Password protect PDF’s on the Power IBM i.

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Password protect PDF files & Restrict access natively on the Power IBM i.

IBM Power servers have security built in at all layers, from the processor to the OS, now you can protect your existing PDF files to deliver an integrated end-to-end security solution. Safely share PDFs with sensitive information. Protect your documents with passwords for security and peace of mind.

iDocs delivers trusted document security. Prevent unauthorized access to your PDF files by encrypting them with a password that recipients have to enter before they can open or view them. Password protect your existing PDF documents with confidence from any browser with 128-bit AES encryption.

There is no need to utilize Adobe or Cloud services as iDocs employs the native IBM I environment to safeguard your PDF documents.

Customize your protection. You can secure your PDF in several ways. The Restrict Editing option lets you put document editing behind the password. If desired, anyone can open and view the file, but they need to know the password to make any further edits to the PDF. Not only can you control who can open the PDF document, you can control Printing, Changing the Document, Commenting, Form Field Fill-in or Signing, Content Copying, Content Accessibility and Page Extraction.

Once you’ve secured your document, it is saved as a new file and you can now confidently share it.

inFORM Decisions has been a Document Automation provider specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i – iSeries – AS/400 arena since 1994. We believe that the IBM i/Power Systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM. inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBM i platform forever!

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

IBM i AS/400 Barcodes

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Barcodes = Efficiency and Productivity

Barcodes

We have all seen them, they are pervasive in our world. From the documents we use on a day to day basis, to the QR code we scanned with our phone. Businesses are using barcodes on everything. Barcodes can be placed on documents for tracking and embedding information, but with labels, they can be placed on just about anything. From packages for track and trace, to equipment for asset management, barcodes can be leveraged for all types of business purposes.

Barcodes are often overlooked as a method for cutting costs and saving time. A valuable and viable choice for businesses looking to improve efficiency and reduce overhead, barcodes are both cost-effective and reliable.

Constantly Improving Tech

The world of barcode technology is constantly improving, and companies are looking to embed more and more data within the symbol. If you just look at the leap between 1D and 2D symbologies, it was significant and now there is 3D technology.

One-dimensional barcodes:

The first barcodes implemented worldwide were 1D (one-dimensional) barcodes. These linear codes only contain alphanumeric data. Each character in the code represents something different about the product and a database provides information on what each character means. Linear barcodes hold just a few dozen characters, and generally get physically longer as more data is added. Because of this, users typically limit their barcodes to 8-15 characters. These consist of UPC, EAN CODE, CODE 39, CODE 128, ITF, CODE 93, CODABAR, GS1 DATABAR and MSI PLESSEY. UPC (Universal Product Code) is the most common barcode for retail product labeling. It is seen in most grocery stores across the United States. The symbology encodes a 12-digit numeric-only number.

Two-dimensional barcodes

Two-dimensional barcodes were first introduced to the market by Intermec Corporation in 1988. Since their invention, 2D barcodes have evolved in a number of ways. Today, two-dimensional barcodes can vary in height, length, and size. Two-dimensional barcodes are made up strictly of vertical lines because they only have the capacity to hold information horizontally. In this type of barcode, the encoded information is determined by the thickness of and the distance between the lines. 2D barcodes also have the advantage of being easier to read. They can be accurately read at high speed, which makes them ideal for commercial printing, direct mail, and manufacturing.

Because of their structure, 2D barcodes can hold more data than 1D codes (up to 2000 characters), while still appearing physically smaller. The data is encoded based on both the vertical and horizontal arrangement of the pattern, thus it is read in two dimensions.

The most common type of 2D barcode is called a QR code (an initialism for Quick Response code). QR codes were designed in 1994 by a company called Denso-Wave which is a subsidiary of Toyota. QR codes are square images consisting of black modules on a white background. These codes can store hundreds of times more information than traditional 2D barcodes. QR codes were originally used in Japan to track vehicle parts during the manufacturing process but are beginning to become more popular in other areas such as marketing. QR codes can connect users to many different types of data such as webpages, images, contact information, SMS text messages, and more. QR codes can be read by simply scanning them with a QR code reader app downloaded on a smartphone.

Unlike one-dimensional barcodes, QR codes are two-dimensional or three-dimensional. This is the difference between 2D and 3D barcodes: 2D codes: Printed on a flat surface like paper or signage, the 2D QR code is what most of us picture when we think of a QR code.

