Four Hundred Monitor, March 13
March 13, 2019 Jenny Thomas
This week, our own ITJ editor extraordinaire Alex Woodie takes on the omnipresent dinosaur perception that, even with so much new and exciting tech happening, the IBM i just can’t shake. It all began with a story about the city of San Francisco and the tax property assessment tool it run on “a Cobol-based system called AS-400.” That quote might make you cringe, but Alex points out “the problem isn’t so much the platform, but the applications that run on it.” You can find the links to both articles below and have your own debate, as well as find links to the latest news and happenings in our industry.
Top Stories From Outside The Jungle
(Bloomberg Businessweek) The 80s were totally awesome and all that, but there does come a time when we have to move on.
(IT Jungle) You can’t read the previous article without reading the rebuttal on why the platform isn’t really the problem from ITJ’s own Alex Woodie.
(IBM Bi-Weekly) What is an IBM i? Although most of you are very familiar, it is still fun to hear Steve Will, chief architect of the IBM i, and the IBM Bi-Weekly podcast co-hosts Josh Hall and Liam Allan discuss the topic amongst themselves.
(IBM IT Infrastructure Blog) Here’s a behind the scenes look at the world’s smartest supercomputers, built on Power Systems with IBM Elastic Storage Server and IBM Spectrum Scale.
(IBM) IBM President and CEO Ginni Rometty breaks down 2018 in her annual letter to investors.
Redbooks, White Papers, Blogs, and Other Resources
(HelpSystems) Do you know the eight things your capacity management tool should do? If not, find out here.
(Connectria) This article looks at a study that found 60 percent of end users preferred cloud-based solutions over on-premises, and offers some insight on why more companies are turning to the cloud.
(Zend) This blog discusses the importance of PHP long-term support for IBM i users.
(Profound Logic) The 2019 State of the IBM i Modernization survey is closed, but you can register here to be among the first to get a look at the results.
Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings
March 20 – Webinar – Register for this live iTech webinar will dive into end of support for POWER6 and POWER7 and what it means for IBM i shops still running on this iron. Topics include: Upcoming end of life date review; what happens to current IBM hardware maintenance contracts after P6 and P7 service discontinuation date; What IBM’s extended hardware support will provide; and optional paths forward with some real world examples. The webinar, “What ‘End of Support’ Means (And Why You Should Act Now),” begins at 1 p.m. ET.
March 21 – Webinar – Learn to think like a hacker and secure your data. In this free webinar, Dan Freeman, CISSP and Senior Solutions Consultant at HelpSystems, will show you how to go on the offensive with your data.
March 25 – Charlotte, North Carolina – The IBM i CIO Summit provides a commercial-free forum for CIOs and IT Directors to meet in person and share ideas on how to address common challenges. With discussions facilitated by Alan Seiden, topics range from managing new technology and hiring the right skills to delivering enhancements, integrations and new applications faster; getting started with modernization; evaluating cloud options; and more. An optional second day includes a CIO roundtable and complimentary participation in the opening day of the RPG & DB2 Summit.
March 26-28 – Charlotte, North Carolina – The RPG & DB2 Summit will be held at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. The conference will feature a new Db2 for i track updated with additional SQL and modernization techniques, practical skills for IBM i-based queries and analytics, and data integration options. Plus many new sessions on SQL, RPG, RDi, ILE, Python, open source languages and tools; an open source roundtable; an Open Source Squad offering individual help installing and using open source; and pre-conference hands-on workshops on RDi, SQL, Python and Service Programs. The early bird registration rate of $1,295 is in effect through February 15, 2019. RPG & DB2 Summit alumni and their colleagues receive a $100 discount when they register using their alumni ID.
April 8-10 – Framingham, Massachusetts – The 29th Annual Northeast IBM i User Groups Conference will feature 70 sessions in seven skill categories. NEUGC is the largest technical conference in New England for IBM i. Don’t miss this annual opportunity to learn and network.
April 29 – May 3 – Atlanta, Georgia – The 2019 IBM Systems Technical University is an opportunity to sharpen your expertise with hundreds of sessions led by IBM distinguished engineers and product experts, experience the latest technology via demos geared to all skill levels, test-drive new products from IBM and IBM Business Partners, and expand your professional network. Learn from your peers via networking sessions and discussions on real-world IT challenges and successes. You’ll learn how to plan, architect, install, configure, migrate, operate and tune your IBM infrastructure for today and tomorrow.
May 19-22 – Anaheim, California – POWERUp19 is heading to the Disneyland® Resort. With over 300 sessions for Power Systems and IBM i education, you can keep your skills up-to-date by creating a custom schedule based on your specific needs.
June 12-19 – Berlin, Germany – The Common Europe Congress brings together Power System experts, users, vendors and like-minded professionals to network, learn, and share best practices. Education is delivered by industry experts, IBM developers, and like-minded peers. The Congress is designed to welcome networking and conversations to seeking solutions to your IT issues by conversing one-on-one with vendors in the exhibit hall or learning new ideas from casual conversation with your peers.
