Aldon and BCD announced this week at COMMON a strategic technology partnership aimed at bringing new levels of process automation and efficiency to Web application development and modernization for the IBM i platform covering PHP and RPG-CGI centric projects.
The partnership marks the integration of Aldon's process-driven change management solution--Aldon Lifecycle Manager--with BCD's fast-paced and intuitive tools for IBM i and multi-platform Web development-WebSmart ILE and WebSmart PHP. The combined solution provides users with a host of new benefits when building Web applications or modernizing legacy ones, including automated processes and deployment, inventory management, project and compliance reporting, and new levels of visibility into what team members are working on, where code resides, and project status. IT managers will gain a crystal-clear view of all IT assets and projects at any given time and ensure compliance standards are met, while developers are free to focus on application innovation rather than administrative tasks. Managers of Web application development and modernization projects should realize an immediate return from these improvements to their process, the companies said.
Today, more and more IBM i shops are ensconced in Web-centric development or modernization to stay in line with the modern business' needs. As these efforts grow, a comprehensive application lifecycle management solution becomes imperative. IT shops will need defined process, structure, and automation to support rapid business change, stay agile, address compliance, and keep projects on track.
"As we watch the open source, multi-platform, and IBM i worlds merge, it's important to make sure process doesn't fall by the wayside," said Matt Scholl, CEO and president of Aldon. "The joint Aldon and BCD solution ensures that process is flowing across every facet of development. Both the business and IT sides of the house will benefit. We're excited to work with BCD and look forward to a long-term partnership."
Joint Solution
The BCD WebSmart ILE product helps developers produce native IBM i-centric RPG CGI web applications that access DB2, MS SQL, and MySQL databases. WebSmart PHP helps developers produce PHP applications that run on multiple platforms--IBM i, Windows, Linux or Unix--and access databases such as DB2, MySQL and others. Both editions provide developers with the necessary tools to quickly extend or develop new Web applications for any application from on-line ordering, inquiries, and maintenance programs, to browser-based or SOA (Web services) applications. Aldon Lifecycle Manager works behind the scenes, enforcing processes at each and every stage of that application development, putting teams on to the same system regardless of platform, language, or development environment. The following is a list of benefits that users can expect with the joint solution:
• Advanced Software Configuration Management (SCM) concepts such as concurrent development, multiple release management, emergency changes conflict management and source comparison.
• Advanced Deployment Management concepts such as scheduled deployments for after-hours, easy multi-platform and secure deployments, simple management of all deployments via a GUI console, and roll-back capabilities.
• Audit compliance aids such as automatic historical tracking of all changes and deployments, advanced reporting, finely tuned security via role-based profiles, and separation of duties.
• Centralized management of all software assets from all platforms to increase vision and teamwork and easily comply with best-practice standards for centralized control and tracking.
• Cross-referencing to tie database changes in other applications to WebSmart ILE programs that reference those files, thus preventing unexpected downtime of critical Web applications.
The PHP Factor
There is a rapidly growing list of companies that have turned to PHP to modernize their applications and create Web-based interfaces to RPG programs and DB2 database files. BCD's WebSmart PHP tool helps developers who write programs for the IBM i to quickly construct PHP programs and applications. These programs are 100 percent native PHP, allowing a single development effort to create IBM i and multi-platform applications that also run on Linux, UNIX, and Windows servers. Aldon's integrated inventory management will play a key role in delivering efficiency to this process, ensuring that all facets of an enterprise PHP application are fully tracked.
"BCD is thrilled to work with Aldon and have this technology integration between our leading products. We share the same commitment in developing solutions the IBM i marketplace needs, from addressing PHP and ILE Web application development to SOA and compliance," said Eric Figura, director of Sales and Marketing for BCD. "As a standalone solution, WebSmart allows IT staffs to rapidly develop IBM i and multi-platform Web applications faster and easier using templates and other advancements, however, when you add Aldon to the mix, the impact is even more impressive. Together we can now help IBM i IT departments better address today's business needs and be an even greater asset to their organization."
To learn more, visit www.aldon.com and www.bcdsoftware.com.
About Aldon
Aldon calls itself the ALM company for IT compliance. For more than 25 years, it has been the expert in providing application lifecycle management solutions to ensure that change management, collaboration, and compliance are applied consistently across all areas of IT. Through its user-centric approach to process management, its service, change, and release management products help users focus on what they do best--providing superior services, rapidly developing applications, and efficiently managing IT operations. Behind the scenes, Aldon helps developers and administrators increase productivity, accelerate time-to-market, fully understand IT assets, and easily achieve compliance with regulatory standards. A true testament to its products is its customer base with more than 1,300 companies worldwide including 70 of the Fortune 100. These companies rely upon Aldon's solutions to manage their global IT business and operations processes including application development, network operations, and services management. The company has its headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., and has offices around the world serving more than 60 countries.
About BCD
BCD is one of the most successful application modernization software vendors in the IBM i space having received more than 35 industry awards for software excellence. It has more than 30 years of experience in the IBM midrange marketplace. More than 30,000 copies of its software products have been licensed worldwide by greater than 10,000 organizations. BCD is a member of IBM's IBM i ISV Advisory Council and an IBM Advanced Business Partner.
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