August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017 | Volume 12 Issue 12
• LEAD ARTICLE: How Small Businesses Can Harness IBM Watson
• FEATURED ARTICLE: Watson for i: Watson Can Help Forge Links in Your Supply Chain
• FEATURED ARTICLE: Moving Applications to the Cloud? You Need a Strategy First
• NEWS HIGHLIGHT: Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Taps IBM Watson Capabilities to Evaluate and Report on Emergency Calls
• WHITE PAPER: White Paper: Node.js for Enterprise IBM i Modernization
• FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
• EVENT: COMMON Fall Conference & Expo
• MC PRESS MAGAZINE: Enriching the IBM i Community with Open Source

How Small Businesses Can Harness IBM Watson
IBM Watson APIs are more accessible than you think. The trick is just how creative you can be.
By Steve Pitcher
I don’t like the fantasy genre. I mean I really don’t like it. I fell asleep during The Lord of the Rings in the theater. I smiled and winced through every Harry Potter film because my wife and kids love it. The closest I come to fantasy would be The Princess Bride, and that’s only because I saw it as a kid and it stuck with me. It’s pretty campy, but I love Christopher Guest. Plus Mandy Patinkin’s line: “My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father! Prepare to die!” That’s so cheesy that it works.
Seiden Group Announces Free Access to CommunityPlus+ PHP for IBM i

Watson for i: Watson Can Help Forge Links in Your Supply Chain
The IBM umbrella of supply chain services includes more than a dozen options, some of which are Watson-specific. Here’s a breakdown of the major features of each service.
By John Ghrist
In 2010, IBM acquired Sterling Commerce from AT&T as a way to expand the products and services it could offer for supply-chain operations. Today, with supply-chain-service additions under its Watson brand, IBM offers 15 cloud-based SaaS solutions to help enterprises with supply-chain tasks.
What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small.
This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business?
This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
- Why IBM i skills depletion is a top concern
- How leading organizations are coping
- Where automation will make the biggest impact
Enjoy!
Download your copy today!
2019 State of IBM i Modernization
The annual Profound Logic ‘State of IBM i Modernization Survey” takes a look at the trends and attitudes that shape the IBM i modernization market. We reached out to the IBM i community, and the response was outstanding: close to 800 people, nearly 300 more than last year, took the survey. This enthusiasm resulted in very interesting findings for how businesses plan to use and modernize the platform in the coming year.
As you read through each section of the survey, you will see our summary of the results and suggestions for the future. We hope the survey will help your business better understand what is possible for your IBM i platform in the coming year.
Node Webinar Series Pt. 1: The World of Node.js on IBM i
Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.
Part 1 will teach you what Node.js is, why it's a great option for IBM i shops, and how to take advantage of the ecosystem surrounding Node.
In addition to background information, our Director of Product Development Scott Klement will demonstrate applications that take advantage of the Node Package Manager (npm).
watch now!
What Most IBM i Shops Get Wrong About the IFS
Can you trust all of your users all of the time?
A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six month later.
A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:
- How phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated
- Three little-known ways malicious programs can reach your IFS
- Why the IFS is IBM i’s “Typhoid Mary”
You’ll also learn why some of the most common malware solutions still leave IBM i systems vulnerable—and what you can do to protect your organization.
Easiest Way to Save Money? Stop Printing IBM i Reports
The thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing.
Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:
- Automated report distribution
- View online without delay
- Browser interface to make notes
- Custom retention capabilities
- Seamless product integration
Rerun another report? Never again. Try the Robot Report Management Solution FREE for 30 days.
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Moving Applications to the Cloud? You Need a Strategy First
First steps to a successful cloud migration: know the cloud’s risks and how it will fit in the enterprise’s IT structure
by Graham Williamson
Editor’ note: This chapter is excerpted from chapter 5 of Identity Management: A Business Perspective (MC Press, 2016).
The cloud provides an ideal opportunity for organizations to rethink their identity management (IdM) environment and plan an approach that will not only allow them to manage their cloud-based future but also exploit the capabilities of the cloud to drive an innovative and agile organization.