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 the future of Node.js, Using AI to turbocharge your business, and the advantages of IBM i.
But First...
IBM put out a report that helped show how developers are leading the charge in innovating AI like Watson.Node.js State of the Union 2017
by Mark Hinkle
With over 8.8 million uses a day, the state of Node.js is currently good... really good. That number has increased by 800,000 over the last 9 months and over 3 billion NPM package downloads a week. There are over 1,500 Node contributors now and a total of 444 releases. These numbers show that the state of Node.js is not only good, but it is growing and growing quickly. Below are some key highlights for Node.js from this year:
Growth of Node.js From a User Perspective
Node.js has had incredible success for front-end, back-end and full stack development. The Node.js User Survey showed how users were actually using Node.js. The biggest use for Node.js is on the back-end development, but users are increasingly using Node.js to develop cross-platform and desktop applications. Profound Logic has been using Node.js to help modernize your 5250 screens with our newest product, Profound.js.
Open Source: The Punk Rock of the 21st Century
The Punk Rock sceen started with many bands who self-produced their own records and distributing them themselves. This DIY attitude with the Punk Rock era was authentic and had a feeling of freedom attached to it. This beginning phase of creation lead to main stream buzz around the music style. Node.js started out the same way, developers had a DIY mentality to develop and create the things that were important to them, and now Node.js has started to reach the mainstream with all of it's capabilities. We are seeing an increase in massive companies that are using Node.js, companies like AirBnB, Netflix, Walmart and many more.
The Future of Node.js: Grow, Engage, Educate
The growth and usage of Node.js has been nothing short of amazing. But to continue to be successful, Node.js has to continue to grow, not just in raw numbers, but in industries, companies and organizations.
Continuing forward Node.js must engage users beyond GitHub to include other venues that facilitate communication. The ecosystem needs to broaden to maintain relationships with other technologies.
Continued education is essential for new users. Programs like the Code & Learns and NodeSchools are vital to bringing new users into the fold of the Node.js ecosystem.
Source: https://medium.com/the-node-js-collection/node-js-state-of-the-union-blog-2017-ed86640ec451
Turbocharge Productivity and Efficiency with AI
by Susanne Hupfer
Artificial Intelligence has quickly grown into a "Must Have" technology that companies need to keep pace with competitors, increased customer demand and rapidly growing technology. Nearly 2/3 of early adapters of AI now say that it is essential to their business needs and they can not survive without it.
Being able to augment human thinking and logic to help improve planning and productivity can be a game changer for any company. AI has a 62% approval ratting with early adapters, and they have keyed in on 4 ways that AI has made their companies more productive.
- Making Search More Intelligent - AI has given companies the ability to search across multiple databases, documentation formats, customer history, product information, and more. Being able to access data quickly and accurately without human error.
- Enhancing Customer Care - Nearly 270 billion customer service calls go unanswered. 270 billion! AI has the capability to pose questions to natural language AI bots to help assist with simple questions.
- Streamlining Workflow - Beyond customers needing questions answered, employees do as well. Specialized departments like IT or financing, are often bombarded with questions and needs. AI natural language can help solve some of those questions quickly without human interaction.
- Proactively Predicting Issues - For companies relying on machinery; AI can help predict and prevent maintenance issues before they happen. Schedule needed maintenance checks and keep things moving continuously without interruptions.
Source: https://www.ibm.com/blogs/watson/2017/01/turbocharge-productivity-efficiency-ai/
Finally...
IBM i's TCO Advantage Widens, According to Reports
by Alex Woodie
A new report that has been published by IBM claims that the total cost of ownership for an IBM i server over a three year period is much lower than the equivalent Windows or Linux. The gap between the three systems has appeared to have grown even wider sense the past survey taken over six years ago.
The total for a three year TCO for the IBM i setup was $430,815, which was the clear winner. Windows/SQL Server cost over the same time period cost $1.18 million and the Linux/Oracle setup came in at $1.27 million. Below you can see the cost break down for all the different financial requirements for each setup. What do you think? Are these numbers accurate for an IBM i setup? We would love to see your comments below.
Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/09/13/ibm-tco-advantage-widens-according-reports/
November 15th-17th Profound Logic will be hosting our 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!
