System iNetwork

January 2009

January 30, 2009 9:55 AM

Reader's Choice: ProData's DBU/RDR

Reader Dick Ferrara appreciates ProData's DBU with its RDR module for helping him recover from a potentially large charge-back situation.

"I was able to recover deleted records that are needed as part of our ASN generation processes. We had no vehicle to recover from this user-induced error situation. We do now.

"I have used DBU/RDR in the past, and I am pleased that we have purchased the package. It has already paid for itself, and I am quite sure it will again."

DBU helps users access IBM i data and any data on any platform through the same interface. With the RDR utility, users can retrieve all deleted records from any member of a physical file, retrieve deleted records from RRN to RRN, and include RRN in the output file for the deleted records.

****Reader's Choice is a System iNEWS/System iNetwork feature that lets nonbiased readers (no vendor employees, please) offer feedback on products and services that have helped them. If you'd like to recommend a product that you've used to solve actual problems, save money, or simplify a process, we--and our readers--want to know about it. Put your recommendation of 500 words or less here or send it to Erin Bradford at erin.bradford@penton.com or post it on our LinkedIn page under the Discussions tab.****

--Vicki Hamende, application development and database editor

Posted by vhamende on January 30, 2009 at 9:55 AM | Comments (0)

Reader's Choice: LANSA for Systems Development

Reader Peter Burns credits LANSA products with making his staff agile enough to work on just about any business project required.

"LANSA has been an important tool in our systems development arsenal for nearly two decades and is part of the reason we have been able to develop systems in a cost-effective manner, including iSeries, web, Windows, B2B, GDSN, and EDI extensions to our JD Edwards World system," he reports.

"One of our high-ROI extensions on the procurement side of the business is a web-based virtual supply chain that allows all members of the supply chain to track orders, shipments, and delivery dates in realtime from anywhere in the world. Every year we re-evaluate how we deliver services to the company, and every year LANSA is the picture."

****Reader's Choice is a System iNEWS/System iNetwork feature that lets nonbiased readers (no vendor employees, please) offer feedback on products and services that have helped them. If you'd like to recommend a product that you've used to solve actual problems, save money, or simplify a process, we--and our readers--want to know about it. Put your recommendation of 500 words or less here or send it to Erin Bradford at erin.bradford@penton.com or post it on our LinkedIn page under the Discussions tab.****

--Vicki Hamende, application development and database editor

Posted by vhamende on January 30, 2009 at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2009 4:27 PM

Reader's Choice: Kudos to BCD

Reader and ISV Mary T. Rooney-Lucas ended her search for application modernization solutions when she discovered BCD. "It is because of the BCD products and tools that we have been able to remain in the forefront of the industry in which we serve. Without them, we would not be in business today," she says.

Here's Mary's testimonial:

"As an independent software vendor who has been providing total solutions for local government since 1983 on IBM hardware, you can imagine how our products may have looked and functioned back then. Today they have been completely transformed into modern web-based applications running on new IBM System i servers. We knew we had to change not only the way our products looked but also the way they functioned; the need to modernize was inevitable in order to remain competitive.

"One thing that was a key focus in our modernization tool search was that the tool had to be System i centric since we wanted to modernize on this platform. After all, the System i server is robust and stable. Our customers have been spoiled by its safe environment of (99.99 percent) never-fail hardware and resistance to hacking or security issues.

"Beginning in 2001 and for two years following, we stumbled trying out several companies’ products that boasted rapid development, easy-to-use, no re-writing of your code. None of them worked as advertised. I need not say more. I don’t remember exactly when or how we learned about BCD and its products, but ever since then, we have been on our way to modernizing our products and we have never looked back.

"We first started with BCD’s WebSmart. Our programmers transformed several of our green-screen applications into eye-catching web applications in a matter of days. We then used Clover to build drill-down queries with charts and graphs that mine the data created by our applications. We tied it all together with their Nexus Portal, which is a System i-hosted web portal solution designed to provide fast, secure, and organized access to our applications through web browsers. Today our applications are very well received by our clients.

"BCD's solutions include numerous wizards and templates which help you get going instead of trying to figure out where to begin, and that also saves a lot of time in development.

