR will all see a decline in roles due to generative AI. But that’s not all, tasks performed by programmers and software developers are also at risk, along with IT support technicians. Gulp. The news isn’t all bad, but it is going to require some new skills for the current workforce. Get the latest news and predictions for AI in our Top Stories below. …

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• A Hacker’s Dozen: 11 New Security Vulns Reported in IBM i

  August 23, 2023 Alex Woodie

  IBM on August 18 reported 11 new security vulnerabilities in IBM i’s Java stack, including two critical Java flaws that should be patched immediately. The new batch of vulns continues what has been an active summer for security flaws on the platform.

  IBM revealed the existence of the 11 Java security flaws in IBM i version 7.2 through 7.5 and the availability of emergency program temporary fixes (PTFs) on the security bulletin section of its IBM Product Security Central webpage.

  The security bulletin shows 11 flaws, CVE-2022-21426 through CVE-2023-21968, impacting various components of the Java stack, including the Java Software …

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• Say Sayonara To The IBM i Integrated Server

  August 21, 2023 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  One of the neat things about the AS/400 platform and its progeny is that it takes integration seriously, even to the extent of wrapping the OS/400 and IBM i platform around competitive platforms to bring them into the fold. The File Serving I/O Processor (FSIOP), which became the Integrated Netfinity Server, which became the Integrated xSeries Server, which became the IBM i Integrated Server is a good example of this.

  This integrated server approach brought a real, discrete, physical X86 server running Windows Server, OS/2, Novell NetWare, or SCO Unix under the skins of the AS/400 and IBM i Server. …

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• Infoview Launches New IBM i Integration Tool

  August 21, 2023 Alex Woodie

  Infoview Systems has launched a new integration product for IBM i customers. Called infoConnect Hub, the software is designed to expose IBM i data and applications to outside programs as a basic REST API, without any IBM i programming skills required, the company says.

  Integration continues to be a challenge for many enterprises, particularly those running “non-standard” platforms like IBM i. When there’s a need to access a program or fetch data from an IBM i server – such as checking a stock balance, delivery date, or fulfillment status – it often requires folks with IBM i skills to develop …

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• Software Price Inflation Helps Boost IT Spending In 2023

  August 21, 2023 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  Datacenter and client device sales are slumping and are expected to be down from spending levels in 2022, according to the latest prognostications for worldwide IT spending from market researcher Gartner. But thanks to exploding budgets for software and services, the market for IT spending across all categories is anticipated to grow at a fairly healthy rate this year – and will do better in 2024, if Gartner is right.

  That is a big “if” of course. The only way to accurately predict the future is to live it – and even that is looking dubious sometimes. (Wink.) …

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• Generative AI Is Part Of Application Modernization Now

  August 21, 2023 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  Generative AI is funny in that it is both an application in its own right when equipped with a chatbot interface and some intelligent prompting with guardrails to keep it from hallucinating and it can also be used as a tool to either generate chunks of applications based on large language models tweaked with a library of code.

  This is the first time that we can think of where the application is the tool or the tool is the application, and it presents a kind of chicken and egg conundrum for IT departments all over the world. Mainly: Where do …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 34

  August 21, 2023 Doug Bidwell

  It is still summer, and the big news again this week in PTF Land is a security vulnerability. This time the hole is in the WebSphere Liberty middleware from Big Blue. See Security Bulletin: IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty is vulnerable to a denial of service (CVE-2023-38737), which you can find out more about at this link. IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty versions 22.0.0.13 through 23.0.0.7 are affected.

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level since we last published:

  PTF Groups 7.5:

  • HIPERs (High Impact/Pervasive)
  • Security
  • Java
  • IBM HTTP Server for i
  • SAP support

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• With Fresche’s New CEO, There Are No Problems, Just Solutions

  August 16, 2023 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  Joe Zarrehparvar was just finishing up his first 100 days as president and chief executive officer at Fresche Solutions when the company has begun its transition to a new subscription licensing model and when he finally had enough time in the job to sit down and talk with us about where IBM i customers, and therefore Fresche Solutions, would be going under his stewardship.

  Zarrehparvar has a long and varied career in the IT industry, which started with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and electronics from the Manchester College in England and a master’s degree in engineering management from …

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• Fighting Fake News in Digital Transformation

  August 16, 2023 Alex Woodie

  It’s not news that businesses across the globe are embarking upon ambitious digital transformation projects, which are often advertised as an imperative to commercial survival. While these projects can be successful and profitable, they can also lead to business disruptions and losses thanks to unscrupulous vendors that aren’t attuned to customer needs. That’s why it’s so important to highlight the fake news and misinformation that’s so rampant in digital transformation.

  ERP projects are notorious for going off the rails, and modern-day digital transformation projects are no different. In fact, more than half of digital transformation projects experience a “material disruption” …

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