If you still live in SEU, PDM, WDSC, RDi, or what-have-you, and you’re ready to take the leap into Visual Studio Code, then this post is for you. Combined with the IBM i Development Pack extensions, you can use VS Code to quickly and intuitively edit, compile and browse IBM i source members and IFS files, along with many other nifty developer functions. Add in the Valence extension from CNX and you can also peruse Nitro App Builder (NAB) apps, leverage the Valence Assistant for coding, convert...Learn More

CNX offers the ideal solution to IBM i skills gap as Valence now writes code from conversational prompts MINNEAPOLIS, April 27, 2026 — Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions, is rolling out the newest version of the flagship enterprise application development software from CNX. Known as the low-code development platform built for IBM i, Valence is trusted by organizations worldwide to tackle their most critical business and technical challenges, with innovative features released continuously over its...Learn More

While many Nitro App Builder users are well-acquainted with the common formatting options for dates, currency, and numbers, the Miscellaneous category tucked inside the format configuration window often flies under the radar. Yet these readily available formatters for certain types of values can instantly make your grids and forms far more intuitive and visually polished — all without writing a single line of code. This month’s tip highlights all the easy-to-use options in the Miscellaneous section that many developers may...Learn More

Minneapolis – MARCH 17, 2026 – Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions for IBM Z and IBM iSeries, today announced that it has inked partnership agreements with Capricorn Information Systems and Bluehouse. Bluehouse, one of the largest distributors of enterprise software and operator of a global network of approved resellers, will distribute Izzi Software’s full product portfolio to government and commercial customers alike. Izzi’s products will be added to Bluehouse’s GSA schedule, enabling US federal agencies...Learn More

In today’s world of massive IBM i tables — think millions of rows in customer, order, inventory, or transaction files — it’s easy to unleash an ocean of data on your users (and your system) with just one unfiltered grid load. Developer feedback from the front lines of this phenomenon drove us to add a Required Filter feature to Nitro App Builder in early 2025, helping turn overwhelming seas of data into more focused, performant results. And as of the latest build...Learn More

New partnerships will sell enterprise software offerings for IBM Z and IBM i  NEW YORK– January 12, 2026 –  Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions, today announced that it has inked two global reseller deals with VIRTUTEM and IT Service Alliance (ITSA). VIRTUTEM will sell the IBM i product through Izzi subsidiary CNX, while ITSA will sell the ColeSoft IBM Z offering. These leading software platforms will be bundled with VIRTUTEM’s and ITSA’s existing services to...Learn More

Richard Milone from CNX has heard this story at least twice in the last five years. A customer calls with that particular mix of relief and disbelief in their voice. “We had a ransomware attack. Everything’s encrypted – the Windows servers, the file shares, even some of the backups. But the IBM i is still running. It’s the only thing that wasn’t affected.” In an industry obsessed with modernization and cloud migration, there’s an uncomfortable truth nobody wants to discuss:...Learn More

Back in 2006, Richard Milone at CNX started what should have been a simple project. Their Atomic software was running manufacturing shop floors across the country, but it still had that old-school terminal interface. Time to modernize. He acquired and installed four or five different modernization tools from the leading vendors. They all promised the same thing: bring your green screens to the web with no coding required. “The bottom line of all that analysis was we hated all of...Learn More

In 2025, IBM Power Systems continues to solidify its position as a leading player in the enterprise server market. This growth can be attributed to several key factors, including technological advancements, strategic partnerships, and an increasing user base. Here at CNX, this is a trend that we’ve noticed and been pleasantly surprised by over the last few years, and it’s an encouraging sign for the industry. What is especially encouraging is seeing so many younger programmers and engineers at conferences...Learn More

Since its introduction in the January 2025 Valence 6.3 build, the Nitro App Builder Developer Console has become an indispensable tool for supporting advanced NAB development. Whether it’s used for monitoring real-time changes to App Variables, inspecting posts and their JSON responses, reviewing SQL statements or any myriad of other use cases, the Dev Console provides superb visibility to everything going on beneath the covers of the app. Developers simply click the Dev Console icon in the Valence Portal toolbar and the tool launches, ready to...Learn More

Beginning with this month’s newsletter we will occasionally highlight one of our global partners who sell and service Valence in their respective regions. Today we’d like to give a shout-out to our Ravensburg, Germany-based partner PKS Software.   “For ten years now we have been helping IBM i customers in Germany, Austria and other neighboring countries install and use Valence to quickly create web applications,” says Managing Director Heidi Schmidt. “We find many of these clients are quite surprised at how quickly they...Learn More

One of the more fundamental elements in the Valence Portal is the Valence user profile record. Each user can be authorized to different environments and groups, and will accordingly have access to different library lists and apps in the portal. By default, any valid IBM i user can log into the Valence Portal and have a Valence user profile record created automatically if they don’t already have one. The auto-generated Valence user will assume environment and group membership based on a profile...Learn More

Developing applications collaboratively can sometimes feel like juggling—keeping track of who is working on what, ensuring no one steps on each other’s toes, and maintaining a smooth workflow. We’re excited to announce a new feature in Nitro App Builder (NAB) that aims to make this juggling act a whole lot easier: the Check-Out/In system. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how this new feature works and how it can enhance your development experience on the IBM i platform....Learn More