System iNetwork

July 2008

July 30, 2008 12:14 PM

Profound Logic Unveils Genie Administrator

Profound Logic Software announces the release of Genie Administrator—a new administrator interface for its on-the-fly green-screen modernization solution, Genie. Genie Administrator provides users with an intuitive, graphical interface for configuring and maintaining the settings of all their Genie web-enabled System i and Power Systems applications. Genie Administrator resides entirely on the IBM i, and its interface is fully accessible via any major browser. The product also provides users a central location for working with the tool’s feature. The Genie Administrator is available for trial with the current release of Genie at Profound Logic’s website.

Profound Logic Software, Inc.
562 Congress Park Dr.
Dayton, OH 45459
937-439-7925
877-224-7768 (toll free)
sales@profoundlogic.com

Posted by cbushong on July 30, 2008 at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

It's All About the Customers

For software vendors, recognizing customers is what it’s all about. LANSA and New Generation Software (NGS) are two examples of companies seeking a variety of ways to reach clients. One of LANSA’s approaches is to give customer awards. NGS has established a collaboration program for subscribers who need help maintaining their own IT environment.

For the past 12 years, LANSA has given Customer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and Partner of the Year awards. The 2008 recipients are Save the Children, Royal Bank of Canada Financial Group, and Fidelity National Information Systems, respectively.

LANSA reports that the prizes are designed to recognize the unique ways in which customers use the company’s software. "By recognizing outstanding achievements, we also provide other clients with a vision of how they can employ LANSA to solve business issues," says Lori Piotrowski, public relations manager. "The awards are primarily a means of honoring the customers who use our technology, a means of recognizing their creativity to enhance their business and their resulting success."

Piotrowski adds that "it's a feather in their cap" to be singled out. "The LANSA developers come together at our user conferences, and they have three days to network and learn from each other. So, to be recognized for what they have accomplished puts the spotlight on their past efforts in front of their peers and encourages them to continue to push the envelope and improve their business processes," she explains.

One NGS technique to reach customers is the company’s newly launched NGS Software as a Service (SaaS) Collaboration Program, designed to help NGS and its business partners reach clients that do not have the staffing, skills, budget, or desire to maintain their own IT environment but still want the benefits of business intelligence (BI) and/or financial-management solutions for their organization.

NGS is recruiting business partners with IBM i and industry-specific skills in areas such as finance, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, and healthcare. The program offers low start-up costs and comprehensive education to Business Partners who host NGS products.

"Our goal is to make it easy for small and mid-sized companies to receive the benefit of our BI and financial solutions by working with a business partner who understands their industry and/or is located nearby," says Bill Langston, director of marketing and channel development for NGS. "By not having to bring software, hardware, and trained staff in-house, the customer’s start-up cost, staffing, and training commitment are substantially reduced. It opens doors for the business partner to develop long-term customer relationships and have a steady stream of services revenue."

Posted by vhamende on July 30, 2008 at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2008 8:33 AM

RFID and the System i

RFID is the technology of the future because of its ability to track goods from production all the way to purchase, to keep documents organized within an office, and to bring a high return on investment to companies who choose to utilize it. So we know how RFID can benefit us, but how does the System i benefit from RFID? I chatted with CYBRA’s Sheldon Reich about his company's software, EdgeMagic Integrated RFID Control Software for the IBM System i, and how RFID is changing in the world of System i.

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Q: How are RFID sales compared to five years ago?

A: The difference is like night and day. Five years ago the EPC (Electronic Product Code) standard was in flux, and the first interoperable standard (Class 1 Generation 2) wasn’t ratified until 2004. Until the first EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and readers were available in 2006, the RFID market couldn’t take off.

Gen 2 incorporated numerous enhancements over Gen 1, including faster data-transfer rates, greater security of tag data and special features such as “dense-reader mode,” which greatly increases read rates when more than a handful of readers share the same space. These improvements are important advances. But, more important, Gen 2 is the first standard that was widely embraced by the entire RFID ecosystem—chip and tag manufacturers, reader and antenna manufacturers, and the businesses that have invested in RFID.

