Tokenized Encryption: Details Become Design
April 3, 2017
Once a project such as PCI compliance is approved, the first step is to hold a kickoff meeting. There are numerous reasons for a kickoff meeting: The CIO affirms the project’s importance and defines objectives, team members can acquaint themselves with each other, determine deadlines, identify potential obstacles and possible solutions, and establish requirements. But […]
ArticlesKeep Data out of Danger
April 3, 2017
If you haven’t seen “Attack of the Killer LOBs” yet, it’s coming soon to a DB2* environment near you. No, this isn’t a new science fiction movie—it’s a lurking danger in your environment today. Your vital data may have already been compromised, leaving you with a customer service, legal and compliance nightmare. Even worse, because […]
ArticlesWhat to Consider When Using a Cloud or Managed Service Provider
April 3, 2017
Workloads are getting bigger. To manage all of this information and application data, businesses have a few options: store workloads on a company-owned server, tap the storage space of a managed service provider (MSP) or go with a hybrid model that combines a private, on-premises cloud with an MSP. So, how does a business decide? […]
ArticlesTips for Techies on Showing the Value of Their Services
April 3, 2017
People with strong technical backgrounds may not consider themselves good sellers. They prefer to install, upgrade, migrate and troubleshoot. But selling is a skill everyone must use, even if no money actually changes hands. Applying for jobs, writing proposals and emails, and participating in meetings are all types of selling because they involve uncovering a […]
ArticlesWhy Organizations Should Reconsider Their Current Chargeback Systems
April 1, 2017
Imagine Mary, Fred and George are gathered for a budget meeting with Ellen, their company’s CIO, to discuss another budget shortfall. Ellen asks, “What caused this million-dollar shortfall?” George says, “We think it’s related to the decision by accounting to shift one of their major workloads from our Power Systems* platforms to our VMware tower. […]
Trend Watch: Security
March 27, 2017
This is the sixth post in a multi-part series with a focus on trends that are interesting and important, specifically in enterprise computing. In this post, I’ll continue my point-in-time analysis by looking at the interesting and complex topic of security. z/OS Security When someone says “mainframe security” you probably think RACF. However, if you […]
ArticlesTrend Watch: Open-Source Software
March 20, 2017
This is the fifth post in a multi-part series with a focus on trends that are interesting and important, specifically in enterprise computing. In this post, I’ll continue my point-in-time analysis of trends, this time looking at open-source software. Open-source software with mainframes is not an uncommon pairing. If in your everyday job you work […]
ArticlesIBM Research and Partners Help Traffic Run Smoothly in Madrid
March 20, 2017
Nearly every city plan takes traffic into account to help commuters. But people still face congestion on the road, whether they drive or take public transportation. IBM researchers, such as Paula Ta-Shma, research staff member, IBM Research–Haifa, are working to rectify that, using machine learning and a host of open-source tools. “IoT is leading the […]
ArticlesSelected AIX Versions Can Soon Be Licensed Monthly
March 14, 2017
IBM made an interesting announcement today. The Standard editions of AIX 7.1 and AIX 7.2 will soon be available to be licensed on a monthly basis under Passport Advantage. This is another example of Power Systems and AIX making their platforms cloud-ready as they transition to a hybrid cloud model. So far we have C […]
ArticlesTrend Watch: Modernization
March 13, 2017
This is the fourth in a multi-part series with a focus on trends that are interesting and important with a focus on enterprise computing. In this post, I’ll continue my point-in-time analysis of trends with a focus on modernization. Modernization is a dynamic subject because IT is in a constant state of change. Not all […]