• Inside The ISV Revitalization Initiative For IBM i

  March 16, 2020 Alex Woodie

  The IBM i server’s strengths are well known: integration, ease of programming, ease of administration, security, resiliency, and a penchant for putting up with abuse. But aside from the platform’s attributes, another factor in IBM i’s favor is the community of independent software vendors (ISVs) who write business applications. To bolster this strength, IBM recently embarked upon an ISV revitalization initiative, and it wants IBM i ISVs to know all about it.

  In many ways, applications are the face of the platform. It was fairly common for companies to select a business application, such as MRP, ERP, supply chain execution, …

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• Security Still the Top Concern as Privacy Regs Loom

  February 12, 2020 Alex Woodie

  For the fourth year in a row, security is the number one concern of the IBM i installed base, according to HelpSystems’ 2020 IBM i Marketplace Survey. IBM i shops are clearly concerned about the need to prevent unauthorized access to applications and data. But security’s first cousin, data privacy, also stands to gain more attention with the recent passage of data privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA.

  HelpSystems released the results of its latest marketplace survey last month, as it has done for the past six years. And just as it has for every year since 2017, security …

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• HelpSystems Bolsters Data Loss Prevention with Clearswift Buy

  December 4, 2019 Alex Woodie

  HelpSystems completed the first acquisition of the Kate Bolseth era this week with the purchase of Clearswift, a UK-based provider of data loss prevention (DLP) solutions. The software will play nicely with HelpSystems’ existing managed file transfer (MFT) offerings for IBM i and other platforms, according to new CEO Bolseth, who indicates that more and bigger acquisitions are on the horizon.

  Clearswift develops what it calls adaptive DLP, or A-DLP, technology that can automatically stop sensitive data from leaving the digital bounds of a company. When installed on a network gateway, the software will analyze the content of the documents …

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• Thoroughly Modern: Driving Your Synon Applications Forward

  November 25, 2019 Chris Koppe

  (Sponsored Content) CA 2E, formerly known Synon and still called that by many, is a highly specialized programming language and a productive 4GL development environment. Used by a small number of IBM i shops, Synon has enabled organizations to rapidly create complex applications and systems that run the core of their business operations. These applications are often homegrown and serve as the backbone of business processing while providing organizations with differentiation against their competition.

  Although Synon applications provide great value, they are inherently difficult to access and share information with the organization. In many cases, these operations ecosystems …

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• On Your IBM i Radar Now: CCPA

  November 11, 2019 Alex Woodie

  Companies in the United States were understandably hesitant to comply with a European law dictating how they collect and use data about customers, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But American companies won’t so easily overlook the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), a GDPR-like law that goes into effect in 2020.

  According to HelpSystems‘ 2019 IBM i Marketplace study released earlier this year, 28 percent of IBM i shops adhere to GPDR. That was up significantly from 2018 (the year when GDPR went into effect), when just 12 percent of IBM i shops followed the law. GDPR was the …

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• Data Protection in the New Regulated Era

  October 23, 2019 Alex Woodie

  Companies must protect their data from all sorts of threats these days, including power outages, failed servers, and drive crashes. But one of the most important aspects of data protection today is ensuring the security and privacy of data, which is mandated by a slew of emerging data regulations.

  In May 2018, the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a far-reaching new law that gave people sweeping new rights over their data. While GDPR ostensibly just impacts EU citizens, many large companies in the U.S. and other countries adopted new security and privacy processes to ensure consistence …

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• Original Refocuses on IBM i Test Automation

  May 1, 2019 Alex Woodie

  Original Software never left the IBM i software market, though it might have seemed that way to some people. But thanks to a new website devoted to exploring issues, challenges, and solutions on the topic of IBM i test automation, the British software company is redoubling its efforts around the midrange platform.

  “We really never un-engaged with it, to be fair,” says Original Software COO George Wilson says of IBM i. “We’ve kind of widened the radar a bit. That was probably 15 years ago. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to the IBM midrange marketplace. What we’ve just done …

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• Syncsort Debuts Unified IBM i Security Suite

  April 10, 2019 Alex Woodie

  Syncsort rolled out a suite of software this week that unifies several of the IBM i security products it has acquired over past two years. Dubbed Assure Security, the suite is designed to help IBM i shops lock down servers and protect them from threats while getting a handle on emerging data regulations, like the looming California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

  The acquisition of Vision Solutions by Syncsort back in June 2017 closely coincided with the two companies’ joint pivot into data security. Vision, of course, was best known as a provider of IBM i high availability solutions when it …

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• More IBM i Predictions For 2019

  February 6, 2019 Alex Woodie

  We kicked off our 2019 soothsaying last week with predictions from IBM i leaders on what the New Year will bring. We keep the ball rolling this week with another batch of predictions from our friends around the IBM i community.

  According to Alison Butterill, IBM‘s the program director for offering management for IBM i, the platform will build off the momentum generated with last year’s 30th anniversary celebrant.

  “The excitement begun in 2018 as we highlighted client innovation around the world will continue into 2019,” Butterill says. “The momentum continues to grow as clients are looking at ways …

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• Security Posture Mixed As Feds Say ‘Shields Up’

  January 14, 2019 Alex Woodie

  “Raise your shield.” That’s the message the Federal Government sent to American businesses last week as part of a new cybersecurity awareness campaign. But according to a recent survey of security professionals by Syncsort, the majority of enterprises, including IBM i shops, are confident in the security protections that are already in place. The big question: Have they actually done enough?

  The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) kicked off a new security awareness campaign last week called “Know the Risk, Raise Your Shield.” The NCSC says that foreign intelligence entities are actively targeting information, assets, and technologies” that are …

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