Three-dimensional barcodes

3D Barcode systems emerged quickly, filling a great necessity. Manufacturers realized that a new system was needed due to the high temperature, use of excessive solvents, chemicals that caused the removal of conventional barcode labels with sticks in one motion. 3D Barcodes have the same logic as linear and 2D systems but are processed on the surface of a product. A 3D image may also be a grayscale volumetric image, like from MRI or CT.

Unlike one-dimensional barcodes, QR codes are two-dimensional or three-dimensional. This is the difference between 2D and 3D barcodes: 2D codes: Printed on a flat surface like paper or signage, the 2D QR code is what most of us picture when we think of a QR code.

USPS Barcodes

The POSTNET 11-digit barcode was the predominant postal addressing barcode in use until the Intelligent Mail barcode (also known in its early usage as OneCode Solution), was introduced and implemented. The POSTNET barcode was replaced by the Intelligent Mail barcode in the fall of 2009, combining all previous Postal Service barcodes and marking into a single barcode. The (Intelligent Mail Barcode IMb) is a 65-bar barcode for use on mail in the United States. The term “Intelligent Mail” refers to services offered by the United States Postal Service for domestic mail delivery.

Why use barcodes?

• Competitive Advantage – Your business needs to move at a hectic speed, and powerful technologies can be the difference in the competitive landscape. Barcode technology is just another technology that can reduce costs and increase profits.
• Can Be Used On anything – Barcodes can be placed on documents for tracking and embedding information, but with labels, they can be placed on just about anything. From packages for track and trace, to equipment for asset management, barcodes can be leveraged for all types of business purposes.
• Productivity and Efficiency – hand keying or hand writing information is time consuming and prone to human error. Barcodes reduce the time and effort required to read and log information, and allow these operations to be done with a minimal amount of error, improving efficiency and increasing productivity.
• Tracking & Audit Trail – Barcodes add another dimension to tracking business processes and enhancing audit capabilities. Most of this can be done in a transparent matter through efficient data collection.
• Cost Effectiveness – And last but not least, barcodes are extremely cost effective. To add them to your printed documents, you can just add a font, or utilize a powerful tool like iBAR. The benefits far outweigh the low cost of implementing this technology in your organization.

Find the right barcode

Now that you have a better understanding of the most common barcode types and how they’re being used today, here are six questions you can ask yourself to find the right barcodes for your enterprise.

1. Will the product be scanned at the point of sale in retail stores?
   UPC and EAN barcodes are ideal for PoS scanning.
2. Which character set needs to be supported? Alphanumeric characters?
   Code39, Code128 and QR Code
3. How much space is available on the product packaging?
   EAN8, UPC-E, Code128 & DataMatrix have small form factors.
4. Which material will you print the barcode on?
   ITF is great for printing barcodes on corrugated cardboard.
5. Which barcode type supports the largest amounts of data?
   PDF417 codes are great for storing huge amounts of data.
6. Which barcode is used for mailing with the USPS?
   IMb United States Postal Service for domestic mail delivery.

Whether you’re looking into one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcodes for your business, organization or personal use, the information we’ve provided should serve as a great tool to help you select the appropriate types of barcodes for your needs. If you are utilizing an AS/400, iSeries or IBM i operating system iBAR can be used to produce your bar codes.

IBM i Scalable Barcode Generation

iBAR from inFORM Decisions offers IBM i native users the ability to scale barcodes, and to output to industry standard HP PCL cut sheet and continuous form label printers. iBar is now capable of producing industries’ most popular bar code symboligies, including UPC, QR, 3of9, EAN, DataMatrix, IMb and more.

For current, iBar and iDocs users, it’s important to note that you will no longer be confined to working with fixed pitch HP fonts. You can now size the font to accommodate your print requirements, as now the user simply selects a barcode symbology, and enters the size they need. In addition, barcodes can be embedded into *SCS spool files or integrated with API commands.

iBar provides your IBM i the ability to print barcodes interactively with no programming. It’s fully automated and integrated with your existing IBM i applications. Select data from your database and use the fields you need to generate the bar codes. The barcodes can be embedded into *SCS spool files or integrated with API commands. iBar can generate documents as PDF’s and save them to your network for distribution and electronic delivery, or to advance capture software.

There are a wide variety of barcodes for all types of encoding of data. For simple things, like a bill of lading number, you can use a simple 1D barcodes. For complex, large data set encoding, you can use a 2D font like Datamatrix or a QR code. For addressing mail there is the USPS intelligent bar code.