"Not only do their products work, but everything is managed at the server level. There is nothing that needs to be loaded on the client PCs. Not only does that save us money, but it also saves our customers money, and it saves time. This approach enforces consistency, simplifies enhancements and reduces the cost of maintenance.

"BCD is certainly committed to offering unrivaled quality of service and personal attention to its clients. Their talented staff has a knack for listening and helping. I often feel that we are their only customer. I know they have a large client base, but when one of us contacts support, whether by telephone or by email, we hear back from them in a matter of minutes. Do not ask me how they do it!"

****Reader's Choice is a System iNEWS/System iNetwork feature that lets nonbiased readers (no vendor employees, please) offer feedback on products and services that have helped them. If you'd like to recommend a product that you've used to solve actual problems, save money, or simplify a process, we--and our readers--want to know about it. Put your recommendation of 500 words or less here or send it to Erin Bradford at erin.bradford@penton.com or post it on our LinkedIn page under the Discussions tab.****

--Vicki Hamende, application development and database editor

Posted by vhamende on January 29, 2009 at 4:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2009 10:18 PM

iMessaging Offers Native Telephony Integration to IBM i Clients and ISVs

iMessaging Systems is teaming with IBM to deliver its first software-only telephony integration solution to help ISVs and small and medium business clients add IBM i-based telephony services, including IP telephony functionality, to existing applications for the i. This means one-stop shopping for i folks seeking a simple way to phone home.

As part of its new relationship with IBM, iMessaging has optimized its iNspire Telephony Integration Suite to operate with IBM's IP telephony offerings from Nortel and 3Com as well as other Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony and traditional PBX phone systems. IBM customers, business partners, and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) can use iNspire to integrate any business application for the IBM i operating system with traditional or IP telephony systems.

AMI Partners reports that in the current economic climate, small and medium businesses are seeking projects such as VoIP and Unified Communications (UC) to help reduce costs and provide a clearly identifiable return on investment. As a result, the UC market will likely grow to $17 billion in annual revenue by 2011, AMI predicts.

The iNspire Impact

"iMessaging iNspire will allow more applications for IBM i to easily connect and participate in UC, making iNspire an important component of IBM's UC strategy--a significant area of investment for IBM," says Mark Shearer, vice president of marketing, communications, and sales support for IBM Business Systems. "IBM i customers and ISVs now have a simple, effective way to integrate telephony with their core business applications. This will also provide IBM with a new route to market for its IP telephony offerings through ISVs."

IBM i customers and the more than 1,000 ISVs who develop applications for IBM i can now use iNspire to integrate business applications with telephony functionality to provide intelligent call routing with screen pops, ACD queuing, caller self-service, automated dialing, and interactive voice response. CRM application provider VACAVA used iMessaging's iNspire solution to build VACAVA Customer Care--a telephony and call center-enabled solution requiring minimal effort to implement. Other ISVs planning to use iNspire to add IP telephony functionality to their IBM i applications include KMR Systems and VAI.

"A key advantage of IP Telephony on IBM i is the potential to integrate data, applications, and telephony services on a single, consolidated platform," said Karen Sedlar, CEO of iMessaging Systems, which is the leading provider of telephony integration and enablement solutions for IBM's Power Platform. "We believe iNspire's integration capabilities and flexibility will differentiate IP Telephony and represent important capabilities within IBM's overall UC strategy. iNspire's i-based integration is a unique offering and delivers the value that IBM customers are demanding. Imagine being able to give your internal and external customers realtime access to i applications and data via the phone."

Sedlar also points out that this new, software-only solution follows the Session Integration Protocol (SIP) standard for live communications used in setting up and tearing down voice or video calls on VoIP-based telephone systems.

iMessaging President Rich Ollari says he expects a positive reaction from the i community to the new native telephony integration. "This also gives IBM a foot up on the competition," he notes. "When you look at this holistically, IBM now has the ability on one single platform to be able to run not only business applications but also the telephone system."

The ISV Slant

Ollari says that ISVs will benefit greatly from iNspire’s i-based design. "Because iNspire is API-driven, ISVs can easily integrate telephony into their existing solutions with developer skills already on staff. This means ISVs can enhance their applications with telephony and bring them to market very quickly. What's more, an ISV doesn’t need to worry about the telephony idiosyncrasies because iNspire handles that automatically."