Because of this widely adopted standard, customers can now choose from many suppliers of Gen 2 hardware and supplies. There are now multiple suppliers of Gen 2 RFID tag inlays, who are competing to supply the industry’s label converters. This development has helped drop the cost of a 4” x 6” smart label from 45 cents to 13 cents.

Also on the supply side, until the Gen 2 standard was ratified, no manufacturer wanted to stock smart labels if there was a chance the Class 0, Class 0+, and Class 1 Gen 1 tags would be rendered obsolete (which they now are—there is no more development of Class 0 and 1 tags by EPCGlobal). Because no smart label supplier wanted to stock supplies, every order was a custom order, and no customer could benefit from quantity discounts. This cycle prevented budgeting for RFID because label converters would quote prices based on testing and pilot quantities but couldn’t predict what the price would be as customers rolled out RFID systems in production.

In addition to a substantial drop in the cost of supplies, customers can now mix and match fixed, vehicle mount, and mobile readers from a range of manufacturers to build their systems. System i users are not locked in to buying RFID technology from one vendor. This change is very similar to what occurred in the 90s when businesses were rolling out WLAN systems. The vendors initially sold and supported proprietary radio networks and devices—you couldn’t mix a Telxon terminal with Teklogix equipment. This was a great way to lock companies into paying thousands of dollars for a base station. Then, as the 802.11b wireless standard was adopted, all the wireless vendors had to support the standard, and access points became so common they’re now found in many homes—and bundled with firewalls and routers all for less than $100.

Q: Not too long ago RFID wasn’t growing that fast among System i shops. Has that changed?

A: Although five years ago the only driver in the market was Wal-Mart’s mandate, today’s market is driven by the quick ROI (Return On Investment) companies can achieve by using RFID in “closed loop” track and trace applications. Even though Wal-Mart has backed off the mandate somewhat, with better and cheaper RFID tags now available, more and more System i companies are committing to RFID.

I recently sent out a survey to CYBRA customers and received 285 responses with the overwhelming number of 94 percent who said they do not want an RFID solution on Unix or Windows. I expanded this survey to include non-customers and got an additional 250 responses. When we combined the survey responses, 90 percent of the more than 500 companies surveyed said they wanted their RFID solution on the System i. This is proof that the System i ecosystem is System i centric and proud of it. We at CYBRA have based our product development on this simple fact: Most AS/400 customers want an RFID solution that is native to the AS/400. This survey overwhelmingly confirmed that our product development was in the right direction.

Q: What are customers asking for in RFID products?

A: Basically, they don’t want a PC running the show. They want a solution native to the System i. They want all RFID devices controlled by the AS/400 and their data in DB2. They want to be able to access the application through a green screen and a GUI. They want to be able to access their solution offsite with a browser-based interface or through a smartphone. They want their solution to handle both EPC (hexadecimal) and ASCII encodings. Also, they want to be able to control the RFID readers and other edge devices (photoeyes, light stacks, etc.) through an AS/400 interface.

Q: What do they care about most when purchasing an RFID system or components?

A: They want a native AS/400 solution! They want to be able to utilize the tools already built into the System i on their tag data, such as querying the tag data with IBM Query. They also want a full-blown application development environment, not just a kit. They want reporting on tags, data, trends, and the ability to analyze benchmarks. They don’t want a PC anywhere in the picture–-the dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) has no place on a System i shop floor.

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So, it seems the world of RFID demands the System i because of its many capabilities to enhance this technology of the future…Pretty impressive, eh?

--Cassandra Deemer, Editorial Assistant

Posted by cdeemer on July 28, 2008 at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2008 9:02 AM

Profound Logic Enhances Genie, Adds New Forum

While many companies are feeling the pinch of decreased revenues, Profound Logic Software is enjoying just the opposite. I recently spoke with Philip Roestamadji, marketing director for Profound Logic, about what he's seen happening in the marketplace. "We've actually experienced higher revenue . . . and more customer interaction, especially with the Genie product."

Roestamadji revealed that a new administator feature has been added to Genie, so you get all the admin tasks on a central interface. A formal announcement with more details about this feature will be released next week.

