Security shouldn't be of great concern to IS managers hooking up their AS/400s to the Internet, according to Chris Lategan, CEO of ADVANCED BusinessLink, Kirkland, WA. ADVANCED BusinessLink is a developer of Web-to-host software, and remote connectivity and e-business products for the AS/400.

Lategan said an AS/400 manager deals with two kinds of issues. One is resolved by making a decision and spending money on a product, he said. "the other you just live with," he explained. "You do something actively, and manage and manage." He classified security in the former category, as a one-time management task.

Lategan said that security on the AS/400 is not a big problem, provided IS managers know what they're doing. He added that security is one of the things you buy as an AS/400 manager. "They make a one-off architectural decision, and there's nothing they need to do next month," he said.

Lategan acknowledged that one-and two-man AS/400 shops will have security concerns, but he encouraged them to think of Internet security as a one-time issue.

"You deal with the issue," Lategan said. "You research, put a software product in place to minimize risks and it's solved basically. It's not something [IS managers] have to revisit daily or weekly."

By the permission of AS/400 Systems Management. Copyright © 1998 Adams Business Media, all rights reserved. (http://www.hotlink400.com)