Connection to the external network exposes an organisation’s external-facing services to a larger and untrusted network, usually the Internet. This always has security implications. Any service provided to users on the external network can be a security risk. The most common of these services are Web servers, Mail servers, FTP servers and VoIP servers but your iSeries transactions are also a risk.

I was recently rereading an article by James Lyne Global head of Security Research at Sophos in which he provides a list of key trends in cybersecurity detailing 10 big things he believes will have significant impact in 2015 and beyond. (https://www.sophos.com/threat-center/medialibrary/PDFs/other/sophos-trends-and-predictions-2015.pdf) Now, 12 months after this article was written, and despite security threats being in the news every week I wonder how many manufacturing and distribution organisations have actually had the time and resource to review their iSeries security arrangements. It is my fear that security, like disaster recovery, is something companies will only truly take seriously and move up their agenda when disaster strikes.

At IMS we offer solutions that are specific to IBM i/AS400 environments, and this includes security solutions. Often IBM i systems are totally independent of the clients normal server/pc based network. We can help integrate the security of internet facing environments. More so with the specific requirements for securing the IBM i and the issues associated with having an IBM i system visible over the internet. We understand both the network security and also the IBM i specifics which are all too often not considered when the systems are being used for internet facing purposes such as online trading, payment system systems and customer portals.

IMS are uniquely placed as a company who understands both security appliances such as Cisco ASA, Watchguard and the iSeries, so we can advise and assist with the setup and vulnerability of these appliances.