Resources

Article

Getting the Most Out of DB2

Used the right way, structured query language (SQL) can be an advantage for any organization's operations. Used the wrong way, it can be a headache for IT professionals. A majority of computing operations are dependent on the ability to access information from a database. That's where SQL queries come in. So the efficiency of SQL queries in DB2 can dramatically impact the tasks running on IBM i...
Blog

The 9 Server Sprawl Questions You Need to Ask

For budding companies, server sprawl may be just one of many growing pains—a temporary inconvenience for a greater good. But if you’re struggling to complete processes on time, stalling with the auditors, and jumping from server to server whenever an error occurs, it’s time to ask the tough questions.
Article

HANDS OFF! Saying Goodbye to Manual Data Access

Organizations today face an ever-expanding volume of information that must be analyzed and delivered to the right people. While the resulting business intelligence offers us insight into processes and customers, many companies still rely on practices and technology that aren’t suited for managing data on a large scale. As a December 2012 Financial Director article highlighted, 60 percent of those...
Article

Robot Best Practices

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.
Article

Have You Met SAM?

Isn’t it time your job scheduling environment (and your IBM i) got the modern look it deserves? Give Schedule Activity Monitor a try for graphically monitoring your jobs on the go.
Article

Interfaces with Robot Schedule

If you’re using EnterpriseOne or SAP, it may be to take a closer look at the security and business process automation that Robot Schedule can offer these key applications on IBM i. We don’t talk enough about the integration we’ve done between Robot Schedule and EnterpriseOne (formerly JD Edwards, now owned by Oracle) and SAP.
Blog

The #1 Step Before Automation

An up-to-date and comprehensive runbook won't win you any awards. But when you get the green light to implement a workload automation tool, documentation is your lifeline. Unfortunately, most runbooks aren’t up to snuff.
Article

Automate 7 Task Builder in Depth

Automate 7 Task Builder now supports multiple tasks within one Task Builder instance. While this has the obvious benefit of increasing the ease of use of editing and creating multiple tasks in one place we've taken it a step further and implemented a feature that many have asked for:
Article

How to Automate Backup & Restore Processes in Automate

In this article we will take a look at the importance of backing up Automate data in order to prevent data loss. We will also learn how to go about backing up remote Automate installations, performing automated backups and achieving data recovery in case data loss occurs despite the best of our efforts and precautions.
Blog

Service Level Management

While IT managers agree that service level management (SLM) is critical to their organizations, many also find it intimidating. It need not be. An SLM program is what you make it - it can be formal or informal, all-encompassing or focused on key services. The point is to document required service levels for services provided to the business by the IT organization. Service-level requirements are...
Article

Windows Azure Automation

Cloud computing, cloud storage, cloud database…we all have heard about the “cloud.” Cloud computing has gained tremendous visibility in recent years. According to research firm, Gartner, “By 2012, 80% of Fortune 1000 enterprises will be using some cloud computing services, 20% of business will own no IT assets.” In addition, small businesses are attracted to the small startup costs and lower TCO...