Talsco Weekly: Security and AI on IBM i

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: What will IBM’s Q4 Earnings reveal? The Barcode.
AI: The AI Paradigm Shift. Have A Private ChatGPT-Like Conversation With Your Local Documents With No Internet. IBM i: Security and AI.
Development: IBM i ACS (1.1.9.4) was recently released and has some new features. Learning how to code in Python on the IBM i.

IBM i Brief

What will IBM’s Q4 Earnings reveal? IBM is ready to release its Q4 2023 results. The company is expected to have recorded a top-line expansion year over year, backed by growing demand for its AI-powered solution suite across industries. Last quarter, IBM unveiled watsonx.governance, a new addition to its WatsonX AI solution suite, aimed at enhancing the management and monitoring of AI models. It also collaborated with Amazon to integrate Db2 database with Amazon RDS for improved scalability and security in AI-driven data workloads. The Barcode If you are an RPG developer, you might be the go-to barcode expert. If so, you will like this one. “Once upon a time, a restless cashier would eye every item you, the consumer, purchased and key it into the register. This took skill but also time—and proved to be an imperfect way to keep track of inventory. Then one day, a group of grocery executives and inventors came up with a better way: what we now know as the barcode.” Here is an entertaining history of the barcode (The Atlantic). History: I stumbled upon this article from 1993 when barcoding applications on the AS/400 were just starting to emerge.

AI

The AI Paradigm Shift The paradigm shift ushered in by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in today’s business and technological landscapes is nothing short of revolutionary.

AI’s potential to transform traditional business models, optimize operations, and catalyze innovation is vast.

Navigating its complexities can be nothing short of challenging. Organizations must fully understand and adhere to some foundational principles to ensure AI initiatives lead to sustainable success. Here are ten principles that will help you achieve the success you are looking for. Don’t let the list overwhelm you. Start with defining Your Purpose and pick an area-specific challenge you seek to address using AI. You might be thinking, how would AI work in an IBM i environment in 2024? You can learn more about that here. Have A Private ChatGPT-Like Conversation With Your Local Documents With No Internet Now, this would be interesting. There has been a yearning for a way to have these models interact with local data on your computers. This can be personal data you do not want anyone to see or corporate data you prefer not to share with the cloud. The most powerful aspect of owning your own AI is gaining access to your private or company data and knowing it will not be in any cloud. The possibilities are endless. IBM i: Security and AI “Tech leaders, including IBM i professionals, who pay attention to the threat of cybersecurity breaches on the one hand and the promise of tech disruption thanks to AI, will be well-positioned to help their companies and their careers in the years to come.”

“As a platform dedicated to business process automation, IBM i is destined to cross paths with AI at some point.” - Steve Will, IBM i Chief Architect

Takeaway: While IBM i environments in many ways are insulated from many security threats that target more popular systems, the magnitude of AI and security developments is so great that they demand the attention of IBM i decision-makers.

Development

IBM i ACS (1.1.9.4) was recently released and has some new features The latest version of IBM i ACS is 1.1.9.4 and some of the new features include:

Run SQL Scripts: You can now run SQL scripts directly from the Run SQL Scripts dialog box. NOTE this means you will need to check your exit programs to lock SQL access down.
Column Headings and Labels: You can now add column headings and labels to the CLDOWNLOAD support

Learning how to code in Python on the IBM i Are you intimidated about learning how to pick up a new coding language? Consider Python. As one RPG developer puts it.

“Python is so simple. It’s hard to go back to relying on just RPG for coding. Python is so much easier to use.”

Here is a quick tutorial guide on how to get started with Python on the IBM i. If you are looking to develop web applications, you will want to consider a web framework. Here are some popular options based on their ease of use and learning curve. django: Has a steep learning curve due to its rich and comprehensive feature set. It's highly structured, better for more advanced users. Flask: Flask is often praised for its simplicity and lightweight nature, making it a favorable choice for beginners or for developers working on smaller projects. Py4web: Tends to be more straightforward to get started with, especially for smaller projects or for developers who prefer a more minimalistic approach.

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