Benefits and Features of iBar

• Include barcodes in printed forms with the addition of iDocs
• Create “intelligent” spool files with embedded barcodes
• Embed barcodes for print or digital file creation (PDF)
• Easily modify barcode position, height and width
• Broad barcode type support of D1 and D2 bar codes
• Runs natively on the IBM i
• Integration with all inFORM products

Additional reading:
IBM i Scalable Barcode Generation
Barcode terminology

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about iBAR and our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products. inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBM i platform forever!

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

Accounts Payable Automation Solutions

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

There’s a way better way to do invoice-to-pay

The efficiency of your AP team’s invoice processing method can have an enormous impact on operations across your organization, ultimately affecting your bottom line. Invoices are just plain painful, and companies usually tackle the AP Invoice Processing problem with more staff. If ignored, delays and inaccuracies in your AP process will create inefficiencies that ripple through your business, generating unnecessary cost, frustrating other departments, and straining vendor relationships. There’s potential for wasting time and creating errors throughout the AP process, including:

• Late or lost invoices
• Incorrect or inaccurately entered data
• Invoices without required purchase order numbers
• Difficulties retrieving invoice data or yearend 1099 reporting

One or more of these factors can take several days for multiple employees to resolve, and could hinder other employees, departments, or even end customers. No company wants to be known for late payments, and no company needs the notoriety of negatively impacting its vendors. The importance of AP process efficiency cannot be understated: it’s a business-critical matter that you should monitor and address on a routine basis.

To determine what improvements need to be made to your AP processes, first and foremost, look at your invoice data capture method. Examine steps that require paper or manual data processing, as they’re error-prone and take the most time and resources to complete. Chances are there’s at least some manual work involved as 58% of invoices are still being entered manually into AP systems in a typical enterprise.

There are numerous qualitative factors that you should be aware of as you evaluate your AP processes. While you can’t measure them directly, all have a quantitative influence on your department’s performance and your business results. Understanding these elements and their effects will reinforce your proposals for improvements to your bottom line.
For example, map out your invoice processing operations to gauge their complexity. You can start by listing the fundamental steps of any AP process, then break each individual step down into its components, such as the step’s resource, manual process or software used to facilitate or complete the step, and the time it takes to complete each step.
The fundamental steps of the AP process are:

• Invoice receipt and sorting
• Input
• Data extraction
• PO matching
• Verification of vendor details
• Invoice approval
• Invoice payment
• Auditing and 1099 reporting

As you’re going through your AP team’s workflow, you’ll need to find the answer to several questions, such as:

• Do you receive both electronic and paper invoices?
• What forms of electronic invoice are you receiving (e.g. doc, pdf, XLS)?
• How do the invoices get filed or inputted?
• Are you using more than one invoice delivery method (e.g. mail, email, FAX)?
• Does the same flow apply to all invoice formats, or do you have different flows according to format?
• Do you need to match POs to all invoices, or are you also processing invoices that don’t require POs?
• Are your POs standardized across your business, or do different departments have their own PO systems?
• Are all invoices centralized or stored in various locations throughout your organization’s network?

This is just a handful of the queries that will arise as you study your AP team’s invoice processing.

Once you’ve reviewed your AP processes and identified its inefficiencies, you’ll be able to clearly see opportunities for improvement. You may discover that your invoice data capture method is causing inefficiencies. One of the most critical steps in invoice processing is data extraction. A touchless solution that teaches itself how to capture information from multiple document formats accurately can boost AP efficiency considerably. There are capture product that scan and extract invoice information into searchable invoice PDFs like iCapture from inFORM Decisions routing captured invoices to 60+ systems. You can also streamline your AP operations by automatically printing checks or emailing digital documents to recipients on the IBM i using iDocs. You can also utilize your valuable electronic data and iForms to facilitate year ending reporting and 1099 forms electronically. Kickoff AP invoice workflow using our iWorkflow solution to map the steps from the point at which goods are received to the point at which invoices are paid.

Unleash your team’s efficiency with iDocs suite of accounts payable solutions and say goodbye to filing cabinets and lost invoices. Accounts payable process automation frees your team from the manual AP tasks that are slowing down your business, all while giving you greater control over your spend management with the click of a button. An automated Accounts Payable solution can help an organization reduce costs, keep more of their hard-earned profits and keep employees happy and productive.

