mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

What to Look For in a Db2 Web Query Replacement

Sal Stangarone — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:35:15 +0000

Support for Db2 Web Query was pulled a few years ago, and many companies migrated away immediately. But, at COMMON PowerUP26 this spring, we were surprised by a couple of things: First, we were surprised at the amount of people who said they were still running Web Query. They’re running without support until they’re forced …

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The Low-Code Vendor Lock-In Test: Five Questions Before You Sign

Sal Stangarone — Wed, 27 May 2026 17:24:53 +0000

Definition Low-code vendor lock-in The practical inability to leave a platform after building applications on it. Caused by proprietary runtimes, vendor-owned database schemas, non-portable code exports, and usage-based pricing (not by contractual restrictions). One of the most common myths I’ve heard about low-code vendor lock-in is that it’s unavoidable. Pick any platform, the thinking goes, …

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Coming in May: Build AI Agents in Your Environment, Governed by Your Own IT Team

Sal Stangarone — Tue, 05 May 2026 15:42:28 +0000

In speaking with IT leaders recently, I keep hearing the same thing. Employees are using AI, with or without IT’s blessing. The problem: They’re using it in risky ways. For example: Here’s the part that should worry you. Studies keep finding the same thing, including IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach report: Employees routinely ignore …

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What’s Driving Cloud Repatriation in 2026?

Sal Stangarone — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:10:10 +0000

Something interesting is happening in IT departments right now. The same leaders who spent years migrating workloads to the cloud are quietly moving some of them back. Not all of them. And, I’m not tyring to say that businesses are now rejecting the cloud or anything like that. However, there’s a growing push for “Cloud …

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What software should NOT be SaaS?

Sal Stangarone — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:22:45 +0000

What types of business software should NOT be used on a SaaS model? That’s something I’ve been thinking about lately as I read more and more cases of rising SaaS costs. The fact is, most businesses are paying more for their SaaS tools than they were last year. Same tools and users, just a bigger …

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How to Build Custom Apps Over Your ERP (Without Changing It)

Sal Stangarone — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:21:59 +0000

Let me ask you a question: Does your ERP system actually fit your business? Does it match the way your people work and/or how your business operates day to day? Probably not…and you’re not alone. I talk to IT leaders all the time who tell me the same thing. Their ERP handles the core stuff …

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A PowerApps Alternative That Lets You Own the Platform (No Per-User Fees)

Sal Stangarone — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:09:24 +0000

If you’re evaluating PowerApps for the first time in 2026, the pricing just changed. I know…SaaS pricing changes all the time. So what? The business world has gotten used to it. But here’s the thing. When you’re dealing with a low-code platform that creates and runs your business applications, it’s different. Your business often relies …

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Shadow AI Is the New Shadow IT (and Better Policies Won’t Stop It)

Sal Stangarone — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:23:01 +0000

Something is happening in your organization right now that you probably don’t have full visibility into. It’s happening in organizations across the globe. Business analysts are building reporting dashboards with AI tools, connected to live company data, with no IT involvement. Finance staff are pasting budget projections into consumer AI platforms to run analysis faster …

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How to Build AI Workflows Over Your Data

Sal Stangarone — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:15:37 +0000

Some things don’t really “click” until you see them in action. You hear people talking about some new technology, trend, or tool. But you don’t really “get it” until you see it. That’s how data-driven AI workflows were for me. I’d heard the AI hype. Then I saw an AI assistant working over live business …

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m-Power’s AI Update: Bring AI to Your Data, Applications, and Workflows

Sal Stangarone — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:18:50 +0000

Over the last year or so, we’ve focused on one big goal: Bring AI to your business data, applications, and workflows…on your terms. We’ve just released a new m-Power update that makes this goal a reality. m-Power now lets you build: All of this runs over the systems you already use, with IT in control …

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