The New IBM i Marketing Plan

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

News: The New Marketing Plan for the future of the IBM i. IBM i Security Announcement.
Career: Are older workers being left out? Embracing remote work.
Learning: What kind of "Thinker" are you?
Modernization: What does legacy application modernization mean to you? The need to be ready for modernization.
Trends: Blockchain trends.

News

IBM i Marketing: Not A Thankless Job

Whenever sales are down, or the market retracts marketing is typically to blame. There are of course other market factors but the reality is it does not matter how good your products are if nobody knows about them, the sales are not there.

As IT Jungle reports, there is new blood in the IBM i marketing department. Some might think it is about time.

However, despite what many think, a lot of money is spent marketing the IBM i and Power Systems but much of it goes unnoticed because it is not seen.

As Brandon Pederson, the new head of IBM i global marketing puts it you might not see a super bowl ad but it does not mean we are not spending marketing where it needs to be. The IBM i is about community. It always has been and it always will be.

He is right. Community is where it is at.

Community + Education is the New IBM i Marketing Strategy.

Go get those IBM i community badges.

IBM i Security Bundles

Raz-Lee Security "announce that they are now offering IBM i Security Bundles to address organizations’ fundamental need for cyber, security and auditing solutions for their IBM i."

Career

Older IT Workers Left Out Despite Tech Talent Shortage

Interesting article. But, we have to put this in context.

This article paints a broad brush for IT professionals across all tech stacks and industries.

As it relates to the IBM i: Most of our community falls into the 45 and older crowd (in this study it represents 38% of all IT employees).

What job seekers need to think about: The key across all age groups is those who rest on their skill set and don’t learn new things are at a disadvantage. The first step should be to learn modern RPG.

What employers need to think about: “By targeting younger workers, employers risk losing the advantages of building a technology team with varying levels of experience to tackle a range of tech issues.” This is one of the biggest blunders I see some organizations make.

Big Picture: Hire for natural talent. At the end of the day, this is all that matters. Combine this with experience in our community – you will have an advantage.

Do Your Remote Workers Feel Seen?

While some would like to work from home more than others, most also see the value of being in the office.

Regardless of where you fall, remote work is increasing. This article gives three examples of personality types who work remotely and they all say the same thing.

three examples of employees who work remotely: an introvert, an extrovert and an ambivert. All three say the same thing: They enjoy being around others, solitude makes them more productive, and schedules help.

The Remote Work Report

“Remote work isn’t niche anymore—it’s everywhere. Anyone who frequents a coffee shop knows that.” Once the greater IBM i community figures this out, hiring the talent you want becomes so much easier.

Should You Be a Career Lifer?

The IBM i (AS/400) community is known for its longevity. That is it is not uncommon for professionals to stay with one employer their entire career. There can be benefits but drawbacks as well.

What is it that makes one stay with one company?

“Is it by choice? Is it good luck? Is it a cop-out?

Few careers are for life today. This article highlights a couple of executives and finds out how they were able to stay in one place, for most of their careers.

Learning

Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Constantly Changing World

Which category do you fall into? Elastic Thinking or Frozen Thinking.

Frozen Thinking:

a fixed orientation that determines the way you frame or approach a problem.

Elastic Thinking:

the capacity to let go of comfortable ideas and become accustomed to ambiguity and contraction

The world is changing fast. It is critical to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

The IBM i ecosystem of products has pivoted. While core business applications are still the foundation for the RPG developer, digital technologies demand the integration of the old and the new. The ability to create web services, API's and program in open-source languages needs to be part of your gameplan.

To be viable in today's job market, "the less rigid we are in our thinking, the more open-minded” we are, is vital to our success.

Modernization

Legacy app modernization is not a slash and burn process

“Legacy application modernization may mean different things to different people. But whether that means updating practices surrounding mainframes, adopting Agile and DevOps practices or updating to modern databases, legacy app modernization is necessary to keep pace with modern industry demands.”

Application modernization in 2020 and beyond – why businesses need to be ready now

“The drive behind application modernization can’t just be because it’s the hot new trend, however. Organizations that approach application modernization on vague promises of the benefits of the cloud and improved productivity will find themselves in a similar position to now in a few years –with a legacy environment that no longer supports the organization’s competitive position in the market.”

Trends

Blockchain in 2020: 5 trends to watch

Blockchain projects in 2019 were all about experimentation. As we move into 2020 they will become more business-focused and offer real value. There are more and more case studies of blockchain initiatives, making them more than pet projects.

HSBC swaps paper records for blockchain to track $20 billion worth of assets

We have been talking about Blockchain for a number of years now. Initially, the banks were hesitant but now you see the shift taking place.

HSBC aims to shift $20 billion worth of assets to a new blockchain-based custody platform by March, in one of the biggest deployments yet of the widely-hyped but still unproven technology by a global bank.”

What does this mean? Blockchain is an emerging technology that has proven its value across many industries. It's likely coming to a company near you.

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Photo by Andrae Ricketts on Unsplash