Glad to have you back for this week's IBM i news roundup! This week we are looking at some IBM i connection with Watson, areas where IBM i will pivot in 2017 and the importance of Modernization. But First...

IBM has introduced a new way for the IBM i community to suggest new enhancements as well as name the new IBM i functionality. They are calling it the RFE Community. 

• Anybody can view the new IBM i requirements submitted through the program, which is hosted at www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe. What’s even better is that anybody – including press-type people without valid IBM customer credentials – can monitor the horse race occurring among the different RFEs to see which ideas are resonating and which ones are DOA.

Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/03/15/vote-new-ibm-functionality-rfe-community-program/

IBM i and Watson: Another Step in the Right Direction

by Dan Burger 

Data and systems integration is one way to look at what the future holds for IBM i business. Many are resistant, but more and more we are seeing the integration of applications that will take both data analysis, modernization techniques and integration to the next level. We can see that especially in IBM's Watson. 

• Having the capabilities to do analytics on the cloud is vital for the future growth of Watson and IBM i systems. “Once you have a message going through IBM’s cloud, you now have Watson to do analytics if that’s what you want to do.” -  Jeff Whicker
• Incremental transitions are less disruptive than huge leads. Just like when Java came along, it was an easier transition for those who had modern RPG skills. Now it’s Node.js and Python that are transition destinations. IBM i has a pretty good tool kit for Node.js developers, with hooks into the OS and the DB2 for i database.
• We’re talking about new implementations. And a more simplified way of talking with vendors and clients. And a more simplified way of adding platforms and infrastructure. Anything done to be more modern is going to help prepare for this.

As new techniques and applications are introduced to the world of IBM i, we see a further growth in business' using things like The Cloud and Watson for their analytic and modernization techniques. Profound.js is one of those modernization tools that allows you to use node.js to use Watson (among others) to help modernize and sustain your IBM i information. 

Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/03/13/ibm-watson-another-step-right-direction/

IBM i Priorities for 2017: Pivot to Defense

by Alex Woodie

As more and more data and information becomes digital, business are increasingly worried and focused on security and the defese of that information. After a  HelpSystems 2017 IBM i Marketplace Survey, 71.3% of IBM i shops stated that they were most worried about the security of their data. 

Second on that list was High Availability (59.4%). Many IBM i shops are looking for solutions to increase the ability to access and run their information on a near 24/7 time frame. With the digital world growing every day, these business require high availability of their data.

Coming in a strong 3rd place is modernization of applications. IBM i shops are still searching for ways to increase productivity, access their data in a more modern way and maintaining the structure of their IBM i data while still preparing for the future with new programmers and languages. Modernizing applications was a concern for almost half of the IBM i shops who took the survey (49.5%).

For more information on ways we can help you with your modernization needs, visit Profound Logic. 

Trend Watch: Modernization 

by Joseph Gulla

Although the above survey showed that security was the #1 concern for IBM i shops in the coming year, don't overlook the growing trend of Modernization. Why should you care about modernization? Without modernization your current system can quickly become obsolete and put your business at risk of being out preformed. Some of the key way for modernization are:

• UI Modernization
• Data Modernization
• Function Modernization
• Process Modernization
• Middleware Modernization

Change can be disruptive but it is likely to bring significant benefits and vitality to applications when done carefully.  We can help reduce the disruptive nature of modernization with our Profound UI module.

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.

And there, you're all caught up! Sounds like we have an interesting 2017 ahead of us!