• Flynet Pivots To Catch IBM i Web Business In U.S.

  June 27, 2016 Alex Woodie

  There’s scarcely any new project for the IBM i these days that doesn’t involve the Web in some way, shape, or form. Mobile front-ends, application modernization, Web services–heck, even the lowly terminal emulator has become a Web app these days. One IBM i software vendor that is positioned to capitalize on this trend is Flynet, which sells a single product that can address multiple Web initiatives for IBM i shops. You may have never heard of Flynet, but the company, which is based in the United Kingdom, is by no means new to this sector. In fact, Flynet has

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• The AS/400 At 28: A HENRY, Not A DINK

  June 20, 2016 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  A lot of people get credit for the work that went into creating IBM midrange systems over the decades, and rightfully so since the creation of such machinery, including the hardware and the software, takes many hundreds or thousands of individuals with each successive generation. It is appropriate to think about them as the AS/400, the forebear of the current Power Systems IBM i system, turns 28. That is a long time in a human life, and an even longer time in computer history, where a generation has spanned from 12 to 24 months instead of decades. The funny bit

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• Windows Explorer DOS Attacks On IBM i 7.3

  June 20, 2016 Alex Woodie

  If you have noticed that Windows Explorer seems to be running especially slow when mapped to your IBM i server, you are not alone. Over the past month, there have been several reports of what appear to be limited denial of service (DOS) attacks against servers running IBM i 7.3. This issue stems from a change in protocols for mapped drives that IBM made with the new operating system, but it appears that Microsoft is on the hook for the fix. IBM issued a Technote about a month ago to describe the problem and to offer various workarounds. The problem

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• Analytical Expectations And Misconceptions Of IBM i

  June 20, 2016 Dan Burger

  Often we recognize we had expectations about the same time as we recognize those expectations have not been met. The IBM midrange computer, a combination of the IBM i operating system running on Power Systems hardware, exceeds the expectations of a high percentage of organizations that rely on it. Reliability, scalability, and securability are its hallmarks. However, some would describe its analytical capabilities as a weakness. Transactional-based business computers, like this one, are limited in what they can do. Are they analytically challenged? That depends on your expectations. The type of analytics most IBM i shops are interested in are

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• As I See It: Rediscovering The Big Fresh

  June 20, 2016 Victor Rozek

  Exercise has always been my salvation. Over the years the jobs I’ve held varied in challenge and satisfaction. But whether the work turned out to be exceptionally demanding or excruciatingly dull, exercise was my deliverance. It was a curative constant guaranteed to soften the stress and alleviate the boredom. And on those occasions when my youthful righteousness spilled over and I felt compelled to lecture my manager, exercise served as the antidote to the inappropriate expression of strong feelings. After all, there’s only so much emoting welcome in the workplace. Laughter is one thing; frustration, ah, no. Sadness or anger,

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• Remain Software Pursues 2E Users, Expands Asian Partnerships

  June 20, 2016 Dan Burger

  Loyalty to IBM‘s midrange computer systems is a strong bond for many companies. Those with CA 2E application development environments are a great example. 2E, originally known as Synon, was one of the most successful fourth-generation language (4GL) development environments on the platform and that community continues to number in the thousands. Like other IBM midrange shops, they are concerned with application development, maintenance, and modernization. Last week, Remain Software released a CA 2E interface for its IBM i Application Lifecycle Management tool, TD/OMS. The new release supports management of business applications built with the CA 2E case tool

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• Talking IBM i Ecosystem With HelpSystems CEO Chris Heim

  June 13, 2016 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  There has been a flurry of acquisitions in the IBM i marketplace in the past several years–you might even call it a blizzard. That got me to thinking last week about the changes in the OS/400 and IBM i ecosystem that we have seen in the past several decades, which I talked about in an essay last week. HelpSystems has built one of the largest software business dedicated to the IBM i platform. Infor could have a larger one, and Vision Solutions might, too, but they are all private companies so we can’t tell. Fresche, with its recent

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• Fresche Makes Bold Move In IBM i Modernization Arena

  June 13, 2016 Dan Burger

  Another IBM midrange earthquake was reported last week as two of the big application modernization vendors joined forces to create a single source of a wide range of products and services. Throughout the IBM i community, windows rattled and light flickered as Fresche Legacy–now known simply as Fresche–announced it was purchasing Quadrant Software. According to Fresche, it now has a client base totaling more than 22,000 IBM i customers. Financial details of the acquisition were not reported, as both software companies are privately owned. Fresche’s CEO Andy Kulakowski said the purpose of this acquisition was to allow Fresche

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• Rocket Ties Analytic Database Into IBM i

  June 13, 2016 Alex Woodie

  IBM i shops that are interested in extracting insights from their data under the guidance of automated statistical analysis and machine learning may want to check out a new offering from Rocket Software. Called Rocket Discover for IBM i, the new software combines data discovery capabilities with self-service data preparation, and is aimed at regular business users who find things like Tableau Software‘s products too geeky or difficult to learn. Rocket began building its Rocket Discover tool several years ago to serve the growing need for self-service tools that can handle the entire analytic spectrum–from data preparation and

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• Focal Point Emphasizes Security Assessments, Documents In The Cloud

  June 13, 2016 Dan Burger

  Focal Point Solutions Group, an IBM i-based managed service provider specializing in high availability, disaster recovery architectures, and security monitoring has expanded its services to include security assessments and document management in the cloud. Slowly but surely the word is getting around that IBM i systems are securable but not inherently secure. The distinction is that it takes skills and knowledge to secure the box. Security doesn’t just happen when you push the power button. More to security than locking down the network. Customers are realizing they need to know that security issues are being monitored and addressed when

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