COMMON POWERUp 2025: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2025!

Join us in Disneyland, California, for POWERUp 2025, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

10:00am PDT

What's New and Exciting in RPG

Monday May 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am PDT

South Ballroom A

Every year in Spring and again in Fall, IBM adds new features to the RPG language. In this session, you'll hear about all of the features that have been added recently, including a quick example of each feature. Once you know the features exist, you can use them in your own applications. Knowing what's new and exciting in RPG will allow you to take advantage of all of the new features in the language.

Speakers

Scott Klement

Managing Partner, ORC LLC

Monday May 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: RPG

11:15am PDT

DevSecOps for IBM i

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

South Ballroom A

Security is a universal concern nowadays. How can we automatically verify that any new programming changes to native IBM i code meet your security requirements and follow best practices. We will talk about automating code scanning for less secure functions based on your requirements. We will also talk about checking object attributes during the deployment cycle to control adopting authority. The goal is to automate these checks so that they are consistent and there are no surprises after a promotion. We can use open source tools and in house business function or use commercial packages, but the key is automation so the checks happen every time.

Speakers

Michel Mouchon

Business Line Manager DevOps, ARCAD Software

Business Line Manager DevOps at ARCAD Software since 2000, Michel Mouchon plays a key role in the company’s technical strategy and coordination of R&D, engineering, and consulting teams. As a DevOps expert, he focuses on modernizing applications, methods, and tools. Holding dual... Read More →

Alan Ashley

Solution Architect, ARCAD Software

When it comes to describing someone, even yourself, it can be difficult. This time it's easy. I grew up on the AS400, through iSeries, and into the IBM i world. Started on a model B50 (I know it was a B model) where the disk drive needed two persons to replace and now in the DevSecOps... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

DevOps

3:15pm PDT

RPG Code Assistant Update

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT

South Ballroom A

In 2024 at POWERUp, Steve Will, CTO & Chief Architect of IBM i, launched a project to create a tool that would use an AI Large Language Model, trained to understand RPG, to make life much easier for programmers who work with RPG, and to allow businesses to more confidently hire programmers and know there was a tool that could help any programmer work with existing RPG code. That project, the RPG Code Assistant project, has had a year to mature. In this session, Steve will give you the latest update. Joining him will be Edmund Reinhardt, the lead developer on the project, who will give insight into what it takes to create and train the tool.

Speakers

Steve Will

IBM i CTO & Chief Architect, IBM

Steve is the CTO and Chief Architect for the IBM i Operating System. Spending the past fourteen years of his IBM career in this position, he has become an award-winning speaker, author of the influential blog "You and i," (https://bit.ly/You-and-i-blog) and is one of the most sought-after voices at customer briefings and events. Steve has worked on IBM i and its predecessors since before the creation of the AS/400, and is currently responsible for setting the strategy of the IBM i operating system, as well as deciding which enhancements will be implemented. In his role, he talks to clients and pa... Read More →

Edmund Reinhardt

IBM i Application Development Tools Lead, IBM

Edmund Reinhardt has been working on application development tools for IBM i for over 25 years. Starting with the green screen tools in 1989 through each technology iteration from OS/2 to Java. As the architect for Rational Developer for i, he is passionate about engaging and delighting... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

4:30pm PDT

How to use Performance Data Investigator (PDI) - CPU and Disk Times

Monday May 19, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT

South Ballroom A

In this session we'll see the options that has the PDI (one tool from Navigator for i) to review and investigate performance data for CPU and Disk related metrics.

Speakers

Juan Araya

IBM Champion | Practice Leader for IBM Systems, GBM

Professional in Computer and Systems Engineering. IBM Champion to IBM Systems. Speaker in Common Latam events, and speaker for the Central America & Caribbean IBM i's Forums from GBM.Expert in Solutions with IBM Power, IBM Z, RedHat and IBM Storage. Certified Consultant in High Availability... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

5:05pm PDT

N2i Mentorship Program

Monday May 19, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT

South Ballroom A

N2i (New to IBM i) is on a mission to help new IBM i professionals navigate their way through learning and optimizing the platform. By providing advocacy, community, and education during their formative years, N2i hopes to support the IBM i community, build skills and confidence, and fuel fresh careers.

This is a short session meant to socialize N2i, and especially the mentorship program. Come learn about N2i and our mission to bring community members together to POWERUp their skills and NAViGATE the industry!

Speakers

Steve Riedmueller

Certified IBM i Admin - IBM Champion, Speaker, Mentor, and Advocate, Kisco

Monday May 19, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Personal Development

8:00am PDT

Developing IBM i Talent: A Practical Approach to Power Up Skills Development

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

South Ballroom A

60% of IT leaders have concern over IBM i skills. As IBM i professionals retire and IT talent shortages grow, organizations must find ways to help new talents grow their skills as they take on application modernization.

We will share a framework and resources for developing next-generation IBM i talent. Our expert panel will share a multi-faceted onboarding approach, exploring the impact of college programs with IBM, hands-on instructor-led courses, flexible self-study resources, business-focused workshops, and immersive new hire programs. Learn how to create a dynamic learning journey that empowers new hires to master core IBM i skills, understand business context, and contribute to project success from day one.

