July 20, 2018
July 20, 2018 | Volume 14 Issue 25
- LEAD ARTICLE: TechTip: Watson APIs - Natural Language Understanding
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Observations from My Round-the-World Trip for IBM i
- FEATURED ARTICLE: 7 Best Practices for Business Web Application Development
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Study: Hidden Costs of Data Breaches Increase Expenses for Businesses
- WEBCAST: Make Modern Apps You'll Love with Profound UI & Profound.js
- MC VIDEO SHOWCASE: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: Innovate at the RPG & DB2 Summit

TechTip: Watson APIs - Natural Language Understanding
This month, we will take on the third of the language-oriented APIs: the Natural Language Understanding module. What does this one do?
By Dave Shirey
Last month, we looked at the Natural Language Classifier, which offers a way to look at a piece of text and determine not so much the tone of the section but rather its intent: What is the text really about? What are the core issues it reveals?
Before that, we investigated the Language Translator, which translates written text to and from English, French, German, and a multitude of other languages.

Observations from My Round-the-World Trip for IBM i
Speaking and consulting engagements took Carol around the world—literally. Read about what she learned.
By Carol Woodbury
Recently, I had consulting engagements in both Singapore and Sydney, and then I was speaking at a conference in London. Rather than make three separate trips, I strung them all together and literally flew around the world in three weeks. All activities were IBM i–related, and I found some interesting differences in each location and some things that were the same, regardless of where I was. Let’s start with the differences.
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.
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- Custom retention capabilities
- Seamless product integration
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7 Best Practices for Business Web Application Development
Help your business Web app succeed by using standard coding practices and CSS, keeping the site’s purpose top of mind, testing, and fixing errors
by Laura Ubelhor and Christian Hur
Editor’s note: This article is excerpted from chapter 14 of Developing Business Applications for the Web: With HTML, CSS, JSP, PHP, ASP.NET, and JavaScript, by Laura Ubelhor and Christian Hur.
There are a number of things to keep in mind to help make your website more effective and productive. Some of these best practices include keeping the site’s overall purpose in mind, using a clear and easily maintained folder structure, and avoiding cutting-edge techniques. This article takes a closer look at these best practices.