Application Development

Looksoftware Offers System i Applications Plug

Looksoftware offers SNAP solutions, designed to plug System i applications into front ends such as Microsoft's Outlook and SharePoint, IBM's Notes and WebSphere Portal, and portals such as Google. SNAP provides for the rapid integration of back-end RPG and Cobol programs with a business user's preferred front end.

The first SNAP solution pack lets users seamlessly access entire applications or specific transactions from classic System i applications from within MS Office 2007 and SharePoint, without changing the RPG/Cobol 5250 back end. SNAP supports both user-interface components and web services to integrate front and back ends and improve workflow.

SNAP also offers a plug-and-play capability with all the leading front ends, and supports rich and thin clients, enabling a single SNAP project to be deployed as rich clients for internal users and as zero-deployment, Ajax-based thin clients where required for external users. looksoftware. 610-685-5665. looksoftware.com.

Application Development

Profound Logic Updates Green-Screen Modernization Tool

Profound Logic Software adds the Genie Accelerator tool, which increases performance by eliminating the need for 5250 online transaction processing, to its Genie 3.0 for the System i. Genie Accelerator is available to customers running V5R4 or later, but Genie 3.0 will still support operating systems as far back as V5R2. All applications that operate under the Genie Accelerator run entirely in batch, thus unlocking the full processing power of the system for i applications. Customers who already use Genie 3.0 can add Genie Accelerator at no charge. The Genie products web-enable green-screen applications by translating them into HTML and enhancing them with functionality such as drop-down lists, check boxes, buttons, charts, calendars, links, images, and other web elements. Profound Logic Software. 877-224-7768. profoundlogic.com.

Application Development

Surround Offers Standalone LANSA Dev Tool

Surround Technologies releases Envision Business Objects and Services (BOS), a portion of its full application architecture, as a standalone solution for the System i and LANSA development community. Envision Visual LANSA Accelerator is a facilitation tool for developers who use Visual LANSA to build client-side System i applications.

With the new offering, BOS provides several features not available in Envision, including the addition of business objects to the server-side architecture, their packaging into service buses, and the development of service adapters. Users can produce a loosely coupled, agile SOA around existing data and business processes with the help of wizards, which walk users through the database and associated relationships.

Additionally, the solution includes adapters to connect VLF filters, instance lists, and command handlers, as well as adapters for XML, SOAP, REST, Active-X, .NET, and XAML/WPF. Developers can also integrate Microsoft Office and other desktop applications with the solution. Surround Technologies. 973-743-1277. surroundtech.com.

Security

KST Software Offers Trigger-based Security for DB2

KST Software offers DataTrigger, a field-level data auditing, data security, data compliance, and data analyzer software solution for DB2 for i5/OS. DataTrigger is based on IBM's trigger technology and helps protect data assets by detecting in realtime unauthorized or illegal data-access attempts and helps control and prevent security breaches. KST Software. 972-3-9494165. security-datatrigger.com.

Databases

Industrial Strength Software Provides i5/OS Database Tools

Industrial Strength Software Company rolls out DBAnalyzer (DBA) and DBOptimizer (DBO), tools designed to help System i shops increase performance of DB2 database files by identifying the ones that waste valuable disk space and incur extra overhead. DBA analyzes existing physical and logical files to detect situations in which multiple access paths are wasting Direct Access Storage Device (DASD) space and adding operating costs for each database insert, update, or delete operation. DBO re-creates all logical files to ensure optimal sharing of access paths, without needing the original source code. The tools together automate steps previously performed manually, thus freeing shops to work on business needs. Industrial Strength Software Company. 630-852-5800. industrial-strength.com.

Security

AB+AC=US Ltd. Releases Software Usage and License Management Tools

AB+AC=US Ltd. unveils eXert, a new System i product that shows companies which employees are using which applications and helps identify application security risks. The product lays the foundation for regulatory compliance and helps companies comply with software licenses. eXert is available in both entry-level and full versions: eXert Controller and eXert Manager, respectively. AB+AC=US Ltd. 888-870-6115. exert.gg.

Printing

INGENICA Offers Flexible Printing Solution for Mixed-Host Systems

INGENICA introduces UniPrint Host Edition, its new printing solution for printing from host systems, including System i, to Windows-based printers. This new, software-based solution doesn't require reprogramming host machines. UniPrint Host Edition offers the ability to preview and archive print jobs by converting all print files into PDFs before transmitting them to a Windows desktop computer. INGENICA. 416-503-9800. uniprint.net.

Services

NSPI Announces CBU as a Service

NSPI expands its portfolio of services offerings, providing System i customers with new options for disaster recovery and business continuity plans. NSPI is working together with IBM to offer complementary hosting services for customers when they purchase new System i Capacity BackUp Editions (CBU). With the complementary hosting services, customers can take advantage of a SAS70 Type II data center facility to host System i CBUs. NSPI. 800-783-3871. nspi.com.