Speakers

Carmelita Ruvalcaba Cevallos

IBM i Product Manager, IBM

Marina Schwenk

Innovative Software Solutions inc.

Marina started her career in January 2015 at Everbrite LLC in Greenfield WI after graduating from Gateway Technical College in May of 2014 with an Associate’s degree in IT Software Development. Marina worked for over nine years as a Senior Programmer Analyst/IBM i admin at Everbrite... Read More →

Linda Alkire

Program Manager, IBM Power Skills Academy, IBM

Skills gap, academic initiatives, community engagement, and all things IBM Power content and learning related.

Jim Buck

CEO & Head Instructor, imPower Technologies

Jim Buck’s career in IT has spanned more than 35+ years, primarily in college education, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. Past president (13 years) of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (www.wmcpa.org) and has served on several teams developing IBM... Read More →

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Steven Wolk is the Chief Technology Officer for PC Richard & Son, a family owned and operated chain of 66 appliance and electronics superstores located throughout NY, NJ, CT, and PA. Founded in 1909, PC Richard has always been known for honesty, integrity, and reliability throughout... Read More →

Shelly Petty

Application Support, Profound Logic

I am a Full Stack Developer at Profound Logic. We run our production applications on the IBMi Power Server. Primary languages are CL, RPG, DB2 SQL and Java, and the UI: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupple, React, and Sencha.My position is a fast paced job and it includes Help Desk phone... Read More →

Yan Zhuo

IBM i Product Management Leader, IBM

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Personal Development

9:15am PDT

Best Practices for Using the Strangler Pattern to Break Up the Monolith

Tuesday May 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

South Ballroom A

Most companies are on a modernization journey which involves activities around refactoring code of existing applications. You are expected to release more high-quality code, in less time, for your business to stay competitive. The Strangler Pattern is a design pattern used to gradually refactor aprogram without requiring a complete overhaul all at once. However, to do this you need to guarantee that the deployment of each iteration will not affect or disrupt day to day business. A solid testing strategy will help guarantee this.

Learning Objectives:
• What the strangler pattern is and how to apply it
• Understand why establishing a testing baseline is non-negotiable
• How introduction of shift-left testing increases quality
• How to implement and automate successful testing strategies

Speakers

Jeroen Van Dun

IBM Champion & Product Manager, Rocket Software

Herman Rensink

Distinguished Engineer, Rocket Software

Tuesday May 20, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Program Testing

10:45am PDT

IBM i Licensing 101

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

South Ballroom A

Can I transfer this license? Is this license part of IBM i Group SWMA? How are non-expiring and subscription licenses different? We receive a variety of licensing questions on a regular basis. We'll share some basic terms and definitions, along with common questions for IBM i portfolio licensing.

Speakers

Daniel Sundt

IBM i Product Manager, IBM

Dan Sundt is an IBM i product manager. He has the responsibility for the IBM i business, including defining and guiding future directions and strategies. He works with the IBM i sales, marketing, and development teams as well as customers and partners to ensure that the IBM i operating... Read More →

Yan Zhuo

IBM i Product Management Leader, IBM

Linda Hirsch

IBM

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Strategy

4:30pm PDT

N2i: One Year Roadmap for Getting Up to Speed in a 37 year old Industry

Tuesday May 20, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT

South Ballroom A

While some IBM i developers may have been around for a while, there are plenty of ancillary business members who are working hard to get up to speed on the relatively complex industry like IBM i. From IBM i adjacent developers to IBM i services salespeople, joining this community can be intimidating. Here’s how I took my first 12 months on the job and integrated myself into this amazing community – and how you can too! This will be a talk and discussion so we can all learn from each other and create a sense of community around struggles and how to overcome them.

Speakers

Nate Schnieders

Tuesday May 20, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Personal Development

5:05pm PDT

Manager's Survival Guide: Justify The Spend

Tuesday May 20, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT

South Ballroom A

This session will feature a targeted approach to proving the value of the benefits your team bring to your business.

Speakers

Jasmine Kaczmarek

Vice President of Technology, M.R. Williams

With over ten years of experience on the IBM Power System, Jasmine's passions include modernization, API development, integration of gamification techniques into business applications and mentoring new developers. Jasmine is an avid promoter of adopting open-source languages into... Read More →

Tuesday May 20, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Leadership & Management

8:00am PDT

Web Services: A RESTful introduction

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

South Ballroom A

We'll introduce the basics of web services, with a focus on HTTP, JSON, and RESTful principles. This session focuses on the basic principles and architecture of web services, and will also have some examples of how to consume and provide web services from IBM i.

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Software Developer / Architect, Seiden Group

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

9:15am PDT

Security as a developer, why should I care?

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

South Ballroom A

Security is the hottest topic in today's society and yet many developers don't have it in the forefront of their minds. We will look at todays trend, risks and why you as a developer should develop with security in mind.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Innovative Software Solutions inc.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

IBM i Integrated MFA Solution Deep Dive on TOTP

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

South Ballroom A

The integrated IBM i MFA solution's primary new feature is Time-based One Time Password (TOTP) authentication implemented as a user profile attribute. We will discuss details on the implementation and expand on configuration and use.

