Talsco Weekly: Are You Able to Unplug from Work?

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: IBM Stock Hits 52-Week High📈. IBM i: Evaluating IBM Power Cloud Benefits☁️. 🔒 Shield Advanced Solutions Ltd unveils HA4i version 7.4.
AI: Is Using AI Considered Cheating?🤔 🤖 Is AI really a job killer?
Career: Are You Able To Unplug From Work? 🔌.
Development: 📊 Exploring IBM-i Aggregate Functions.
Learning: Getting Started VS Code and IBM i Workshop📚.

IBM i Brief

Soaring to $204.75, reflecting 37.86% growth, the surge underscores investor confidence in IBM’s strategy and performance.

Embracing hybrid cloud and AI, IBM unveils Telum II Processor and Spyre Accelerator for enterprise-scale AI by 2025 (IBM Z).

Amidst plans for layoffs and AI-focused hires, IBM faces UK regulatory scrutiny for Hashicorp merger.

IBM’s $6.4 billion HashiCorp acquisition aims to enhance hybrid and multi-cloud management capabilities, addressing AI-driven application growth challenges. This strategic move is expected to create synergies across IBM’s portfolio, including Red Hat and watsonx, while accelerating HashiCorp’s innovation and market growth initiatives.

Analysts raise price targets, and are optimistic about IBM’s future trajectory in the evolving tech landscape (this by no means is financial advice).

IBM i: Evaluating IBM Power Cloud Benefits☁️

Here is what you get when you blend IBM i and Power Systems, and cloud technology.

IBM Power Systems: Known for robustness and efficiency, these servers support large companies like Walmart and Coca-Cola. They provide reliability and can handle complex data workloads. Forrester research shows IBM i delivers a 190% ROI within three years, reducing downtime and improving productivity.
Industries: IBM i and Power Systems are used in healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing, helping businesses enhance system integration, boost efficiency, and save costs.
Challenges and Cloud Integration: While IBM offers powerful infrastructure, high upfront costs, specialized expertise, and integration challenges are obstacles. Cloud solutions mitigate these by offering a pay-as-you-go model and managed services, simplifying system maintenance and integration.
IBM Power Cloud: Cloud-based solutions combine IBM’s performance with cloud flexibility. This hybrid model offers scalability, reduced downtime, and cost-efficiency, making it an attractive option for modern businesses.

🔒 Shield Advanced Solutions Ltd unveils HA4i version 7.4 (IBM i Vendor Update)

HA4i accelerates past rivals with enhanced speed, efficiency, and features.

Many of the new features added in the announcement of Version 7.4 are based on requests and wish-list requirements from customers.

“Over the years we have developed enhanced functionality based on customer requests, this new version is a reflection of that.” - Chris Hird, Director, Shield Advanced Solutions Ltd.

Key enhanced benefits in this version include:

Better Save While Active processing
Improved audits and reporting
IFS journal filtering on the target
Improved object compression (faster and better ratio)
New monitoring features for Nagios

Takeaway: As observers and members of the IBM i community, we witness modernization efforts from multiple sources: internal development teams, IBM itself, and the IBM i vendor community. The tools provided by vendors serve as a crucial catalyst for the continued prosperity of the IBM i platform.

It’s exciting to see vendors like this making it easy for IBM i shops to modernize.

AI

Is Using AI Considered Cheating?🤔

The question of whether using AI is considered cheating is a complex and nuanced topic.

Here are some things to consider:

Context matters: The appropriateness of AI use often depends on the specific situation and guidelines in place.
Transparency is crucial: Being open about AI usage can help maintain trust and integrity.
AI as a tool: Many argue that AI should be viewed as a productivity tool, similar to calculators or spell-checkers.
Ethical considerations: It’s important to consider the ethical implications of AI use, especially in academic or professional settings.

Is using AI in the workplace considered cheating?

