Article
Virtual Tape Considerations for IBM i
By Tom Huntington on Mon, 06/28/2021
This article examines some of the most popular IBM VTL (virtual tap library) solutions for IBM i and other platforms. You'll also learn what to consider to determine if VTL is right for you.
Article
Robot Save Restricted State Utility (RSU)—Get Your Weekends Back!
By Chuck Losinski on Tue, 06/02/2020
There are processes that are required on your IBM i that need to run with the system in what is called a “restricted state” condition. A restricted state is when all subsystems are inactive and new jobs cannot enter the system. Only the system console might be active.
Article
Why Relying on Scripted Operations Can Be a Problem for Your Business
By Steve Brasen on Tue, 03/31/2020
Scripting provides a powerful platform to automate simple tasks, but overusing custom scripts is hazardous for your business.
Article
IBM on IASP for PowerHA Implementations
By Chuck Losinski on Tue, 03/03/2020
You’ve heard about IASP technology many times over the years, but you’ve been ignoring it, haven’t you? Steve Finnes confirms that it’s past time we “get to know it, understand it, and not be afraid of it.”
Article
How to Prove Your IBM i is Recoverable without a Real DR Test
By Tom Huntington on Thu, 02/27/2020
How good do you feel about your backup strategies? Did you know you can perform a simple operation two to four times a year to put much of your uneasiness to rest? It’s true. Simply audit your backups.
Article
FlashCopy: Pros and Cons
By Tom Huntington on Wed, 02/26/2020
IBM System Storage FlashCopy might seem like magic. But do the benefits for IBM i business continuity outweigh the hidden costs? Read on to find out.
Article
Backup Basics: Saving Your Data and Your Job
By Tom Huntington on Mon, 02/24/2020
You need a backup strategy to test your company’s disaster recovery plan and, despite its reputation for reliability, administrators still need to back up their IBM i. A sound backup strategy should also restore individual user objects to account for human error.
Article
I’ve Got *ALLOBJ Authority And I’m Not Afraid To Use It—Part 2
By Robin Tatam on Thu, 06/27/2019
While everyone likes to feel special, we need to be more selective when it comes to data access. As we discussed last month, many users have privileges far beyond their business requirements and simply need to have their access reduced to more reasonable levels.
Article
Managing Your IBM i Audit Data
By Robin Tatam on Wed, 08/01/2018
Let’s face it; system administration remains a largely thankless task. From scheduling jobs to balancing workloads to answering messages in QSYSOPR, administrators and operators work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that IBM i servers are available to run mission-critical applications.
Article
Audit Tested & Audit Approved Instant Authority!
By Robin Tatam on Fri, 03/24/2017
Introduced by IBM to support TCP/IP services, a profile swap allows a job to change midstream and run under a different profile than the one that started it.
Article
The Modern Alternative to Authority Adoption
By Robin Tatam on Wed, 03/08/2017
There are several considerations with authority adoption. Each is important but can usually be accommodated. But what is the effect if the program owner has the same or less privileges than the user that called the program?
Article
4 Reasons to Add VTLs
By Tom Huntington on Tue, 08/30/2016
Backup and recovery processes are among the unsung heroes of data center operations. Though end results may not be readily apparent on an everyday basis, natural and digital disasters have a way of humbling companies that do not take this risk management discipline seriously.
Article
Robot Best Practices
By Tom Huntington on Mon, 06/27/2016
Wondering about best practices for automating your IBM i processes with Robot systems management solutions? Take a look at this list and get off to a good start.
Case Study
AAA Life Leverages Fortra Solutions for IT Efficiency
Part of the American Automobile Association (AAA) family, AAA Life Insurance Company offers a variety of competitive life insurance, annuity, and travel accident products. With over one million policies, many people rely on AAA Life to help provide protection for their loved ones. As Senior Systems Engineer at AAA Life, Randy Wittner is in charge of their IBM i environment, overseeing two S824...
Case Study
Powertech Protects Healthcare Company’s IBM i Systems to the Max
When a healthcare organization faced stringent regulations like HIPAA, PowerTech's security products closed the security gaps on IBM i and helped protect confidential data.
Case Study
Prime Therapeutics Trusts Robot Save With 7.5 Million Lives
One of the most important IT functions in any business is having a reliable backup and recovery system in place. That’s where Robot Save plays a vital role at Prime Therapeutics.
Case Study
Powertech Helps Community Bank Enforce Internal iSeries Compliance
First Security Bank is one of Montana’s largest, locally owned community banks. They provide business, real estate, consumer and agricultural loans, Internet banking, brokerage services, and a full range of deposit accounts. First Security has over 150 users on a System i 525 that...
Case Study
Powertech Helps C&D Technologies Achieve AS/400 SOX Compliance
As a publicly traded company with a lean IT department, C&D Technologies has been greatly impacted by Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations. Despite its size, the IT department needed to comply with these regulations through better user management, monitoring, and reporting...
Case Study
Data Processing Incorporated Banks on the Power of Powertech
When faced with the banking industry’s complex security issues, Data Processing Incorporated turned to Powertech for flexible compliance solutions and first-rate support.