Application Software

Lawson Software Introduces Solution to Speed ERP Implementations

Lawson Software announces Lawson QuickStep for Distribution, a preconfigured enterprise resource planning (ERP) application package for distribution companies using System i and other servers. QuickStep packages process maps, descriptions, and diagrams based on industry-accepted good practices so that companies can speed ERP implementation.

QuickStep for Distribution helps companies manage high-velocity transactions typical for a distribution supply chain, handle complexities caused by diverse product types and units of measure, coordinate multiple delivery methods, and support flexible pricing, discounts, and promotions. The solution also offers education packs and more than 80 user simulations to help companies manage transactions, coordinate delivery methods, execute high-volume processes, and support flexible pricing.

In addition, QuickStep provides online sales statistics, including overall sales, margins, and service analysis at both the organizational and product levels.
Lawson Software. 800-477-1357. lawson.com.

Programmer Tools

NGS Enables Expanded Querying for i5

New Generation Software, Inc., announces a Query/400 API for its NGS-IQ business intelligence software, with which System i customers and ISVs can run and enhance queries developed with Query/400.

This API enables users to send Query/400 output to web-based business performance dashboards, multidimensional online analytical processing models, Adobe Acrobat PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, Access tables, HTML, XML, CSV, and text files. Authorized users also gain the ability to use NGS-IQ's integrated e-mail and FTP functions to distribute output where needed.

The software works with i5/OS V5R1 and later, and customers can run an entire series of Query/400 queries in a specified order before invoking the output enhancement functions.
New Generation Software, Inc. 800-824-1220. ngsi.com.

Business Intelligence

Cognos Delivers BI Solution as Hardware, SaaS

Cognos, Inc., announces Cognos Now!, a business intelligence (BI) and performance management solution for data sources running on System i and other platforms. Cognos Now! is available as either a hardware appliance (with preloaded software) that attaches to a network and accesses server-based data sources, or as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering from Cognos. Cognos Now! offers self-service dashboards, integrated data, analysis, and reports as a prepackaged BI appliance or as a hosted service.

The solution's self-service dashboards enable business users across an organization to personalize and change views without IT involvement. Now! also has a scalable architecture to support large numbers of users, data sources, and dashboards on a single appliance. Cognos Now! is available in SMB, Standard, and Enterprise editions with varying processor and memory configurations.
Cognos, Inc. 800-426-4667. cognos.com.

Application Software

Rippe & Kingston Releases Web-based Solution for Contract Management

Rippe & Kingston Systems, Inc., presents the e.ssential Contract Guardian. With e.ssential Contract Guardian, organizations can scan and store contract documents in a searchable, centralized database and set up e-mail alerts for expiration, critical dates, and automatic contract renewal. E.ssential Contract Guardian is written in LANSA and supports System i, Linux, Unix, and Windows servers, as well as databases running on those platforms. E.ssential Contract Guardian is available both as a hosted solution and as an in-house environment.
Rippe & Kingston Systems, Inc. 513-977-4578. rippe.com

Document Management

Daybreak ICS Expands Document Capture for Distributed Environments

Daybreak Intellectual Capital Solutions introduces eCapture Suite. With the eCapture Suite, users can scan and import documents into enterprise content management (ECM) systems. The first release, eCapture for EMC Documentum, connects to EMC's Documentum Content Server, enabling realtime communication with the server and eCapture desktop client. Documentum 5 users, including those running the server on System i, can route documents into multiple document databases and can capture and assign document attributes. Users can also scan documents into searchable PDFs for full-text indexing and automatic metadata capture.
Daybreak Intellectual Capital Solutions. 802-264-4000. daybreakics.com.

Systems Management

TeamQuest Unveils Performance Data Extractor

TeamQuest Corporation offers TeamQuest Harvest for Unisys MCP Systems, a system performance-analysis solution that also supports System i, System z, Linux, and Windows servers. TeamQuest Harvest lets users extract performance data from one or more identical or varied systems and consolidate this data into an enterprise database. Users can store performance data from a group of servers to analyze the effectiveness of load balancing and multitiered applications. TeamQuest Harvest lets users apply graphical reporting tools to performance databases without adding to the processing load of systems gathering the data, as well as access analysis techniques such as dervived statistics and linear trends.
TeamQuest Corporation. 800-551-8326. teamquest.com.

e-Commerce

VAI Partners with VeriFone for Payment Processing

Vormittag Associates (VAI) teams with VeriFone Holdings to integrate VeriFone's MX870 payment platform and RiTA Server payment transaction middleware into VAI's S2K Enterprise for Retail Point-of-Sale software. S2K offers point of sale, accounting, inventory management, customer relationship management, purchasing, warehouse management, and e-commerce functions to retailers on System i. The integration provides users with secure credit card transactions and direct updates to ERP solutions in realtime.
Vormittag Associates, Inc. 800-824-7776. vai.net.
VeriFone Holdings. 800-837-4366. verifone.com

Programmer Tools

Aldon Updates Lifecycle Management Solution with Embedded IAM

Aldon supplies built-in Identity Access Management (IAM) technology to its Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution, which helps managers control and monitor software projects. The Aldon ALM solution provides IT business process automation, requirements management, software configuration management, multiple version management, and software deployment capabilities. Aldon's new built-in IAM technology provides IT organizations with authentication, role-based access control, audit trails, and policy management. Most notably, IAM enables managers to define one user under multiple roles, with different access privileges for each.
Aldon. 510-839-3535. aldon.com.

