chrispoole.com

Code Pattern: Disaster Donations Website

2019-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

I wrote a quick code pattern for IBM Developer. To start, I’ll show you how to create an IBM Cloud Hyper Protect DBaaS MongoDB instance, a managed MongoDB instance with encrypted connections and storage. You’ll then build and deploy a Python backend application that converts RESTful JSON requests into Mongo calls, to make it easier to interface with the database. Finally, you’ll build and deploy a Node.js application using the Express framework to serve a static website that employs jQuery to make requests to the Python backend app; this, in turn, can be served over HTTPS. The result is a donations website that can accept credit card details and send some of this sensitive information to a database, ensuring that it is encrypted at all times. By running the applications on an IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Virtual Server, you can ensure that the storage used by the applications is also encrypted.

Use IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Crypto Services to Encrypt VMware Disks

2019-08-02T00:00:00+01:00

If you have a VMware estate in IBM Cloud you can, of course, encrypt the disks the VMs are coupled to. Then it becomes a question of where those keys are stored, how safe they are, and how you get some key store to talk to VMware. Since IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Crypto Services offers the only public cloud FIPS 140-2 level 4 compliant HSM, thus being highly tamper resistant, it’s an ideal place for these keys.

In this tutorial I walk you through how to set these two systems up. We also released an accompanying video series to walk you through visually.

Create a Secure Server-Side Application Where All Data Is Encrypted in Flight, at Rest, and in Use

2018-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

I helped create this server-side application, written in Swift. It acts as the backend for the mobile application and interfaces to an instance of IBM Cloud Hyper Protect DBaaS service on the backend.

Create a Secure Mobile Application Where All Data Is Encrypted in Flight, at Rest, and in Use

2018-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

I helped with the creation of this code pattern: an iOS app that integrates with a secure mobile backend as a service (MBaaS). On the backend it integrates with IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services to simplify compliance issues around storing sensitive information by ensuring all data at rest and being transported is encrypted.

Ensuring Your Customers’ Data Privacy With Applications Secured on IBM Z

2018-10-25T00:00:00+01:00

I was invited to present a tech talk on IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services. I talked about attack vectors being used to obtain sensitive information, and what you can do to mitigate against them. I showed how the family of IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services can be used to secure an existing application with minimal code changes, to provide mandatory encryption at rest and during transport.

Podcast on CICS: Terminal Talk

2018-09-17T00:00:00+01:00

While at SHARE St. Louis I was interviewed with Mark Cocker for the Terminal Talk podcast, talking about CICS. Check out their other episodes too.

Integrating Systems of Record Applications With IBM Blockchain

2018-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

I was invited to present on a demo I helped create, linking Blockchain to an existing system of record application. The idea is that the CICS application is for a motor vehicle insurance company, and is updated through a 3270 panel. This allows mistakes, or nefarious updates, to the records by anyone with access. Since another team in the organisation is using Blockchain for vehicle data provenance and sharing with third parties, we show how to couple this to the CICS application with minimal code changes. z/OS Connect EE is used along the way.

IBM CICS Asynchronous API: Concurrent Processing Made Simple

2017-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

CICS asynchronous API, which is a simple, accessible API that is designed to enable CICS application developers to create efficient asynchronous programs in all CICS-supported languages. Using the API, application developers can eliminate the overhead that is involved in coding and managing homegrown asynchronous solutions, instead using a set of CICS-supported API commands to underpin CICS applications, which are more responsive and robust than ever.

I co-authored the Redbook on the subject; give it a read! There’s also a GitHub repo with the source code.

Scripting with z/OS Provisioning Toolkit: Removing Old Containers

2017-07-21T00:00:00+01:00

In this article I explain how I wrote a script to be able to remove all containers in the system older than x days. This can then be scheduled to run every night, to ensure developers don’t leave their CICS regions (or any other container contents) sat around unnecessarily. Treat your z/OS PT-created CICS regions like livestock, not pets, remember. All source code for this example is on CICSDev on GitHub.

IBM CICS Asynchronous API Allows for More Natural Program Creation

2017-05-01T00:00:00+01:00

I wrote a magazine article on the new CICS Asynchronous API that I helped design and develop. Give it a read.