To understand the needs and wants of its customers, Profound Logic recently opened a forum where customers can post requests and suggestions for product upgrades. "We want to be customer-centric," explains Roestamadji. When customers submit requests for upgrades, those requests are put on a docket for consideration.

When asked about any noticeable trends in the industry, Roestamadji says it's been business as usual in the System i shops he's visited. Some shops are focusing on new development, others to upgrade to the web. But regardless of whether the economy is boom or bust, Roestamadji notes that companies are always looking for complete, cost-effective solutions.

--Cindy Bushong, RPG editor

Posted by cbushong on July 25, 2008 at 9:02 AM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2008 8:36 AM

Singapore or Bust

ARCAD Software's passport now boasts stamps from Europe, the United States, and Asia. The change-management vendor has added an office in bustling Singapore to its global headquarters in France and U.S. headquarters in New Hampshire. Singapore may be the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, but it's bursting with the type of economic excitement that fits into the company's global strategy of 24/7 service.

"From a business point of view, it's a vibrant financial location that is growing more and more," reports Philippe Magne, ARCAD CEO and chairman. "It's highly strategic for our company because we have many financial institutions in our customer base." Located halfway between India and Australia, ARCAD’s new Asia-Pacific connection bolsters technical support for clients in those areas.

"Business is more dynamic in that region," Magne says of Singapore. However, he doesn’t necessarily anticipate improved sales. "I would say that it's a different, younger business compared to Europe and North America, which are more mature. However, the potential for growth is high. At the same time, we have a lot of potential in Europe and the U.S. Latin America is going very well for us, too." He adds, "We are shaking the market."

ARCAD hopes to shake it more when it opens a California office in the near future. The company is also exploring the possibility of establishing a presence in Dubai and has already joined forces with an ISV from Switzerland in conjunction with its Singapore venture. Watch for a new website for the company as well.

Offering solutions for managing application change, quality control, and the reliability of deployment in and around the System i environment, ARCAD's software suite includes lifecycle management, application mining, test automation, and helpdesk modules that support customers who are updating and modernizing their critical business applications. What makes his company unique, Magne says, is that it provides a highly integrated product suite based around a repository core designed from the ground up to address System i and open systems development.

ARCAD's strategy is to stick with the IBM i community and continue to spread its organization worldwide. How about you? What's your international economic outlook? What's stamped on your passport?

--Vicki Hamende, application development & database editor

Posted by vhamende on July 22, 2008 at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2008 8:03 AM

A Quick Chat with Bytware

Last week, I touched base with Bytware's director of marketing, Christopher Jones, who says, "Bytware just released StandGuard Anti-Virus 6.0, the newest version of our native anti-virus for IBM i and all its ancestors. This version also brings with it the official availability of the Lotus Domino add-on with features designed to help administrators scan and manage Lotus Domino mail and databases."

Jones adds that Bytware has two new case studies, one of which cites "a head-turning scan result that found over 300 viruses in the IFS on i5/OS. People still don't believe that viruses can get onto IBM Power Systems, System i, iSeries, and all those other great systems. But here is a case where they certainly did." If you haven't scanned your IFS, this example should get you thinking about doing so.

Last but not least, Jones tells me that Bytware is about to release new episodes of its animated web series, MoshiMoshi. "Episode 3 will cover network security, and episode 4--the biggest thus far... a real "meaty" story--will feature the invasion of viruses into the Moshi Moshi offices. Hal will save the day with native anti-virus on IBM i."

--Linda Harty, security & networking/connectivity editor

Posted by lharty on July 21, 2008 at 8:03 AM | Comments (0)

July 8, 2008 2:09 PM

The New, the Old, and the Beachhead: A Conversation with ASNA's Eduardo Ross

Modernization is on the minds of System i masters even as mature applications keep moving the platform along. What exactly are ASNA's clients and System i prospects looking for? "It’s hard to sell the old applications to new customers," points out Eduardo Ross, president of ASNA. The System i applications of yesterday may not seem as user friendly as the Windows applications of today, and new customers may want an application that will work with systems other than the i. Thus, vendors often look toward long-term strategies such as extending the System i platform to .NET. "Vendors are in a bind, though, as they seek avenues to extend the market while keeping up support for existing customers," Ross adds. In the case of his company, ASNA has been selling software for 25 years. "Now we’re providing more services in addition to offering products. IT is into the fiber of all businesses -- virtually no business today operates without the help of IT."

