September 16, 2020
September 16, 2020 | Volume 12 Issue 49
- LEAD ARTICLE: Generation AI: A New Society Emerges
- FEATURED ARTICLE: IBM i Has Now Had More Life Than the AS/400 Did
- FEATURED WEBINAR: IBM i in 2020: It’s Not Just AS/400
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Joins World Business Council for Sustainable Development to Help Accelerate the Transition to a Sustainable World
- WHITE PAPER: Developer Kit: Making a Business Case for Modernization and Beyond
- FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: WMCPA September 24th VIRTUAL Meeting

Generation AI: A New Society Emerges
As artificial intelligence infuses into the fabric of society, current and future generations are becoming more dependent on it for making every decision. Humans and AI are coexisting side by side creating a new society. Hopefully, it will remain symbiotic.
By Mark Simmonds
Looking back over my 50 plus years on this planet, I realize that each decade has been associated with something significant. Staying away from political scandals, the ’60s was about color TVs, the hippie movement, and youth-oriented countercultures. The ’70s I associate with VCRs, early cell phones, disco, glam rock music, flared pants, and high waistbands. The ’80s brought personal hi-fi systems, microwave ovens, personal computers, the beginning of the end of the cold war, the fall of the Berlin wall, yuppies, Rubik’s cube, the AIDS crisis. The ’90s saw a sharp adoption of personal computers and laptops and the birth of the Internet, which really…

IBM i Has Now Had More Life Than the AS/400 Did
There’s value in recognizing what customers have: a modern infrastructure to build upon.
By Steve Pitcher
It’s official. The date has passed. IBM i and IBM Power Systems have now been brands in business longer than the AS/400 was.
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:
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- View online without delay
- Browser interface to make notes
- Custom retention capabilities
- Seamless product integration
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IBM i in 2020: It’s Not Just AS/400
IBM’s Steve Will talks AS/400, POWER9, IBM i 7.4, cloud, and everything in between
By HelpSystems
Editor's note: This article introduces the July 2020 Webinar: IBM i in 2020: It’s Not Just AS/400, which is On-Demand and available to download and view from the MC Webcast Center.
True or False: The IBM i operating system is just the AS/400 all over again. False! The AS/400 provided a solid foundation, but it has evolved over the years into the entirely new technology that we call IBM i.
The 2020 chapter in our journey from AS/400 to IBM i includes new cloud offerings, new Technology Refreshes, new customers, and a strong roadmap. How do these additions make the platform more powerful?