IBM i brief on Db2 Web Query PTFs; IBM i market optimism and AI integration; Productivity Paradox podcast; Enterprise DevOps challenges and IBM i-specific considerations; technical debt impacts on people, processes, and innovation; new RPG outsourced training program; calls to join, contact, and share the newsletter.
Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly
- IBM i Brief: What should you do if you are running Db2 Web Query release 2.4.0? IBM i Optimism.
- Career: The Productivity Paradox.
- DevOps: The Challenge with Enterprise DevOps. The IBM i and DevOps.
- Modernization: The Impact of Technical Debt.
- Training: New RPG Outsourced Training Program.
IBM i Brief
What to do if you are running Db2 Web Query release 2.4.0
If you are running Db2 Web Query release 2.4.0 and can’t stop using the software immediately, you should heed IBM’s warnings and apply the Program Temporary Fixes (PTFs) as soon as possible.
If you are like many Db2 Web Query customers who are running an earlier release, you should consider these options.
The IBM i ecosystem as a whole is optimistic.
The IBM i market will continue to evolve in 2024. There will be a continued adoption of open-source technologies and a shift towards cloud computing, particularly through hybrid models.
This transition is accompanied by a focus on application modernization, emphasizing refactoring, rearchitecting, and migrating legacy applications to leverage newer technologies.
As the ecosystem grows in complexity, there will be an increased demand for specialized training and education. AI will likely play a role as more and more organizations become familiar with its capabilities.
The integration of AI technologies will extend the reach of IBM i and make it interoperable with a diverse range of technologies. 2024 will be an exciting year for the platform.
Career
Cal Newport, if you have not heard of him, "is an MIT-trained computer science professor at Georgetown University who also writes about the intersections of technology, work, and the quest to find depth in an increasingly distracted world."
In this podcast, he explores one of the more interesting realities of people who live remarkable lives: they are often much less busy than the rest of us.
He explores three ideas that help explain why this is true, and then how we can use these ideas to reduce our own workloads. Take a quick listen to the first 5 minutes of this podcast, and then continue on if you like what you hear.
It certainly makes me reflect on the work that I do.
DevOps
The Reality Of Enterprise DevOps
It's been 15 years since DevOps came on the scene. But why does the DevOps transformation seem never-ending for more traditional enterprises?
Where did DevOps come from?
DevOps primarily originated and evolved within tech companies, driven by their need for faster development cycles, better efficiency, and improved collaboration between development and operations teams.
Fast forward, and it ended up finding its way into larger legacy organizations.
“These are like in the banking and automotive industries, which did not at first find success in building software but have more recently evolved into companies completely reliant on leveraging and building software.”
Here is the growing list of vendors that offer DevOps solutions for the IBM i. (Google Search)
The large organizations are getting stuck.
DevOps is like a transformation because it involves a fundamental shift in the culture, processes, and tools that are used by an organization to deliver software and services.
“While smaller organizations can be more “agile” and get through these so-called “transformations” like cloud migrations and breaking down silos for cross-organizational collaboration relatively easily, these older organizations are still struggling.”
The challenge for many larger organizations is that “they have been sold on Big Tech’s developer productivity metrics, but their people, processes, and often legacy technology don’t fit into these few measurements.
For IBM i customers looking into DevOps
As modernizations and transformations pick up speed, IBM i shops will inevitably need to look at a DevOps solution. Here are some questions that should be asked:
- Current State Assessment: What are our current development, testing, and deployment processes, and how efficient are they?
- Cultural Readiness: Is our organization's culture ready for the collaborative and agile mindset required by DevOps?
- Tool Compatibility: What tools are we currently using for development, testing, and operations on IBM i, and are they compatible with DevOps practices?
- Automation Opportunities: Where can we introduce automation, such as CI/CD pipelines and automated testing, within our IBM i environment to improve efficiency?
- Skill Gaps: Do our teams have the necessary skills to adopt DevOps practices, or is there a need for training or hiring?
- Integration Challenges: How do we integrate IBM i systems with other platforms and technologies in our IT landscape while adopting DevOps?
- Change Management: What changes are needed in our project management and business practices to support a DevOps transformation?
- Compliance and Security: How do we maintain or enhance security and compliance within the DevOps framework, especially considering the specificities of the IBM i environment?
- Measuring Success: What metrics and KPIs should we use to measure the success of our DevOps initiative on IBM i?
- Legacy Application Consideration: How do we handle legacy applications on IBM i in our move to DevOps? Can they be modernized, or should they be replaced?
Addressing these questions can help organizations using IBM i strategically plan and implement DevOps practices, ensuring that they leverage the benefits of DevOps while accommodating the unique aspects of the IBM i environment.
Modernization
Technical debt is more than legacy code, an outdated operating system, or old hardware.
Technical debt is the incurred cost of rework caused by opting for a quick but inferior solution instead of the right technology solution.
What does it impact?
- People: Global employers face urgent challenges in talent attraction and retention, particularly in IT. Legacy technology, lack of integration, and outdated organizational processes hinder employee motivation to innovate, potentially losing key talent to competitors.
- This is a major reason RPG developers consider other opportunities.
- Process: Legacy systems and incompatible technology impact productivity. The challenge is when these workarounds become embedded in the company culture and inefficiencies become “just the way we do things here."
- This becomes problematic when not only RPG developers look to retire but the user community also. Tribal knowledge is lost, making modernization more difficult.
- Innovation: Tech debt also inhibits organizations from leveraging new technologies like AI or automation, making adoption challenging and costly.
- The challenge for the IBM i community is, while the IBM i is as modern as you want it to be, the perception at some companies is it is not. Thus, there is pressure to move off the platform. The best way to tackle this is to get to training. The more well-informed the IBM i community is, the better for everyone.
Training
New RPG Outsourced Training Program
There is another RPG outsourcing option on the market. This one is for the trucking industry.
It's not the first, and will not be the last. While many don't support an off-shore model, some do.
My thoughts: It is a signal that the importance and value of the IBM i platform is alive and well.
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