Ready to take the leap? inFORM Decisions has a series of advanced AP and Invoice Solutions that are affordable for any size business, and any size AP department. Contact us today for your ticket to a streamlined paperless invoice process.

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

So, you’re using an IBM i server…

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

So, you’re using an IBM i server….

The IBM i

The IBM i users are loyal and outspoken group. And it’s no wonder. Occasionally, you discover a product that has you wondering if you’ve stepped into some kind of alternative universe. The very first product that gave me this impression was the ‘63 Corvette Stingray. Close second was the old AS400 from IBM. It was kind of like if you took an M1 Abrams tank and created a server with similar survivability. The stories of these things were legendary.

• One system was on the top floor of a building literally flattened by a tornado. After falling 4 stories, being buried by rubble and rained on, they only needed to dry it out to bring it back on line.
• Another system ran for a whopping 18 years without anyone patching, updating or even backing it up with no issues.
• Yet another was accidentally walled up yet remained in service for years until someone tracing down the power and network wiring opened a wall to see what the wiring went to and found a shrouded AS400.

Who’s using the IBM i?

The IBM i software platform evolved out of this legendary AS400 and it is even more amazing. Whereas the AS400 was successful in manufacturing and distribution, the IBM i has moved into construction, banking and finance, health care, hospitality, and retail. Much of Las Vegas runs on the platform. It’s a software platform that scales from a small mom & pop shop up to a mission critical system for a multi-national companies. It’s virtually immune to the vast majority of malware, ransomware and Trojans. The IBM i is far more robust and vastly more resistant to outside or inside attack. It runs both on premise on IBM Power, ranging from IBM’s smallest to largest servers, and in the cloud, which, surprisingly isn’t how the small customers we’ve dealt with are running it; those firms are buying IBM Power9 servers, which also tend to be more robust and less vulnerable than their Intel based alternatives.

Leaving the platform?

The IBM i is the closest thing to a software platform superhero that I’ve yet seen and likely the safest and most powerful server platform available. Yet, as new generations enter the IT world, many have diverse backgrounds that lack specific knowledge of the ‘i’. Likely the best server platform they’ve never heard of. As the pool of RPG developers dwindles, many feel the pressure to leave this secure environment for Cloud based solutions.

Is the Cloud in your future?

In response, IBM has recently introduced new end-to-end solutions that better connect the IBM i to the cloud. One of the key growth areas for the platform is when it’s used by software providers to provide Software as a Service, or Cloud-based solution. Additionally IBM and its many partners are finding new ways to provide value to their clients by providing cloud services, whether it’s backup in a cloud or fully hosting customers. IBM is dedicated to making the combination of IBM i and Power Systems as good in that cloud environment as they have always been if you physically have the box on site.

The 'i' stands for integrated

As the platform continues to evolve, becoming increasingly robust, embracing modern technologies, and giving many of the world’s top organizations a competitive edge, so do IBM partners, like inFORM Decisions. They complete the platform by providing integrated software designed to function as a packaged whole. inFORM Decisions has software to digitize, manage and distribute spool and database files. From complex spool file bursting and distribution requirements, electronic document automation to workflow, we have the products that you might need, as well as the IBM i, iSeries, AS400, Power Systems experts to help with the installation and development.

Unleash your systems power

inFORM Decisions has been a Document Automation provider specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i – AS/400 arena since 1994. We believe that the IBM I / Power Systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM. inFORM Decisions experts can show you how to unleash your systems power and recoup countless hours of productivity! inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBM i platform forever!

Additional reading:
Improve your AP Process
iPDF from inFORM Decisions is now even more powerful

Helpful Videos:
Videos & Webinars

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

Create electronic forms directly from an IBM i database

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Videos

• Continue Reading

The AS/400 has evolved into the modern and powerful IBM i

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

inFORM Decisions is dedicated to creating innovative solutions to help clients get more from their IBM i/Power systems

IBM i‘s AS/400 heritage and strategic innovation point to a bright future for this strategic server that continues to support organizations in almost every industry around the world.

• The market for the IBM i continues to be extremely stable with 1.3% annual attrition.
• 24% of IBM i shops are planning to expand their IBM i footprint in 2019, which outnumbers those who plan to migrate off the platform.
• 71% rely on IBM i to run more than half of their core business applications, a strong indication of the platform’s stability.
• 92% of the respondents from IBM i Marketplace Survey believe that IBM i with Power Systems provides better ROI than other server options.