Systems Management

SafeData Launches Managed Network Services

SafeData, LLC, provides SafeNet Managed Network Services, a network and security offering for System i and other platforms that ensures optimization and security in a company's technology infrastructure. SafeNet includes an evaluation of network security architecture, network recommendations, and network management/monitoring. Monitoring ranges from failure notification to full responsibility for the client's network maintenance and staff augmentation. In addition, the solution includes consulting services for moving to network management best practices.
SafeData, LLC. 877-734-5866. safedata.net.

e-Commerce

Elite Enhances Signature Capture with Credit Card Feature

Elite Document Solutions, Inc., adds a new capability to its Electronic Signature Capture with Elite Credit Card Processing. Elite's Electronic Signature Capture module captures signatures that can then be stored for usage on documents or printed out. The new Credit Card Processing module enables a user to electronically swipe a credit or debit card at the time of product purchase or delivery. The module securely processes the transaction via PayPal's Verisign PayFlow solution. After the transaction is complete, users can print and store the receipt for later retrieval, along with any additional correspondence.
Elite Document Solutions, Inc. 800-442-4027. elitedocuments.com.

Programmer Tools

ASNA RPG Tool Supports Microsoft Visual Studio

ASNA releases ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) for Microsoft .NET Framework V9.0. Version 9.0 is an enterprise application development environment that works with the upcoming release of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. Using AVR, RPG developers can create Windows programs, Internet and intranet browser-based applications, web services, and class libraries for System i client/server environments. The new release enables RPG and Visual Studio development teams to collaborate on application and service development for Windows .NET Framework and Windows Server 2008.
ASNA. 210-408-0212. asna.com.

Middleware

HiT Software Integrates Middleware with DB2

HiT Software, Inc., augments Ritmo/i5 V4, its middleware bridge between the System i and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, with the ability to access DB2 data. Ritmo/i5 V4 integrates with Visual Studio 2005 Designer tools and Server Explorer, so users can develop forms or generate reports that include information from DB2 databases. In addition, developers can use SQL Server 2005 with Visual Studio SSIS Import and Export wizards to import DB2 data into SQL Server.
HiT Software, Inc. 408-345-4001. hitsw.com.

Middleware

EtQ Supplies Integration Tool for SAP

EtQ Management Consultants delivers the EtQ Connector for SAP, an integration tool that links EtQ's Quality Management System with SAP. The EtQ Connector for SAP enables direct calls to SAP APIs. Calls can be scheduled or event-driven, and the API includes methods for establishing connections and handling SAP data structures. Connecter also features support for SAP NetWeaver J2EE Application Server and SAP Portal.
EtQ Management Consultants. 516-293-0949. etq.com.

Networking

Stampede Offers Multiuser Client Software

Stampede Technologies, Inc., provides Stampede Multi-User Client software. The solution provides bidirectional acceleration for HTTP/HTTPS, Web 2.0, and Ajax applications. The Stampede Multi-User Client offers a single-point solution that supports a multiuser environment. Users can take advantage of shared local caching, cache differencing, and accelerating techniques. The Multi-User Client software can be deployed on either Windows- or Linux-based devices that connect to System i and other servers and can accelerate any browser-based application regardless of platform.
Stampede Technologies, Inc. 937-291-5035. stampede.com.

Services

Infor Offers App Development Expertise for i5

Infor Global Solutions Technology GmbH launches the Infor System i Center of Excellence, which consists of Infor development and domain experts. The Center's purpose is to provide outsourced application development and existing application enrichment for the System i, based on Infor's extensive catalog of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for various vertical markets. The services of providing additional modules and enhancements to customers' existing Infor solutions will be offered on a contract basis.

Underpinning the Center's goal of providing new capabilities for Infor's System i solutions is the Infor Development Framework, a common application design and development environment used internally by Infor. The solution gives Infor developers the ability to create intuitive role-based user interfaces and dynamic reports for existing applications. The development framework also enables SOA capabilities for System i solutions that are compliant with Infor's Open SOA framework. Open SOA is based on Java and interacts with a metadata layer over the core application, so when users configure their desktop interfaces or create new extensions, they don't have to alter the source code.
Infor Global Solutions Technology. 678-319-8000. infor.com.

e-Commerce

Coremetrics and IBM Deliver Multichannel Analytics Solution

Coremetrics and IBM supply a plug-and-play solution for multichannel analytics. Coremetrics Analytics for WebSphere Commerce Sales Center provides Commerce users with reports, analytics, and adapters to measure sales, products, promotions, and B2B contracts across the web and call centers. Notably, users can create an e-mail message within WebSphere Commerce and automatically add to it tracking codes for Coremetrics. Users can also create visitor segments in Coremetrics and export them to Commerce to create targeted e-mails.