April 10, 2020
April 10, 2020 | Volume 14 Issue 46
- LEAD ARTICLE: Practical Security Tips to Survive COVID-19 and Working from Home
- FEATURED ARTICLE: SQL 101: Using ILE RPG Functions as SQL UDFs
- FEATURED NEWS: IBM Offers "Watson Assistant for Citizens" to Provide Responses to COVID-19 Questions
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: Your Computer Can Help Scientists Seeking Potential COVID-19 Treatments
- WHITE PAPER: 2020 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results
- MC VIDEO SHOWCASE: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: The 2020 State of IBM i Security: Threats, Trends, and Predictions

Practical Security Tips to Survive COVID-19 and Working from Home
The move to work from home brings increased security risks. Carol discusses what can be done to detect and defend against these new risks.
By Carol Woodbury
With the onslaught of the Coronavirus, many organizations have been forced to move their employees into a work-from-home status—often with little or no notice. From a system-security perspective, working from home is inherently less secure than working within the confines of a local network. And this risk is magnified by the volume of employees working from home, the lack of a formal work-from-home policy, and the rapidity with which this move had to be made.

SQL 101: Using ILE RPG Functions as SQL UDFs
It’s now time to get to know SQL user-defined functions and see how they can encapsulate your RPG code.
By Rafael Victória-Pereira
Although RPG stands for Report Program Generator, over the years, the language’s report-producing capabilities were neglected. Today they are clearly one of the least user- and programmer-friendly parts of RPG. This might seem a paradox, but given the fact that there are so many easy-to-use reporting tools today, IBM decided (wisely, in my opinion) that reporting was not a priority. However, when you have to produce complex reports that use data generated in real time and based on business rules, such as client debt risk or account balance, this can become quite a pain. The “halfway” approach is creating a program that generates a file with the report-ready data and then using a reporting tool, such as BIRT or Crystal Reports, to produce the final output.
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.
Comply in 5! Well, actually UNDER 5 minutes!!
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms.
Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product.

IBM Offers "Watson Assistant for Citizens" to Provide Responses to COVID-19 Questions
Engagements with government agencies, healthcare organizations and academic institutions around the world including in Arkansas, California, Georgia, New York, Texas, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Spain and UK
With COVID-19 affecting 206 countries, areas and territories, IBM is helping government agencies, healthcare organizations and academic institutions throughout the world use AI to put critical data and information into the hands of their citizens.