The continued reliance on IBM Power Systems hardware and a dedication to keeping current with the latest technology is revealing long-term trends that give insight into the future of this trusted technology. The most popular version of the IBM i operating system is currently IBM i V7R3. The jump to 7.3 speaks to the longevity of platform as organizations continue to invest in keeping current.

Since its arrival, one of the strongest features of this platform has been its upward compatibility. For the most part, you can run a program created for the AS/400 in 1988 on a Power Systems server today with little or no changes. However, there are some IBM utilities such as the IBM Advanced Function Printing Utilities are not supported on IBM i 7.3 OS.

While AFP data stream and protocol might still function, the AFP Utilities and the InfoPrint tool for designing pages are not supported in 7.3 and beyond. This would indicate that you can continue to print existing applications, but that you can’t create a new form overlay or modify an existing one.

AFP is an outdated technology and was always painful to work with. IBM sold off its printing division which subsequently removed support for AFP utilities along with the Infoprint Designer and is recommending 3rd party alternatives such as the acclaimed iDocs Forms Suite from inFORM Decisions. iDocs provides easy-to-use forms design and spool file data mapper with menus to set up business rules for manual or automatic processing and intelligent distribution of merged, formatted reports, forms and security MICR checks. Print in color with graphics and bar codes.

Whereas most of the IBM Solution providers have evolved with the platform, some antiquated or obsolete laser forms solutions such as Jetform, Optio, Createform or Createprint, ACOM, and others, are forcing users OFF the powerful IBM i platform onto a Windows or Cloud based solution with higher costs, higher maintenance and totally new learning curves.

inFORM Decisions offers a seamless, painless, and no-cost migration. Migrate to a continually developed and enhanced Document Automation solution running natively on the IBM i. Our modules include laser forms printing, laser check printing, email with PDF and Excel formats for spool and database files, document scanning and archival and document workflow.

As the platform continues to evolve, becoming increasingly robust, embracing modern technologies, and giving many of the world’s top organizations a competitive edge, so do IBM i providers like inFORM Decisions. inFORM Decisions has been a Document Automation provider specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i – iSeries – AS/400 arena since 1994. We believe that the IBM i/Power Systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM. inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBMi platform forever!

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

Distribution solutions for the IBMi

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

inFORM Decisions is dedicated to creating innovative solutions to help clients get more from their IBM i systems.

Our award-winning product suite runs natively on the IBM i, AS400, AS/400, iSeries, i5, Power, System i, and implements seamlessly with most Enterprise or Custom Applications on your system, requiring no custom programming. iDOCS is the central processing engine for all of inFORM’s document automation products on the IBMi that includes the following modular solutions:

Eliminate costly pre-printed forms and checks with laser printing on plain sheet paper with duplex printing supported. Reduce distribution costs with automated delivery by email, fax, and/or print or for indexing and storage in a Web-based archive for easy browser-based retrieval, 24×7. Include scalable bar codes, graphics, signatures and colored text. Positive Pay is an electronic process by which companies and banks can mutually increase their level of security to an organization’s check printing process.

Define complex rules for bursting and processing spool files by individual page. Intelligently sorts, re-bundles and delivers spool content to individual targets for custom distribution. Along the way, spool file attributes may be overridden, and individual pages of the report or business form may be burst, sorted, grouped, bundled and ultimately directed to a target, which can again be redirected.

Convert and distribute spooled files in popular formats such as PDF, Excel, HTML, ZIP, RTF and more. Streamline workflow with automated distribution by email or posting to file servers.

Extract data directly from your IBM database files and output directly into Excel and PDF files. Create custom queries for one or more files.

inFORM Decisions has been a Document Automation provider specializing in state of the art Document Automation solutions for the IBM i – iSeries – AS/400 arena since 1994. We believe that the IBM i/Power Systems will be relevant for a long time offering the stability and security that you’ve come to expect from IBM. inFORM Decisions is committed to the IBMi platform forever!

Call (800) 858-5544 / (949) 709-5838 or visit us at www.informdecisions.com for more information about our acclaimed iDocs suite of IBM i products.

CONTACT US

• Continue Reading

Webinar Learning Series Part 1 of 4

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Videos

• Continue Reading

Webinar Learning Series Part 3 of 4

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Videos

• Continue Reading

Webinar Learning Series Part 4 of 4

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Videos

• Continue Reading