Services

Crossgate, SAP Offer E-Invoicing Services

Crossgate delivers an electronic invoicing service for System i and other users by leveraging SAP technology and extending its business process outsourcing (BPO) collaboration with SAP. By replacing paper invoices with electronic data exchange, companies will be able to realize savings in time, paper, printing costs, and staffing expenses. Also, inbound and outbound processes are integrated between business partners, and regulatory compliance is ensured through digital signatures and electronic archiving. Crossgate Group. 404-915-5090. crossgategroup.com. SAPAG. 800-872-1727. sap.com.

Application Development

MKS Simplifies Development with Implementer 2008

MKS releases Implementer 2008 as part of its Integrity for IBM i enterprise software platform, which covers all facets of the application life cycle, including help desk services and the management of requirements, software change and configuration, tests, and releases. Implementer 2008 provides System i users streamlined development within WebSphere Development Studio client (WDSc) 7.0, new support for IBM Rational Developer (RDi) 7.1, tighter security in support of PCI compliance, greater application availability during database productions, usability improvements for development, and improved third-party integrations. The solution also offers the ability to work with Remote System Explorer (RSE) without requiring the use of other clients, host-based interfaces, or third-party products. MKS. 519-883-3290. mks.com.

Application Development

BCD Releases New Version of Modernization Software

Business Computer Design (BCD) releases Version 7 of WebSmart, its modernization software for Power Systems running IBM i. WebSmart's support for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) now gives the ILE edition the ability to interact with an LDAP server. The new features let users create connections to different LDAP sources and develop, display, modify, and delete entries in those sources. SmartSnippets wizards in WebSmart 7 help users code PML and PHP functions. The wizards are dynamic prompts that guide users through creating drop-down boxes, calling RPG programs in PHP, and generating Smurf IDs, among other things. The Copy Templates feature accommodates WebSmart users who create their own custom-template families. With Version 7, each time you install WebSmart ILE on a new Power System running IBM i, WebSmart creates a separate repository for all the programmatic components used on that server. Users can toggle between the repositories with a drop-down box in the WebSmart IDE Repository window. Other enhancements include advanced support for JDBC, new date and time functions, custom variable name options, and a green-screen debugger. Business Computer Design. 630-986-0800. bcdsoftware.com.

Databases

Apatar Offers Connection to Integrate IBM DB2 Products

Apatar, Inc., a provider of open-source software tools for the data-integration market, announces connectivity to IBM DB2. The new platform-independent connector for the Apatar tool set lets developers read and write data to and from DB2 tables and improves the quality of data during integration, all without custom coding. With the new release, users can link DB2 information between third-party applications (such as Salesforce.com and SugarCRM), other databases (such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL, and MySQL), flat files (such as CSV/TXT), and top Web 2.0 destinations (such as Flickr, Amazon S3, and RSS feeds). Apatar relies on job scheduler and synchronization to automate the data-integration process; improves data quality with a variety of verification, filtration, and validation features; and gives users the ability to create, share, and reuse prebuilt data transformations and publish data-integration output as a custom RSS feed to ApatarForge, the online Apatar community. Apatar, Inc. 213-784-4915. apatar.com.

Security

Bsafe Unveils New Version of Security Software Suite

Bsafe Information Systems announces version 5.6 of Bsafe/Enterprise Security for System i, an integrated software package providing security and auditing features for achieving compliance with SOX, PCI, and other regulations. Most of the major additions in the new release target compliance-related issues and enterprise situations or cases of multiple servers or LPARs. Version 5.6 has three new modules: the Report Generator module consolidates all the reporting capabilities that, in prior versions, were across different modules; the Multi-System module lets you define a set of machines and manage them as a group; and the Policy Compliance module lets you create templates for different scenarios to address compliance and security issues, and then use the template to include the changes on the systems. Bsafe Information Systems Ltd. 201-503-0021. bsafesolutionsinc.com.

Security

Kisco Announces New Release of Network Security Product

Kisco Information Systems presents version 8.5 of SafeNet/400, its System i network security package, which uses i5/OS exit points to protect the system from unauthorized connections through common network sources such as System i Access, FTP, and ODBC. The product includes audit tools for access logging, audit reporting, and automatic notifications. With release 8.5, SafeNet/400 implements object-level controls for the i5/OS FTP client program and IP address controls over FTP client sessions. SafeNet/400 offers several package options: SafeNet/400 Lite, SafeNet/400 Basic, SafeNet/400 Advanced, and SafeNet/400 Enterprise. Kisco Information Systems. 518-897-5002. kisco.com.