Takeaway: As AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives and work processes, it’s essential to establish clear guidelines and ethical frameworks for its use. The key is to leverage AI as a tool to enhance human capabilities rather than replace human effort or creativity entirely.

🤖 Is AI really a job killer?

Despite fears, AI doesn’t necessarily mean losing your job to it. Instead, it can do drudge work, freeing people for more creative tasks.

AI’s potential to enhance productivity and create new types of jobs, as seen in examples from companies like Alorica and IKEA.

The shift brought by AI technology may not lead to mass unemployment but rather to increased efficiency and innovation.

How will AI be used in the IBM i ecosystem?

We have spoken to a number of developers, vendors and other leaders in the IBM i space, the consensus is that AI, in it’s many forms (LLMs, ML, etc..) is a tool. Learning how and when to use it as it evolves is where the challenge is.

So, is AI a job killer?

We don’t think so...at least for now.

Career

Are You Able To Unplug From Work? 🔌

This article asks an interesting question.

AreBig Companies: Better at Unplugging?

Employees at large U.S. companies are more likely to plan vacations and less guilty about it. They also check in less during time off compared to mid-sized and small business workers. However, larger company staff might not be less stressed, as they often feel stuck and burned out. Vacations seem crucial for these workers, despite the differences in work habits during time off.

IBM i shops range in size from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses with just 50 employees.

Here are some reasons why an IBM i developer might have trouble unplugging from work:

Lack of staff: Being the only person or part of a small team with specialized IBM i knowledge can create pressure to remain available.
Critical business processes: If the developer is responsible for systems that directly impact core business operations, they may feel obligated to stay connected.
Inadequate documentation: Lack of proper system documentation can make it challenging for others to handle issues in the developer’s absence.
On-call culture: Some organizations have an expectation of 24/7 availability, especially for mission-critical systems.

Here are some possible solutions to help IBM i developers relax while on vacation:

Ensure appropriate staffing levels: Have enough skilled IBM i professionals to cover during absences.
Leverage consultants or contractors: Bring in temporary expertise for vacation coverage.
Improve documentation: Create comprehensive system and process documentation for easier handoffs.
Implement cross-training: Ensure multiple team members can handle critical tasks.
Establish clear escalation procedures: Define when and how to contact vacationing staff for true emergencies.
Use automated monitoring and alerting: Reduce the need for constant manual system checks.
Encourage knowledge sharing: Foster a culture where team members actively share their expertise.
Plan for vacations: Schedule time off well in advance to prepare for absences.

In the IBM i market this one of the key reasons of why an RPG Developer will stay or look for another opportunity. Making sure you RPG developers can truly unplug when they take vacation, could be another way to keep RPG developers happy.

Development

📊 Exploring IBM-i Aggregate Functions

In the realm of data management, SQL shines as a potent tool for querying and handling databases. Aggregate functions, often overlooked yet invaluable, enable calculations on multiple data rows, culminating in a single output.

This post shows how aggregate functions unlock deeper data analysis possibilities, making SQL a powerhouse tool in IBM-i environments.

Learning

Getting Started VS Code and IBM i Workshop📚

A shift is taking place. RDi is no longer the go-to IDE on the IBM i.

This is a great opportunity to start with VS Code and the IBM i extensions. Many RPG developers have never used VS Code and getting started with the IDE can be frustrating. This lab will introduce the attendees to VS Code and the IBM i development environment.

Attendees will need a laptop and will be provided a login to an IBM i system allowing them to work through some simple tasks. At the end of the Lab, the attendee will have an understanding of the following topics.

Note: The nice thing about this lab is it is in sunny FL 🏖️ at NAViGATE 2024.

While you are there, you will have access to any number of exciting training sessions that will take your IBM i skills to the next level. It is also a good way to future-proof your IBM i career.

Check out the trainings.

See you there.

Join

Contact us

If you are an RPG programmer looking to explore opportunities or a client who is looking for a talented IBM i professional, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you.

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