Customers express concerns, Ross says, about how to expand the resources on the System i platform. "Screen scraping and superficial interfacing with other systems can only go so far," he notes. "Customers come to us asking how they can extend the applications beyond simple cosmetic makeovers." Ross says improvements have to happen while the past is still alive. "Major surgery on legacy applications is complex and requires planning, energy, and a broad skill set," he points out. "But without this surgery, the patient dies."

Citing the example of a payroll system, he notes that today’s businesses need far more than the recording of basic payroll information. "Shops are looking for agility beyond the back-office environment of the past," Ross explains. "They need features such as interoperability with business partners via web services, web-based queries, and the ability to provide an intuitive user interface. You can only do so much with the intrinsic System i RPG platform. But, using this core platform as a beachhead, you can extend portions to the .NET platform to provide many application modernization opportunities. In reality, a lot of applications written in RPG still represent the core of the new environment."

Meanwhile, application software vendors such as ASNA find it hard to see an extending System i market. “It’s a pity because the platform, at its core, is so good,” Ross adds.

Posted by vhamende on July 8, 2008 at 2:09 PM | Comments (3)

July 1, 2008 12:54 PM

Have We Learned Nothing, People?

Recently, I came across a couple of very old articles regarding disaster recovery (DR) plans and their subsequent failings.

Here's just a snippet from an InformationWeek article that ran way back in 2001:

"I once decided to wipe a server clean -- only after ensuring that the administrator had a clean backup. Being thorough, I actually did a test restore of a file that was backed up the night before. So, I was good to go. I reformatted the server and after reconfiguring everything, restored the data -- no problems!!!

But -- the user account that was driving the backup software was not an administrative account (translation: it couldn't "see" everything). So, the backups (for six months worth of stuff) didn't have any data from any user other than the LAN admin's. Everything was gone. . . ."

And here's another tale from an equally old article on SearchStorage.com:

"In the federal government setting, DR planning 'war stories' ranged from the ridiculous to the infuriating. According to a field service engineer at Legato Systems, one post-Sept. 11 implementation of a tape backup solution for a U.S. intelligence agency produced an interesting conundrum.

'Legato's backup software, NetWorker, was part of the solution provided to the agency by an integrator that included a tape library and several other components. Soon after the installation, we were contacted by the customer who was very upset that he couldn't retrieve any data from his backup. For some reason, the software company always gets blamed whenever the system breaks down and that was the case here,' said the engineer.

In order to troubleshoot the problem at the customer facility, one of Legato's field engineers needed to undergo extensive background checks pursuant to receiving a security clearance. 'When our guy was cleared, he arrived at the site and was escorted around at gunpoint as he tried to find the cause of the problem. It turned out to be pretty simple: The client had loaded their entire tape library subsystem with cleaning tapes. Apparently, when a box of cleaning tapes had been received, someone had put 'Top Secret' labels on each cartridge over the label that explicitly stated that the tapes were not to be used for recording data, but just for cleaning drive heads. For a while, the agency probably had the lowest media cost library in the history of tape...as well as the cleanest read write heads in the industry.'"

So, here we are, seven long years later, and I think a lot of folks out there are still at risk for these types of "Hey, you'll never believe how I lost my job" tales.

Luckily, there are a few solutions out there. Coming directly from our readers in response to a recent forum post asking, "Would someone please share methods being used to provide complete system backups for disaster recovery for an IBM AS/400 iSeries 810, preferably using a remote site?" Two suggested solutions for the user included: iTera Vault and MIMIX, both from Vision Solutions.

MIMIX runs on System i AIX LPARs and replicates the production environment to a backup server in realtime to eliminate data loss. Alternatively, iTERA Vault automatically transmits System i transaction and object changes that occur between tape saves to a protected “vault” on a Linux, Windows, UNIX or System i server.

Dragging your feet on finding a reliable DR solution? What are you waiting for, a disaster?

--Erin Bradford, systems management & availability editor

Posted by ebradford on July 1, 2008 at 12:54 PM | Comments (1)