• Fortra Leans On XDR For Full Spectrum Security

  July 22, 2024 Alex Woodie

  When it comes to security, more is often better. As in, more security professionals running more security products and services that deliver more overlapping coverage of your security weaknesses. The good news for IBM i shops is that Fortra delivers more solutions with more coverage than probably anyone else in the industry, particularly with its XDR solution.

  XDR, or extended detection and response, is the state of the art for enterprise security today, and essentially is replacing security information and event management (SIEM) tools at the top of the security food chain, says Tom Huntington, the vice president of technical …

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• Big Blue Working On Replacement For Global Solutions Directory For IBM i

  July 8, 2024 Alex Woodie

  IBM is developing a website to replace the Global Solutions Directory, which it recently killed off. The new site should allow customers to search through a comprehensive list of IBM i applications serving specific industries, just like they could with the Global Solutions Directory.

  For years, IBM’s Global Solutions Directory served as the go-to mechanism for researching the wide breadth of IBM i software products available around the world. If you needed to know what kind of banking solutions existed on IBM i version 6.1 for midsized American credit unions, or what the market looked like for Indonesian construction equipment …

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• Guru: The OpenAI API – The Easy Way

  May 13, 2024 Dan Darnell

  When it comes to programming in a particular programming language there is what you can do and what you can do easily. I use RPG every day and have done so since the System/34 days. I love the language but I’ve also picked up other programming languages over time because sometimes RPG isn’t the right tool for the job.

  I’ve been using IBM EGL – Enterprise Generation Language – to create IBM i applications since 2009. IBM made a push at one time to entice RPG programmers to pick up the language and toolset (Rational Business Developer) for modernization …

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• As I See It: Upgrade Exhaustion

  May 13, 2024 Victor Rozek

  Several decades ago I recall seeing a 60 Minutes episode about an arms transfer (or perhaps it was a sale) of state-of-the-art American fighter jets to Israel. The interviewer traveled to the Middle East to see how Israeli pilots were adapting to the latest in American military technology. After being assured that the jet performed as advertised, the interviewer looked into the cockpit and marveled at all the screens, dials, switches, and gadgetry confronting the pilot. A deluge of supposedly useful information was available to the pilot in real time. But the sheer volume of it seemed daunting. Curious about …

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• Gartner: IT Spending To Grow Faster Than Expected In 2024

  April 22, 2024 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  The adoption of generative AI by enterprises and the acceleration of the rates of use of IT services from outside consultants to get stuff done is going to boost IT spending higher than expected this year, according to the prognosticators at Gartner.

  In terms of aggregate dollars, the effect if the latter is much larger than the former. The broad IT services category is now expected to account for $1,520 billion in spending worldwide this year, up 9.7 percent compared to last year and representing a $19 billion increase from the forecast that Gartner made in January. It will not …

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• Thoroughly Modern: Proceed With Caution With AI In The Landscape Of Cybersecurity

  April 8, 2024 Pauline Brazil Ayala

  In the fast-evolving realm of technological innovation, AI has emerged as one of the most compelling yet controversial advancements. Its potential spans industries, revolutionizing not only how data is processed but also how ideas are conceived.

  A recent study by PEW Research indicates that almost a quarter of employed Americans aged 30 to 49 have used ChatGPT for work, up from 8 percent last year. Its allure lies in automation; augmenting tasks like writing contracts and analyzing data with speed and efficiency that far surpass human limitations.

  However, with innovation comes the need for vigilance – particularly in the realm …

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• Four Hundred Monitor, February 7

  February 7, 2024 Jenny Thomas

  We finally flipped the page into February after the year that was January. (Did January seem extra long to anyone else?) While everyone seems to be proceeding with caution in the face of these uncertain economic times and world unrest, we are nonetheless proceeding. This week’s Top Stories continue to focus on AI and cybersecurity, and all things IBM, and that’s probably not going to change any time soon. We are also happy to see our calendar starting to fill back up, so be sure to take a look to see what learning opportunities have been added.

  Top Stories From

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• New IBM Champion Class Grows Nearly 40 Percent

  January 29, 2024 Alex Woodie

  IBM unveiled a new crop of IBM Champions this month, and the first thing that stands out is the size of the 2024 IBM Champions class. Big Blue gave the honor to 1,155 individuals this year, a 38 percent increase over last year. Just about everyone who applied was named an IBM Champion, says Libby Ingrassia, the IBM program director, who also noted there was considerable overlap between IBM Champions and the new IBM Rising Champion Advocacy badge program.

  IBM launched its IBM Champions program back in 2008 as a way to boost the visibility of customers and business partners …

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• IBM i Job Outlook for 2024 Not Great, But Not All Bad Either

  January 17, 2024 Bob Langieri

  First, the good news: Salaries for IBM i and RPG developers and programmers continue to go up. Average salaries of new hires of senior developers in 2023 have been getting $120,000 to $130,000. I predict this going up 6 to 10 percent in 2024, to $127,000 to $143,000. Some with specialized skills will get 10 to 20 percent more.

  This is why it’s important to add to your skills. IBM i salaries still pale compared to other more popular platforms and skills. Hiring is still very slow in the IBM RPG world as companies are doing more with less! Hot …

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• IBM i Community Shares 2024 Predictions

  January 15, 2024 Alex Woodie

  Spaceship Earth has completed another trip around the Sun, which means one thing: Time for 2024 IBM i predictions! Hopefully you enjoy this year’s predictions, which seem to sport a good mixture of optimism and realism.

  The future for IBM i is wide open – open source, that is, says Liam Allan, the creator of Code for IBM i and a software developer for IBM i.

  “My prediction is pretty simple. Businesses will continue to invest in themselves through the power of open source,” Allan says. “Whether it be using dev tools, open source runtimes like Node.js, or even newer …

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