Talsco Weekly | Securing IBM i: A Dual Responsibility

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: 🔍 IBM i Pricing Changes Explained. Hybrid Cloud and AI Adoption.
Development: The End to the Free Format Directive. Python Usage Notes for IBM i.
Learning: 🔋 POWERUp 2024: Choose from 300 Sessions Across 20+ IT Areas.
Security: 🔒 Securing IBM i: A Dual Responsibility. The State Of DevSecOps.

IBM i Brief

Over the last several weeks, IT Jungle has been diving into the details of the new IBM i pricing models. It's complicated to say the least.

Here is a quick summary of where things are at.

IBM Price Increases

IBM increased prices for various IBM i licenses and fees effective January 1, 2024. This update revisits the changes, emphasizing their impact on the cost of IBM i systems software.

Perpetual License Phase-out

From May 2024, IBM will discontinue perpetual licenses for the IBM i software on P05 and P10 tier machines, encouraging a shift to subscription models that align with ongoing revenue goals, suggesting a strategic shift from capital to operating expenditures.

Subscription Pricing Expansion

Subscription-only pricing will eventually apply to P20 and P30 tier machines. IBM is still deciding on pricing for specific features like 5250 Enterprise Enablement but has provided initial estimates.

Gradual Transition to Subscriptions

IBM is incrementally increasing software licensing costs to encourage a transition to subscription models on current hardware, aiming to prevent future scenarios of unsupported systems and significant technical debt.

Strategic Pricing Advice:

Timothy Pricket Morgan, IT Jungle, advises to

try and downshift to a lower IBM i software tier with new software on Power10 iron and bite the subscription bullet.

This can significantly reduce costs due to higher performance per core, suggesting a proactive strategy to manage the financial impact of the licensing changes.

There is a lot to digest here. You can dive into pricing charts here.

Hybrid Cloud and AI Adoption

IBM Power Virtual Server has introduced significant enhancements to improve the client experience, focusing on simplifying usability, reducing costs, and mitigating risks.

These updates include Backup-as-a-Service for easier management of backups for Oracle, SAP, and DB2 workloads, disaster recovery services for cloud-to-cloud workload continuity, enhanced cloud security and compliance features like confidential computing and encryption, streamlined migration processes for IBM AIX and IBM i workloads, a new architecture for quicker SAP installation, and simplified network configuration with Power Edge Router and automation templates.

These improvements are part of IBM's commitment to support enterprises in their IT modernization efforts, which has been recognized with the “Most Loved" Award in the Infrastructure-as-a-Service category from TrustRadius.

Development

The End to the Free Format Directive

"Totally free RPG and what IBM calls modern RPG has been around for nine years. This type of RPG always needs the **FREE directive starting in the first position of the source line. And what follows is the free form RPG, where the source line can start in any position.

There is another directive that “ends” the free format RPG, **END-FREE."

Get the quick tutorial here.

Python Usage Notes for IBM i

Python is a highly versatile language. It can be used for web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, automation, and scientific computing due to its simplicity and powerful libraries.

Python can significantly enhance data handling in RPG-based IBM i environments through various methods:

Data Collection: Python can scrape web data, consume APIs, and perform complex database operations more efficiently than RPG, particularly with libraries like BeautifulSoup, requests, and pandas.
File and Data Management: It can automate file processing and handle various file formats, aiding in seamless data exchange within IBM i systems.
System Interactions: Python can interact with IBM i services for system data retrieval and automate routine tasks, improving operational efficiencies.
Data Integration and Reporting: Serving as middleware, Python can facilitate real-time data feeds and perform advanced data analysis and visualization, supporting more sophisticated reporting and insights generation than RPG alone.

IBM offers several different resources on Python.

Learning

🔋 POWERUp 2024: Choose from 300 Sessions Across 20+ IT Areas

Have you ever taken a look at the session list for PowerUp?

If not, you should.

Why? Because it is a clear indication that the IBM i platform is as modern as you want it to be. See the session list.

So, if:

hardware is your thing, there is training for that.
you are an IT Manager who is new to IBM i and you have walked into a company, and are thinking "What did I just get myself into? This green screen is very different from what I am used?" There are IBM i Strategy sessions that will put you on the right path.
you are an IBM i System Administrator / Engineer looking to rub elbows with like-minded security professionals, there are 32 unique IBM i security sessions that will help you stay safe.
you are an RPG developer looking to hone your RPG skills or are looking to get into PHP or Python there are sessions for that as well.
data is your passion, there are 38 different database sessions just for you.

The COMMON community will gather again in person to enjoy high-quality IBM i education and networking with peers, industry experts, and solution providers.

Mark your calendars for May 20-23 to join COMMON for education, networking, and scenic views in Fort Worth!

Security

🔒 Securing IBM i: A Dual Responsibility

We’ve long thought of IBM i as being "securable.”

But where does the responsibility lie for making that happen?

It’s a dual responsibility between IBM and organizations using IBM i.

IBM ensures products are designed with security and privacy in mind, conducts testing for deficiencies, and issues patches.

However, despite efforts, technology changes, human errors, and open-source technology can lead to vulnerabilities.

Technological advancements render traditional AS/400 security measures inadequate in safeguarding modern data due to evolving technologies like TCP/IP and PCs.
Human error is inevitable, leading to bugs in IBM i development despite the team's expertise.
IBM i embraces open source to address user needs and technological advancements, but the door is opened for security issues.

Organizations must stay current with IBM’s fixes, upgrade systems, and apply patches promptly to mitigate risks of security breaches.

Organizations using outdated technology like Client Access and Heritage Navigator face increased security risks, vulnerabilities, and potential system malfunctions, often leading to urgent updates.
The importance of System Patching: Timely patching is vital to defend against threats like zero-days, which risk breaches in unpatched systems. A strong patch strategy with regular updates and proactive planning is essential. Organizations should keep abreast of PTFs and use tools like IBM alerts to enhance cybersecurity and minimize attack risks.
Compliance regulations: Organizations not updating systems miss critical security features (IBM i 7.5 was particularly bountiful with new security features and updates) and struggle to meet standards like PCI DSS and GDPR.

If IBM i security is important to you, and it should be, you can find out more in this article.

The State Of DevSecOps

As the IBM i community transitions, the practice of DevSecOps is becoming more important.

What is DevSecOps?

a practice in which application developers work closely alongside operations and security teams throughout the development life cycle. DevSecOps looks at application security holistically, recognizing that code must be secure not only in how it’s written but also in how it’s deployed and run in production.

The linked study here is conducted by DataDog a monitoring and security platform that works across all technology stacks.

They even have a solution for monitoring IBM DB2.

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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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