IBM cloud migration, AI and IoT initiatives, Skytap’s true‑cloud offering for IBM i, HCL software acquisition, Broadcom data‑center growth, storytelling for IT influence, AI‑driven HR tools, leadership through admitting failures, DevOps culture and modernization strategies, cybersecurity culture challenges, and resources for IBM i professionals.
Welcome to this weeks edition of Talsco Weekly.
- News: IBM sells off software to make way for AI, and IoT. Skytap is helping IBM i customers go to the cloud.
- Career: The power of storytelling. Watson can help your career.
- Leadership: Motivate through this leadership behavior. Managers, admit your failures and you people will love you for it.
- Modernization: A blueprint for transformation and the State of IBM i Modernization.
- Security: Think you are secure? Think again.
News
IBM offloads software products to HCL Technologies in $1.8B deal
IBM is looking to divest select software assets to make way for AI, IoT, cybersecurity, and supply chain offerings. The “terms of the agreement will see HCL acquire Appscan for secure application development; BigFix for secure device management; Unica (on-premise) for marketing automation and Commerce (on-premise) for omni-channel eCommerce.”
Why is this important? It's clear indication that IBM is staying the course and focusing on cloud, AI and data. Skytap Says It’s Building a ‘True Cloud’ Offering for IBM i
Here is more on some news about Skytap that we covered last week. “Skytap is looking to change that by providing a “true cloud” experience that lets IBM i customers scale up and down capacity from a Web GUI.”
Their goal is to help legacy customers transform over time, not overnight. Broadcom earnings beat on strong demand for data center products
“Broadcom Inc on Thursday reported quarterly revenue and profit above analysts’ estimates, driven by strong demand for its enterprise storage and networking products from data centers, sending its shares up 5 percent in extended trading.”
Career
Harness the Power of Storytelling to Increase IT’s Influence
“Storytelling is a universal trait. It has been used for thousands of years to share information and establish connections with others. Stories are everywhere, including in IT.” Effective storytelling is an art that needs to be mastered in order to increase IT’s influence. Here are three key techniques to be more effective in telling your story.
Smart HR: IBM announces the most powerful AI to date This is IBM’s move to apply Watson to HR. Will this create an HR that really helps people? “With this service, employees are encouraged to develop diverse skills.” It comes with a “Netflix-like training which enables people to learn at their own speed, analytics that point employees in directions where they have the greatest affinity, and predictive analytics” that will hopefully make the world a better place.
Leadership
How to motivate teams through 3 big types of organizational change
“Companies need to adapt to keep a competitive edge, but few organizations can successfully maneuver the complexities of large-scale change initiatives.” Picking the right leadership behavior is the most important thing you can do.
Why Managers Should Publicize Their Failures
“If you want to get through to your employees, be ready to confess your failures” This is hard to do, but will earn the respect of your team.
Modernization
Blueprint for a team with a DevOps mindset
The culture of your company is the greatest challenge when you are looking at implementing Modernization. It is the same for DevOps. As we have covered in other issues, modernization is not only about technology. It’s about the internal culture and the demands of your customers. For any transformation to be successful:
The organization needs to influence through leadership and autonomy, promoting a culture of learning and experimentation, where failure is an opportunity to innovate, not persecute.
What Is The State Of Your IBM i Modernization?
As I speak with clients throughout the United States each and every “IBM i shop has its own history with the platform and its own approach to dealing with change. Some run the server like it’s still 1988, while others have invested time and money to modernize their systems and applications.”
Where do we go from here? This question is asked by Profound Logic in their IT Jungle article about the state of IBM i Modernization. It highlights the results from 2017 and gives you the opportunity to participate the survey for 2019. My take. Open source, AI, IoT and Data Analytics are here to stay. The IBM i is ready. It’s our job to connect the dots.
Security
Think Your Organization Has a Healthy Cybersecurity Culture?
Think again. “An organization can have the best technology and processes place, both of which are critically important, but without the right people in place, everything will eventually fall apart. This is especially true when it comes to cybersecurity.”
IBM Study: Responding to Cybersecurity Incidents Still a Major Challenge for Businesses
This study from earlier in the year compliments the article above. It finds two critical elements, “having the right staff in place” and then “arming them with the most modern tools” is essential.
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