Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: Townsend Security to Cease Operations after 40 Years. IBM i Access Client Solutions Security Vulnerabilities. IBM’s stock has climbed in the past month.
AI: The Collision of Edge Computing and AI in the Enterprise. Can you guess which countries are most interested in Generative AI?
Development: Recommendation to Obscure Email Addresses in SQL View. The Challenge: VSCode vs RDi.
Hiring: Concerns about the availability of RPG developers on IBM i platform.

IBM i Brief

Townsend Security to Cease Operations after 40 Years

Townsend Security, a company specializing in security solutions, will close its doors at the end of the month. CEO Patrick Townsend expressed gratitude to customers for their support over the years. Townsend Security offered various security products and sold its database encryption software in 2018.

The closure affects customers relying on the Alliance Key Manager product without a replacement. Interim support and migration options are available from Chris Edwards, a longtime employee of Townsend Security.

IBM i Access Client Solutions Security Vulnerabilities

IBM disclosed and patched three serious security vulnerabilities in IBM i Access Client Solutions and six in Merlin. Attackers could exploit these flaws to execute arbitrary code, conduct phishing attacks, and obtain sensitive data. The vulnerabilities should be patched immediately.

Several security bulletins are referenced, so this will be a smart read for ACS users.

And like usual, the IBM i community responds quickly.

IBM’s stock has climbed in the past month

IBM’s stock has climbed 10.4% in the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector. Analysts are closely watching IBM’s upcoming earnings release and predict a 3.61% growth in EPS. Will some recent negative news have an impact going forward? Time will tell.

On the other hand, here are some reasons why it might take off in 2024.

AI

The Collision of Edge Computing and AI in the Enterprise

Edge computing is set to play a major part in the advancement of artificial intelligence and generative AI for businesses. That’s because it lets companies analyze data in real-time or near real-time, making it easier to train AI models and boost the way AI-driven applications perform.

Examples of Edge Computing:

Predictive Maintenance: Edge computing enables real-time monitoring of equipment to predict and prevent failures, reducing downtime.
Quality Control: Sensors and cameras use edge computing to instantly identify product defects, ensuring consistent quality.
Supply Chain Optimization: Real-time tracking of materials through edge computing improves inventory management and production efficiency.
Energy Management: Edge computing monitors and adjusts energy consumption in manufacturing, optimizing for efficiency and sustainability.
Worker Safety and Ergonomics: Wearables and sensors, powered by edge computing, monitor environmental and physical conditions to enhance worker safety.

By deploying AI solutions directly at the edge, organizations can achieve quicker decision-making and actions, easily integrate AI into various operations, and minimize data transfer over external networks.

This is important for the IBM i platform, because at some point, or in certain use cases it will integrate with the ERP system. Critical data then can be used to inform operational decisions, supply chain management, or maintenance scheduling.

Can you guess which countries are most interested in Generative AI?

While it has been around for a long time, in 2023, we have seen mass adoption. It’s interesting to look at adoption rates per country. I am a little surprised at how the United States ranks here but as you dive into the charts, it makes sense.

Development

Recommendation to Obscure Email Addresses in SQL View

This blog post discusses a recommendation to obscure parts of an email address as a hint for users trying to sign on to a web-based application. The current approach involves using an RPG program, but the suggestion is to modernize and achieve the same outcome within an SQL view.

The Challenge: VSCode vs RDi

IBM has released a seemingly innocuous update to IBM Rational Developer for IBM i. The new version, V9.8, is built over the latest version of Eclipse and looks and feels the same as the previous (v9.6) version of RDi but is slightly faster.

VSCode has proven to be an alternative.

Hiring

Concerns about the availability of RPG developers on IBM i platform

As RPG developers on the IBM i platform reach retirement age, there is growing concern about the availability of RPG developers and its impact on businesses relying on RPG applications.

However, the future of the IBM i platform is not as threatened as once believed.

Succession planning, training, and knowledge transfer strategies can help mitigate the risks associated with retiring RPG developers. Cross-training, mentorship, formal training programs, and knowledge management systems are effective approaches.

The follow-up by embracing modern RPG and open-source languages that can provide robust and scalable solutions for businesses. To do this, various training options, like IBM Power College program, imPower Technologies, and user groups, are available for RPG developers.

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