• MKS Offers Full Support for IBM i 7.1 in ALM Tool

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  IBM i shops that rely on application lifecycle management (ALM) software from MKS can now use all the goodies in IBM i 7.1 without worrying that the ALM tool, called Implementer, can’t keep up with the new technology. Implementer 2010, which shipped in late July, supports the IBM i 7.1 OS itself as well as new features, like the SQL capabilities. It also supports the new Rational Developer for Power development tool, and is improved for the Japanese IBM i market. The 100-plus enhancements that MKS made with the latest release of Implementer can be grouped into two general categories.

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• Vanguard Adds Graphical Workflow Features to IBM i Imaging Solution

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  Switching from paper to electronic documents has emerged as one of the fastest and easiest ways for companies to save money during the current recession. Vanguard Systems, which develops IBM i-based document imaging and management systems, is one of the vendors serving this growing market. The company recently launched a new release of its imaging system, IMS/21, which should allow customers to get even more out of their electronic documents, the vendor says. The IMS/21 document imaging system is designed to save customers time and money by converting paper-based documents into electronic documents, which are cheaper to store and

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• Valid and TGS Gang Up on Buddy Punchers

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  “Buddy punching” may sound like a harmless game enjoyed by adolescent American males. But the activity, which involves employees punching timecards for each other, is actually a form of theft, and causes American businesses to wrongfully pay employees billons of dollars per year for time they didn’t work. Now, two IBM i software developers, Valid Technologies and TimeGathering Systems, have teamed up to integrate their solutions, and put an end to buddy punching and its profit-sapping effect. While it may seem like companies aren’t investing in employees during the current recession, “human capital”–that abstract term that refers to employable

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• Quantum Adds Fibre Channel to Midrange De-dupe Boxes

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  Quantum last week launched a new midrange de-duplication and virtual tape library (VTL) storage device that works in Fibre Channel (FC) environments. The new DXi6700 offers data ingest rates of up to 3.5 TB per hour, while de-duplication routines whittle away at redundant data, making backups one-tenth of their original size. The devices will soon be connectable to IBM i servers through Quantum’s partner, Tributary Systems. The DXi6700 represents the second generation of Quantum’s midrange de-duplication devices, and shows the Silicon Valley firm is working hard to maintain parity with EMC‘s Data Domain unit, which has a considerable

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• CCSS Cracks Down on IBM i Jobs with Excessive I/O

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  It’s an embarrassing but common problem in the IBM i world: jobs consuming excessive amounts of I/O. The solution is often to wait for the job to end, which puts the operator in an awkward spot when the president expects her report. But thanks to a recent enhancement in the QSystem Monitor (QSM) product from CCSS, gluttonous jobs can be dealt with automatically, before they get out of hand. QSM has long been able to identify batch or interactive jobs that consume more than their fair share of IBM i resources, including DASD, CPU, and network bandwidth. With the

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• PowerTech to Overhaul Free IBM i Security Policy Template

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  Defining the steps one must complete to achieve one’s goals is the first step in many higher endeavors. When the endeavor is achieving a certain level of security on an IBM i server or any other kind of IT system, the goals are put down on paper in the form of a detailed security policy. For organizations that are looking to bolster their IBM i security practices but don’t know where to start, PowerTech provides a free, downloadable IBM i security policy template to get them going. It is hard to believe, but many IBM i shops today don’t have

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• Wavelink Finds Another Use for Smartphones

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  Companies that use Wavelink‘s software to manage and secure their wireless networks for barcode scanners, RFID sensors, and other wireless devices will soon be able to use the latest generation of consumer smartphones to manage and diagnose problems with their wireless devices. In mid August, Wavelink announced that the next major release of its flagship Avalanche product will enable managers to manage and diagnose problems with their wireless devices using smartphones. The smartphone operating systems that Wavelink will support with this feature include Apple‘s iOS, RIM‘s BlackBerry, and Google‘s Android smartphone operating systems. (Microsoft Windows

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• BackOffice Unveils Cloud-Based Data Migration Tool

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  BackOffice Associates recently introduced DataFactory, a collection of remotely accessed data quality and master data management tools and models for helping large-scale data migrations go smoothly. The new offering, which lives in the “cloud,” is designed to save customers money by eliminating the need to have tools and experts onsite. DataFactory uses the same MDM and DQ tools and models that BackOffice has honed in hundreds of successful data migration projects over the years. But instead of placing tools and experts at the customer site, DataFactory taps the bulk of these resources over the network. This saves the customer money

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• IBM Moves Rational Cafes to New Website

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  IBM last month moved its Rational Café forums to a new website. So, if you’re wondering where you’ll get your next fix from the collaborative online forums, fret no more: they’re now located on IBM’s developerWorks website. Since 2008, the Rational Cafes have served as online meeting places for developers to talk about programming technologies, share tips, ask questions, brainstorm, view videos, and download code. IBM unveiled cafes for many major languages, including EGL, C++, COBOL, and RPG. (Yes, IBM still considers RPG a major programming language!) In addition to the four main cafes, some of the cafés host off-shoots

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• Why Surging Security Vulnerability Rate May Be a Good Thing

  September 7, 2010 Alex Woodie

  The number of security vulnerabilities discovered in the first six months of 2010 increased by 36 percent compared to 2009, according to IBM‘s X-Force security team, which recently released its Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report. More than half of these vulnerabilities–mostly problems with Web applications–were still unpatched as July began. That’s the bad news. The good news is that vulnerability disclosures are increasing, which means vendors are getting the transparency message. The X-Force Research and Development team documented 4,396 new vulnerabilities in the first half of 2010, and 55 percent of these vulnerabilities had no vendor-supplied patch at the

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