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Thoroughly Modern: How IBM i Shops Can Navigate The AI Landscape In 2024
January 15, 2024 Marc Hunter
AI continues to have an influence on us in 2024, and beyond. Implementing AI in a tangible way will require IBM i leaders to navigate diverse problems, capabilities, opinions, and experiments. It will pave the way for evolving our strategies, and possibly even developing an entirely new set of approaches.
Think of it in terms of making pizza: We have many recipes that make good pizza, we know what toppings work together, we know how much seasoning we need. When a revolutionary new ingredient is introduced, we need to reevaluate every recipe going forward – is this an ingredient that …
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Thoroughly Modern: Practical Ways IBM i Developers Can Use AI Today
December 4, 2023 Scott Gingerysty
This October at COMMON’s NAViGATE Conference, I presented a session about practical ways that IBM i developers can use AI in their day-to-day development practices. We discussed how you can streamline and optimize the development process, improve coding velocity, enhance code hygiene, testing and documentation, and we also looked at some of the caveats. After connecting with the folks at COMMON – and seeing their enthusiasm – I felt inspired to share these examples with the IT Jungle community.
So, why AI for developers? AI offers a transformative toolkit that streamlines learning and amplifies creative problem-solving. Through machine learning algorithms, …
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Thoroughly Modern: How X-Analysis Transforms IBM i Challenges Into Solutions
November 6, 2023 Ray Everhart
All the modernization conversations I have had over the years with IBM i clients seem to have one common theme: velocity. Or the lack of it, to be specific. Over 70 percent of them reportedly have a tough time managing their systems while embracing modernization, driven by valid reasons like a rapidly evolving business landscape, the need to become more agile and efficient as they expand their business, and a considerable number of IBM i staff retiring.
But the fact remains that they can’t get the changes they need in place fast enough. How do we address this problem in …
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Thoroughly Modern: What’s New In IBM i IT Planning
October 9, 2023 Chris Koppe
When you picture a successful IT strategy, what comes to mind? Most would say that they picture the plan that defines how you approach your technical environment or a project. But after working on IBM i strategy and roadmaps for hundreds of organizations, I see it differently. Creating a successful strategy is all about asking the right questions. By taking the time to analyze your current situation, determine your desired outcome, and understand the reasoning behind it, you’ll be able to find a quicker and more cost-effective solution to achieve your goals. Strategy development is a conversation that leads to …
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Thoroughly Modern: Top Things To Stop IBM i Hacks
September 11, 2023 Alan Hamm
As an IBM i security specialist, I work with organizations to strengthen their security position, uncover vulnerabilities, and implement automated solutions that help quickly detect internal and external threats. I’ve seen just how malicious and disruptive data theft can be and the lengths to which cyber criminals will go to hack your system and steal your data. While IBM i is known for its strong security measures, there are still vulnerabilities that need to be addressed and older practices that need to be updated. In fact, many IBM i servers are left dangerously exposed due to improper configurations and lack …
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Thoroughly Modern: The Mid-Year Check – Accelerating IT Projects and Modernization for the Second Half of the Year
August 7, 2023 Christine McDowell
Summer is the ideal time to reflect on your IT and technology goals for the remainder of 2023 and look ahead to 2024, envisioning the possibilities in front of you.
A mid-year reset can be a game-changer for effective time management and goal achievement. By reflecting on your accomplishments, revisiting your objectives and taking action, you can set yourself up for success in the coming months.
Sharing some resources and updates that can help you get a jump on projects before business ramps up in September.
IT Leadership Educational Series
Earlier this year Fresche hosted an IT Executive Series providing …
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Thoroughly Modern: Remote Managed Services Fill In For Retiring And Overburdened IT Staff
July 10, 2023 Raymond Hammell
If you manage an IT department, you’ve likely received that dreaded 2am phone call, or you’ve had to hire someone to replace a retiring IBM i systems administrator. And, if you’re like most IBM i professionals, you probably wish you had more time to focus on strategic activities (or take a vacation!) instead of worrying about day-to-day systems maintenance.
Managing IBM i environments requires a specific set of skills that can be hard to come by, leaving IT departments struggling to keep up with growing infrastructure, data volumes and business demands. Tedious maintenance and repetitive tasks add to the burden …
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Thoroughly Modern: Proven Strategies For Innovating IT And IBM i In A Digital Age
June 12, 2023 Chris Koppe
Over the past 20 years I’ve worked with countless organizations on their IBM i modernization and transformation strategies, enabling them to harness the value derived from their mission-critical applications. Transforming outdated RPG, COBOL and CA 2E (SYNON) applications not only lowers costs and mitigates risks, but it also unlocks new capabilities to innovate and future-proof your business. How are today’s organizations focusing their modernization and transformation efforts? Where should you start?
What is Driving Innovation On IBM i?
It’s important to begin by examining IT’s role in innovation. Over my 35+ years in the industry, I’ve worked with dozens …
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Thoroughly Modern: Unlocking the Full Potential Of Your IBM i Applications
May 15, 2023 Greg Patterson
IBM i is the backbone of mission critical applications for over 120,000 customers worldwide in every conceivable industry and company size, particularly with companies ranging from $50 million to $1 billion in annual revenues and specializing in manufacturing, distribution, financial services, and healthcare. In other words, IBM i supports a significant share of the global economy.
Although the IBM i platform is very productive, there are many things we can do to modernize our applications and provide more value to the business. But this is easier said than done. Some of the biggest challenges that that we face relate to …
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Thoroughly Modern: Why Modernizing IBM i Applications Is Important And Where to Start
April 17, 2023 Pete Czornohus
I always like starting with a quote: “Everybody seems to talk about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” The funny thing is that it’s starting to feel like it relates to IBM i application modernization.
Companies have talked about modernizing their RPG, COBOL, and CA 2E (SYNON) applications for decades, but a recent Fortra study said that 64 percent of IBM i shops are still considering IBM i modernization as one of their top five concerns. It’s worrisome that so many companies are considering it but not actively engaged in it.
In this article, we are going to …
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