The iNspire solution services a variety of telephony integration requirements from simple dialing to fully integrated call centers. Additionally, using iNspire, clients can migrate from older telephone systems to modern VoIP systems with virtually no programming changes.

iNspire will now have IBM product IDs and be included in IBM's configurators. iNspire solutions for Power Systems range from entry-sized basic integration needs to larger, more formal call center environments. Pricing for the iNspire Telephony Integration Suite starts at less than $12,000.

iMessaging Systems reports that the iNspire suite can improve caller experience, handle higher call volumes, facilitate the use of IT skills to build and maintain telephony services, reduce IT infrastructure costs, provide realtime access to application data, and protect technology investments.

"We will continue enhancing the product in a variety of ways, including graphical interfaces," Ollari says. "Right now we interface with i-based applications only. However, we are looking to enable iNspire within other environments in the near term."

Vicki Hamende, application development and database editor

Posted by vhamende on January 27, 2009 at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)

Reader's Choice: LANSA

This week's nominee for reader's choice comes from Mark Mason of BuilderSolutions, Inc. Mark is such a fan of LANSA, in fact, he is a consultant that does nothing but LANSA work. He even created www.lansaclub.com. BuilderSolutions offers programming services, full service recruiting, and technical support for the IBM i, so Mark is intricately familiar with the integration of LANSA's products into our beloved system.

Here's what Mason had to say:

The LANSA Team has been my technology insurance for the last 20 years. When iSeries applications needed to go to the web, LANSA got me there. When PC-based applications needed to talk to the 400, you know it, LANSA got me there.

When all the business rules make it into the repository, or as LANSA reffered to it, "the Donut," additional applications can integrate with your system in a snap.

At a client in Orlando, we had two months to rewrite the legacy Credit Card System. Had it not been done in LANSA, I don't believe we would have made it.

Sounds like someone deserves a Christmas card this year...

--Erin Bradford, systems management & availability editor

Posted by ebradford on January 27, 2009 at 6:51 PM | Comments (3)

January 14, 2009 10:11 AM

IBM Gives Mac Users Lotus Notes Love

IBM is now shipping Lotus Notes 8.5 for Mac OS X, plus IBM's free Lotus Symphony document, spreadsheet, and presentation software will be available later this month for the Mac.

IBM says Lotus Notes 8.5 provides significant storage savings over previous versions. Notes has an intelligent storage savings feature that ensures that only one copy of an attachment is kept on the mail server, resulting in an estimated 40 percent space savings.

Lotus Notes 8.5 consolidates key business communications applications into a single interface, including links to team rooms, instant messaging, to do lists, calendars, Internet browsers, and other tools. Users can also integrate Google, Yahoo, and hundreds of other public Internet calendars into Notes 8.5, which lets users display multiple personal and work calendars at the same time.

"Notes 8.5 has allowed our Mac users to make full use of a non-Microsoft environment with all the advances of the latest Notes functionality," says Mark Calleran, CIO of The Salvation Army's International Headquarters.

Discovery Communications is another leading organization, IBM says, that uses Lotus Notes 8.5 for the Macintosh.

--Chris Maxcer, news editor

Posted by cmaxcer on January 14, 2009 at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2009 4:58 PM

Reader's Choice: Vault400

Scott Mahoney of Roofing Resources recently wrote to me about the benefits of Vault400 from UCG.VAULT400 backs up business-critical data on the IBM i for immediate online recovery by taking a point-in-time backup during each scheduled session. If a restore is needed, VAULT400 can provide the data from any specific backup. Here's what Scott had to say:

We have been using the Vault400 system since last year. We have been very pleased with it. Especially the support from personnel. We have accidentally deleted a few files and within minutes we have recovered them.

Well, I think we all know what that feels like, and I'm sure that having a backup plan saved Scott's company a lot of time, headaches, and maybe even jobs!

--Erin Bradford, systems management & availability editor

Posted by ebradford on January 12, 2009 at 4:58 PM | Comments (0)