What are the True Costs of Staying on Old Hardware?

We all know that one of the major benefits of our beloved IBM i is that it runs and runs well.  We don’t reboot the IBM i to correct application errors.  Our users don’t get a blue screen of death.  The hardware is designed to support businesses with high availability needs.  This also makes it possible to keep hardware running for 10 years or more.

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Moving IBM i to POWER9

It’s always exciting when IBM announces new hardware and today is no exception! We have been hearing about the new POWER9 Chip for several months. In December IBM released the first set of LINUX machines powered by P9.  Now the next set of servers on the POWER9 chip is announced – the Scale-out line.  IBM i has been running POWER chips since the POWER5 introduction in 2004 and the roadmap below illustrates the history and future of this powerful technology. Welcome POWER9!

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Spectre and Meltdown – What Do You Do for IBM i?

Spectre And Meltdown Threats

The Spectre (Variant 1 & 2) and Meltdown (Variant 3) threats that target speculative execution on all CPU’s will affect IBM Power7, Power7+, Power8, and Power9 systems and IBM has stated that it will have firmware patches for Power Systems available but does not state if its patches will cover all three variants of the vulnerabilities. IBM has not issued fixes for Power6, Power6+, and Power7 systems.

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Identifying the Real Threat in Today’s Cyber World

Everywhere we go these days the topics below are being discussed, not only in IT circles, everywhere.

  • Security
  • Hacking
  • On-Line confidentially
  • Malware and viruses
  • Ransomware

Who among us hasn’t been concerned about the Equifax breach and the subsequent fraudulent verification site? Remember a couple of years ago when Target and Home Depot POS systems were hacked within weeks of each other and during the holidays? I spent so much time without my credit and debit cards I actually was forced to regress into using cash (gasp!) at physical stores to complete Christmas shopping. It was not a heartwarming holiday experience to say the least especially in the grip of a typical New York December.

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Will your IBM i Be Ready When Disaster Strikes?

Mother Nature has been letting us know that she is in charge lately. With Hurricane Harvey’s recent destruction in Texas, we are reminded of how important it is to be prepared for a disaster. Today, Hurricane Irma is threatening Florida and we felt that now is the time for companies to be sure that they are prepared in the event of a disaster. As a result, we have created a guide with 25 steps to help ensure that you are prepared before a disaster strikes.

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