IBM i users have been reaping the benefits of IBM’s modernization efforts for some years now. The IBM i platform now has a number of new web and open source technologies including the PHP web development platform. With partner Zend Technologies, IBM has brought an industrial strength web development platform to the IBM i.

If you are using PHP on the IBM i, or if you are starting a new project with PHP, I would like to introduce you to NSC Software Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Brillion, Wisconsin. Started in 1981 by Larry Nies, NSC specializes in helping companies develop and deploy PHP web applications on the IBM i platform. They are specialists in PHP design and development, and create cross-platform PHP solutions for companies around the globe.

Web applications and data security? Yes, a big concern for companies of all sizes.

We turned to NSC for advice on how to help IBM i PHP customers do encryption and key management the right way. Wow, we got way more than advice!

Under the direction of Eric Nies, NSC created a professional PHP module to make it easy for IBM i customers to use our Alliance Key Manager for encryption key management in a PHP application. They also create a GUI application to make configuration easy to do.  So IBM i customers who need to meet PCI, HIPAA, GLBA, FISMA and other data security compliance regulations can now do this quickly and easily. For IBM i customers new to PHP, NSC can provide professional services to get that first project off the ground quickly.

If you are a PHP developer you might like to know that the NSC solution works well for both IBM’s DB2 database and for MySQL. The code that NSC developed for encryption key retrieval is a module that is easy to add to your PHP project. And applications can move from the IBM i platform to other platforms that support PHP.

Customers who develop PHP applications on the IBM i are also running legacy RPG and COBOL applications in the same environment. The same Alliance Key Manager appliance that protects data in the PHP environment can protect data in your legacy IBM i applications, and across the complete set of non-IBM technologies that you use including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, MySQL, and many other platforms.

PHP web application security? It’s a piece of cake - talk to NSC.

Disclaimer: We don't have any financial relationship with NSC Software Solutions, Inc.  They are just a great company that we think our readers should know about.

Patrick