Security

Prism Microsystems and Patrick Townsend Bring SIEM to the System i

Prism Microsystems announces a strategic partnership with Patrick Townsend and Associates, in which the companies will deliver a way to correlate log data from System i servers with data from other sources for centralized security monitoring. Prism's EventTracker and Patrick Townsend's Alliance LogAgent for System i together provide Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) capabilities for large enterprises. Alliance LogAgent extracts all System i journal entries in realtime and converts them to the syslog format, and EventTracker agents collect all log data from other sources, including Windows, Unix/Linux, Solaris BSM, SNMP devices, Checkpoint Firewalls, and software applications. This data is then sent to the EventTracker console in realtime, where it is correlated and made available for review and reporting. Prism Microsystems. 877-333-1433. prismmicrosys.com. atrick Townsend & Associates. 800-357-1019. patownsend.com.

Document Management

Computer Keyes Enhances Spooled File Mapping Tools

Computer Keyes debuts Version 3.0 of KeyesOverlay, its spooled file mapping tool. KeyesOverlay is a PDF file generator for the System i that works in conjunction with the company's KeyesMail or KeyesPDF Utility products to convert SCS spool files into PDF documents in the user's choice of black and white or full color. Enhancements in Version 3.0 include Vista support, duplex printing, auto-mapping, barcode production capabilities, and MICR font support. Also, the mapping process can include "before and after" attachments. Computer Keyes. 800-356-0203. ckeyes.com.

Document Management

Quadrant Software Offers Paperless Business Strategies Classes

Quadrant Software offers regional workshops that will help managers create and deploy a successful paperless solution. The "7 Steps to Eliminate Paper" workshops help attendees choose the best route to take to paperless business through understanding the problem, identifying goals, mapping the current process and new solution, and calculating ROI, documentation, and technical design. The workshops include a roundtable discussion. Quadrant Software. 508-594-2700. quadrantsoftware.com.

Document Management

StoredIQ Info Management Now Offered by EMC

StoredIQ announces its StoredIQ appliance is available through EMC. StoredIQ captures, manages, and queries data from various platforms in the enterprise, including file servers, e-mail servers, notebooks and desktops, content management platforms, and collaboration software. StoredIQ can also identify and manage unstructured data that resides on System i servers running Unix or Linux. Customers can purchase the StoredIQ appliance directly from EMC as part of its eDiscovery Collection of products, which enable users to respond quickly and defensibly to legal and investigative requests for electronic evidence. StoredIQ. 512-334-3100. storediq.com. EMC. 866-438-3622. emc.com.

Business Intelligence

Dexton Delivers BI Leveraging to Managers

Dutch software company Dexton announces that its Agile System Environment (ASE) supports multiple middleware platforms, including WebSphere, Apache, Tomcat, and .NET. CIOs and business managers in the System i community can use the ASE platform to leverage business intelligence (BI) to a strategic level through actionable, realtime information. The ASE platform guides companies from the reporting stage to supplying business lines with information to support both strategic and day-to-day decisions within the business processes. ASE integrates BI and back-office systems and helps prepare business processes for use. Dexton specializes in complex integration processes, and its ASE platform is cross-browser compatible, with separate parts of the application available for System i, Unix, Microsoft Server, and Linux. Dexton. +31(0)10-288-5020. dexton.nl.

Security

SkyView Partners Uses Innovatum Add-on for Security Compliance Product

SkyView Partners and Innovatum deliver a separate add-on to SkyView Policy Minder, an i5/OS security policy compliance management tool. Innovatum's DataThread is a database and system audit tool that dynamically monitors activity of internal or regulatory compliance significance. The integration of Policy Minder and DataThread in the form of Policy Minder Real Time powered by DataThread facilitates active, realtime enforcement of corporate and regulatory policy at a granular level, and provides detection, capture, and correction of security policy changes. SkyView Partners, Inc. 425-458-4975. skyviewpartners.com. Innovatum, Inc. 877-277-3016. innovatum.com.

Application Development

Aldon Delivers Updated Application-Management Tools

Aldon releases Aldon Community Manager 8 and Aldon Lifecycle Manager (Enterprise Edition) Version 5.3. Community Manager 8 is the company's comprehensive service-desk management tool, and the updated solution introduces subtask sequencing, an ITIL v3-compatible service desk, ITIL templates, enhanced workflow templates, a completely redesigned user interface, and Ajax-enabled web features. The new Lifecycle Manager version further automates and streamlines the management of software development processes to increase developer productivity, improve code quality, and meet regulatory and best-practices requirements. Community Manager 8 is part of Aldon's overall application life-cycle management package, which runs on System i boxes using either i5/OS or Linux. Aldon. 800-825-5858. aldon.com.