The search engine has become a ubiquitous and indisposable tool during the Internet Age. Without search sites like Google and AltaVista, many people wouldn’t know where to start on the Web. As Internet technology trickles down into enterprise software, it’s no surprise that ERP software developers are looking to include search-engine-like functionality in their products. Lawson Software is the latest i OS ERP developer to add the capability to its product.

Earlier this year, Lawson got started with search functionality when it added a search engine called Enterprise Search to its S3 suite of ERP software, which is run

AS/400 shops will be able to modernize their 5250 screens to look like rich internet applications (RIA) using the latest release of LANSA‘s aXes Web enablement software. With last week’s launch of the new aXes eXtensions workbench, the vendor is allowing users to add things like dropdown boxes, images, checkboxes, and charts to their 5250 screens. As was the case before, the transformation is conducted on the fly, with no software required on the PC.

aXes is an on-the-fly screen modernization tool for IBM i OS applications that was originally created by Arterial Software of Australia. The product–which works

System i shops looking for a third-party product to help get a handle on their job scheduling and file transfer needs may want to add another vendor to their search: MVP Systems Software. Earlier this month, the Connecticut company announced a new release of its JAMS enterprise job scheduler that introduces file transfer capabilities, putting the product at the crossroads of the emerging market for managed file transfer software.

Whether a job scheduler makes sense for a company depends on the size and complexity of the company’s operations, and its tolerance for delays in the computer room. Smaller outfits

Trucking software developer TMW Systems last week announced that it’s now supporting two existing business intelligence and reporting products–including the real-time exception reporting product, the DAWG, and its Freight Analyst dashboards–on the i OS server for the first time. The company also announced the launch of a managed services offering that allows customers to outsource to TMW the hosting and management of its core i OS applications, including TL2000 and TMT Fleet Maintenance-IBM i.

The DAWG was unleashed in 2004 to provide customers with automated exception management capabilities. The software was designed to work with ResultsNow, a business intelligence product

Food distribution companies without integrated ERP and distribution software are companies with much bigger mountains to climb when it comes to reducing operating costs and discovering new efficiencies. Here’s a situation where size doesn’t really matter. Whether small, large, simple, or complex, if your IT system combines customer service, inventory, manufacturing, route accounting, finance, and warehouse logistics management, there are obvious advantages. VAI‘s S2K for Food Distribution is a good example.

Last week the IBM i OS-based ERP company introduced added functionality to its S2K Enterprise for Food Distribution software that upgrades supply chain and customer relationship management capabilities

FalconStor Software has sold a virtual tape library (VTL) system to a large insurance company that will back up data from a variety of environments, including System i, System z, Unix, and Windows, using the backup FalconStor product, the vendor announced last week. The deal will cut backup times by 30 to 50 percent, while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in storage costs, the vendor says.

FalconStor did not disclose the name of the company deploying its VTL technology, except to describe it as a large international provider of life insurance. Needless to say, the environment was sufficiently complex

Companies in the windows and door manufacturing industry who are looking for an ERP system on which to run their businesses now have a choice of platforms when they work with software developer Friedman. As a result of its recent acquisition of Windflite Computer Systems, Friedman now has a Windows-based ERP product to sell alongside its original i OS-based ERP software for mid size manufacturers of doors and windows.

As is the case with many industries, the window and door manufacturing business has unique computing requirements that require specialized software. Because windows and doors come in so many different

CYBRA will work with the People’s Republic of China and Key West Technologies to develop “smart” shipping containers that utilize RFID technology, the New York vendor announced last week. As part of the deal, the parties will form a new company called Beijing Smart Shipping Technologies Co. that will develop solutions for improving the tracking of Chinese maritime commerce.

Harold Brand, the CEO of Yonkers, New York-based CYBRA, recently traveled to Beijing to officially establish Beijing Smart Shipping Technologies, which is a joint partnership between CYBRA, the Chinese Ministry of Transportation’s Waterborne Transportation Institute (WTI), and Key West Technologies.

Beijing

Retailers that run Retalix‘s i OS-based ERP system will find it easier to transition to paperless forms as the result of a new partnership Retalix has formed with S4i Systems. As part of the deal, Retalix customers will be able to take advantage of well-documented integration between S4i Systems’ i OS document management software and Retalix’s i OS-based suite of enterprise software, Power Enterprise.

Based in Plano, Texas, and Ra’anana, Israel, Retalix develops ERP, CRM, and SCM software used by companies in the retail and distribution industries. Its primary market is serving supermarkets, convenience stores, and foodservice distribution

The Accent Group, a British association that provides housing to more than 50,000 residents, is successfully using Talend‘s open-source tools to solve data integration issues stemming from its use of disparate iSeries and Windows servers, Talend announced last week.

The Accent Group is a registered social landlord that provides nearly 20,000 homes across the UK through its three registered social landlords, called Accent Foundation, Accent Nene, and Accent Peerless.

The organization, which is based in Shipley, West Yorkshire, relies on a mix of IBM iSeries and Windows servers to keep track of business and to meet regulatory obligations. However,