Halcyon Software Announces Record and Playback V11

PETERBOROUGH, England, July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

New release automates IBM i system processes to improve productivity and reduce costs.

Halcyon Software, a global leader in systems management software, has announced the immediate availability of the latest release of Record and Playback for IBM i customers.  This flexible and cost effective solution automates system processes and essential housekeeping tasks that previously required manual intervention, decision-making or out-of-hours attendance by IT staff.  It will reduce costs and deliver significant increases in productivity for organisations using IBM i platforms in a wide range of market sectors including financial, retail and managed services.

Record and Playback V11 provides a simple way to record and capture every step associated with system processes. It can be used either when jobs are run interactively, or when interactive screens would normally need input from the IT team.  A new screen capture capability allows the recording of all keystrokes, including Function keys and the Enter key, that are necessary to submit a job and replays the sequence automatically at the appropriate time.  

The software has the capability to create playback scripts that enable system processes, complex, interactive jobs and applications to run automatically without the need for user interaction.  Any subsequent actions, should the routines not successfully complete or require follow-up tasks, can also be automated, eliminating human error and significantly reducing the need to process repetitive, time-consuming or complex IT jobs.  Record and Playback V11 delivers significant business benefits by reducing overtime costs and increasing efficiency by automating complicated and essential processes such as interactive job submissions, systems saves, back-ups and repetitive program testing.

"Record and Playback V11 is easy to use without requiring high levels of IBM i programming skills," commented Carole Chandler, Sales and Marketing Director of Halcyon Software.  "Halcyon Software is making a significant investment in rewriting its full range of system monitoring and automation software tools, taking advantage of the latest technologies to ensure full and continued compatibility with current and future operating systems.  This will reduce the level of support required and enable users to maximise their investment in system monitoring and IT automation technology.

Halcyon Software has designed Record and Playback V11 to be faster and more intuitive to use than previous versions.  Scripts can be easily edited at any time, without the need to re-record them, to add additional functionality or maintain compatibility with application software updates.  This ensures that automated processes continue to run efficiently and eliminates business disruption.  

"Record and Playback automates essential system tasks, reduces service delivery costs and improves the productivity of IBM i server infrastructures," continued Chandler.  "It will also allow users to manage a rapidly expanding range of IT systems without requiring additional staff resources."

Record and Playback V11 can also be used in conjunction with Halcyon's Advanced Job Scheduler V11 which enables organisations to schedule and track complex job streams across different IBM i platforms to ensure that business processes are running smoothly.  It is available either as a standalone utility or as an additional component to any of Halcyon's suites for the IBM i.  Existing users can upgrade to this latest release free of charge.

About Halcyon Software

Halcyon Software is a global leader in multi-platform systems management software solutions that reduce the complexity and cost of monitoring critical business systems, core applications and processes.  They support IBM enterprise-class systems, including IBM® i and AIX®, as well as Windows® and Linux® platforms.  Halcyon solutions are used world-wide by large multi-nationals, corporate and public sector data centres as well as small to medium sized organisations to ensure that vital IT systems, business applications and services are available 24/7.  With regional offices in Peterborough UK, Philadelphia USA and Melbourne Australia, Halcyon also has an international network of partners and distributors supporting Europe, the Americas and Asia Pac.  For further information please visit http://www.halcyonsoftware.com