In this new column, Steve Pitcher examines and analyzes the news and issues surrounding our industry.

Written by Steve Pitcher

This week we'll talk about IBM PureSystems, IBM Collaboration Solutions education, Betamax vs. IBM i, and the striking similarities between RPG and Freddy Krueger. Really.

A Brief IBM PureSystems Recap

On April 11, 2012, IBM announced the next step in its Smarter Planet initiative: IBM PureSystems. I plan on delving much deeper into the subject in a later column, but I wanted to talk about what many of us have seen on the surface of the announcement.

As the generation of RPG programmers who built some of the great IBM i application systems that run many SMBs drifts toward retirement, replenishing their ranks poses some urgent problems.

Written by John Ghrist

Even as long as 20 years ago, it was fashionable to say that if you didn't keep your technology skills sharp, the only thing you'd need to learn for your next job was how to say, "Do you want fries with that?" While that was clearly some hyperbole designed to shock, the base sentiment remains true. If you work in a technological field, you have to keep up with what goes on with the technology, even if your particular enterprise isn't using all the aspects of the technology that it might.

Get started with PCI and learn why every company should be in compliance.

Written by Robin Tatam

Few things strike fear into the hearts of consumers and businesses more than a breach of financial information. Why? Because it hits us where we're most sensitive: our pocketbooks! Long gone are the "good ol' days" when hackers were motivated by the challenge of breaking though security. While arguably no less troubling, a guarded admiration and respect was earned as a result of the intelligence and creativity exhibited by those early individuals. After all, these cyber-battles often pitted the little guy against "the Man." The more impenetrable the defenses, the greater the respect garnered by the individual who was able to break in.

As part of its ongoing Smarter Computing effort, IBM has announced a new strategic approach to designing and managing storage infrastructures with greater automation and intelligence, as well as significant performance enhancements to several key storage systems and the Tivoli Storage Productivity Center suite. At the same time, the company announced its first offerings that incorporate software from IBM’s acquisition of Platform Computing earlier this year.