January 22, 2020
January 22, 2020 | Volume 12 Issue 41
- LEAD ARTICLE: Trusting Artificial Intelligence
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Open-Source Adoption Hurdles Are More Organizational Than Technical, Part 1
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Why the IBM i Is the Perfect Open Source Platform
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM AI Innovations Sharpen Risk Detection in Identity Management
- WEBCAST: Node.js on IBM i Webinar Series Pt. 2: Setting Up Your Development Tools
- FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: System Sizing for IBM Power Systems Servers

Trusting Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence penetrates our daily lives, questions on trust and transparency arise. Without the right tools to manage, detect, and mitigate bias to what extent are we humans prepared to hand over control to AI systems for decision-making and taking actions?
By Mark Simmonds
Throughout history, some sectors of society have rejected automation and technology—partly because of the fear of “letting go” control to the machines. Yet if we don’t relinquish some control, we humans become a bottleneck.
Seiden Group Announces Free Access to CommunityPlus+ PHP for IBM i

Open-Source Adoption Hurdles Are More Organizational Than Technical, Part 1
Although adopting open-source technology usually involves developers learning a new language, several IBM i experts in open source point out that adding it to an enterprise’s solutions toolkit is more of a business-cultural change.
By John Ghrist
While the concept of open-source technology on the IBM i has been around for years now, as with many “new waves” in technology over the platform’s history, a large number of enterprises have been relatively slow to adopt it. According to HelpSystems’ 2019 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results report, a top concern at 50 percent of the participating survey sites was “application modernization,” and 71 percent of respondents report running more than half their core business apps on the i. Open source is a path to the modernization goal, but from the outside, the issues surrounding its adoption can appear daunting, even though many companies already use it in some form.
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
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- Custom retention capabilities
- Seamless product integration
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Why the IBM i Is the Perfect Open Source Platform
The IBM i’s stability, strong language support, and active developer community make it ideal for open source applications
by Pete Helgren
This article is excerpted from Open Source Starter Guide for IBM i Developers.
If you are new to IBM i, then welcome! I would guess though, that you probably already have an IBM i, or access to one, and you are hoping to leverage some of that IBM i goodness because …