Glad to have you back for this week's IBM i Pulse! Each week we will be taking a deeper look at this week's IBM i news. This week we are looking at 7 Myths about IBM i, Education and Employment, and security patches. But First...
Here is an interesting article on DevOps and how old IT leadership ideas need to be re-thought.
7 Myths About IBM i Cloud Hosting
by Bob Losey
Lately there has been a great deal of buzz surrounding Cloud Hosting. With hype also comes miss understanding and misconceptions. As Cloud Hosting becomes more and more popular, Bob Losey discusses 7 of the biggest myths that he has come across while helping companies migrate to Cloud400 IBM i application.
- Cloud is a Fad - In fact cloud based servers have been evolving over the past three decades. But sense 2015 Cloud Hosting has been increasing more popular for IBM i shops.
- Cloud Hosting is More Expensive then on Premise Server for IBM i - This one is a maybe. It depends on if you have an older AS/400 that is already paid off. With limited or no support you will clearly have less expenses to deal with then a cloud based server. But for the most part, Cloud Hosting is a much cheaper option.
- My Data won't be Safe in the Cloud - On premise servers are actually more susceptible to loss then Cloud Hosting. Cloud Hosting with a reputable solution provides far more security and safety for your data.
- The Cloud is not Reliable - Cloud computing services are designed to provide higher availability for your company and dedicated hosting support.
- Cloud Hosting is not Fast - compared to normal web traffic, IBM i data transmission is minuscule. Thus, the speed for your Cloud Hosting will be much faster then you might think.
- Cloud is not for Mission Critical Use - Many companies already host their mission critical data on Cloud based servers.
- The Big Hosting Companies can Handle my Environment - Google and Amazon will NOT host IBM i in their Clouds.
Education and Enterprise Computing Not Passing the Test
by Dan Burger
Our good friend and overall IBM i Educational expert Jim Buck gave his opinion to Dan Burger on the state of how employers should be more active in helping educators create employee ready students right out of school. Here are some of Jim's quotes from that article.
- “I firmly believe education is the next big bubble,” says Jim Buck, an IBM i advocate with experience that spans the education and real world experiences. “It’s like the housing crisis of a few years ago, but this time it’s an education crisis. Students are graduating with huge debt and inadequate skills.”
- “Companies need people who understand business. It’s easier to teach an accountant programming than it is to teach a programmer accounting. We turning out programmers with technical skills, but who don’t know the difference between a purchase order and a death certificate,” he says. “Kids are leaving college with IT skills and little or no business skills, while companies want plug-in employees with multiple IT and business skills.”
- “Companies need to modernize to attract young IT talent. The tools and software are available (RDi and modern RPG should be part of the plan) and it is less expensive to modernize than to change platforms or completely rewrite systems,” he says. “Keep the core business logic and modernize the database and user interface. Start slow, concentrate on one area, get it right and take your modernization knowledge to the next area.”
One of the largest growing problems for IBM i shops is the lack of new IT talent coming out of higher education. Profound Logic wants to help those companies modernize their IBM i to help attract younger talent to their company.
Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/07/24/education-enterprise-computing-not-passing-test/
Have You Patched Those 35 Java Vulns on IBM i?
by Alex Woodie
Security for IBM i shops is a serious priority and updates to the IBM i should be monitored on a regular basis. IBM has issued several security patches over the last couple of months that include fixes for security vulnerabilities such as: IBM i 6.1 through 7.3, as well as Java, Python, Samba, BIND and others. Here are some of the most recent patches that have been released to help with key vulnerabilities:
- HTTP Server Vulnerabilities - IBM has issued two alerts for separate issues with the HTTP Server.
- Samba Vulnerabilities - IBM issued two security alerts for Samba, which is a piece of open source freeware designed to enable file sharing over SMB/CIFS protocols.
- BIND Vulnerabilities - IBM issued a security alert to inform users of a fix for various vulnerabilities with the BIND.
- Python Vulnerabilities - IBM issued a security alert regarding two issues with Python libraries.
Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/07/19/patched-35-java-vulns-ibm/
November 15th-17th Profound Logic will be hosting their 2nd annual PLUS Seminar for their customers. Get the most value from your Profound Logic investment and assure your modernization success. Register here today!
One of our focuses for 2017 is the continued adoption of Node.js in IBM i shops. Click here to read our white paper on Why Node.js Is The Solution Your Company Needs.
Also, Profound.js 2.0 has been released! See how Profound.js 2.0 can help modernize your IBM i today!
And there, you're all caught up! Sounds like we have an interesting 2017!