Learning Objectives:
Learn how details on how to configure the system and users to leverage TOTP support. Learn how users can set up TOTP for their profile. See examples using Navigator as well as CL Commands to perform the administration and use of TOTP authentication.

Speakers

Tim Mullenbach

IBM i Security Business Architect, IBM

Tim Mullenbach is a Senior Software Engineer at IBM Rochester. He spent his first 20+ IBM years with the IBM i Sockets and System TLS development team prior to transitioning to the IBM i Security Business Architect role in 2018.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

3:45pm PDT

IBM i and the Cloud

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

South Ballroom A

Cloud is it for you ? Can IBM i play in the cloud ? In this session Kris Whitney IBM i Chief Engineer will talk about Cloud and IBM i. Whether its running your entire business in the cloud or leveraging a hybrid solution. IBM i has your answers for Cloud and on-Prem.

Speakers

Kris Whitney

IBM

Kris Whitney is a Senior Technical Staff Member at IBM Rochester. He has worked at IBM for the last 22+ years and currently is leading the development for Db2 Mirror for i and IBM i Public Cloud enablement.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

5:00pm PDT

Db2 for i inside of VS Code

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

South Ballroom A

VS Code is really built with developers in mind. IBM has been building a neat Visual Studio Code extensions that makes accessing and working with the database much simpler for developers. Not only can VS Code be used for writing in many different languages, but now it has great tools for working with Db2 for i. You might see exporting data, working with examples, browsing your schemas, or even managing multiple database configurations. There's a lot to see!

Speakers

Liam Allan

Software Advocate, IBM

I am a developer and open-source advocate. Ask me about Node.js, VS Code, app deployment and CICD :)

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programmer Tools

8:00am PDT

Continuous Availability for All

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

South Ballroom A

Is the prospect of downtime causing your business to suffer? What if you could update the PTF, or even the operating system of your production system without taking an outage? The good news, its possible. More and more of our IBM i family are taking advantage of Db2 Mirror. This is the IBM i continuous availability solution, giving you a 2 node cluster giving you an active active platform to protect from planned or un-planned outages. Come learn how this solution works, and how it is for ALL of our IBM i family.

Speakers

Kris Whitney

IBM

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

High Availability Resilience

9:15am PDT

21st Century Leap: Upgrading IBM i Skills and Systems Efficiently

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

South Ballroom A

Under the strain of demands from upper management, discover how various companies have successfully brought their software stacks into the modern era. This session will explore why adopting 21st-century technologies necessitates a structured training approach. We'll delve into the specific strategies these companies employed to update both their business operations and IT team capabilities, achieving significant reductions in both cost and time compared to a complete platform migration.

Speakers

Jim Buck

CEO & Head Instructor, imPower Technologies

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Leadership & Management

11:15am PDT

Level Up Your IBM i: Redundancy & Robustness in a Hybrid World

Thursday May 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

South Ballroom A

This session dives into the strategic advantages of a hybrid IT approach for IBM i environments, specifically focusing on the seamless integration of PowerVS and on-premises solutions. We will explore how to design a customized hybrid architecture tailored to your organization's unique needs, emphasizing redundancy and resilience.

Key topics will include:

Multi-region disaster recovery and high availability (DR/HA) strategies using PowerVS, ensuring business continuity across diverse locations.
Robust data protection mechanisms such as Logical Replication, Virtual Tape Libraries (VTLs), and journaling with Before/After Imageing to safeguard against data loss and corruption.
Best practices for creating a redundant and resilient hybrid IT infrastructure that optimizes performance, availability, and cost-effectiveness.

Speakers

Dave Wiseman

Thursday May 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Strategy

1:30pm PDT

IBM i Authentication Exit Point Deep Dive

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT

South Ballroom A

The integrated IBM i MFA solution includes a new single authentication exit point hook. The exit point allows administrators and security software vendors the opportunity to implement tailored solutions that go beyond the basic TOTP solution offered by the operating system. We will discuss when the exit program is called and the information it provides.

Learning Objectives:
Learn information required to write an exit program that leverages the exit program. Learn how to configure the system and users to leverage the authentication exit point support.

Speakers

Tim Mullenbach

IBM i Security Business Architect, IBM

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

3:30pm PDT

AI Adoption for Business

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT

South Ballroom A

AI is more than just a buzzword—it is a powerful tool that can transform businesses when applied strategically. But what does it really mean to "do AI? This session will break down the reality behind AI adoption, exploring how companies are successfully leveraging AI, common misconceptions and unrealistic expectations that often hinder progress. Finally, we will provide a practical roadmap for getting started, from clarifying your AI goals to determining whether AI is the right solution for your business.

Speakers

Charlie Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Charles Guarino believes in the “power” of IBM Power Systems. His career reflects his dedication and interest in bringing the platform and its solutions to others and as a result has been recognized as an IBM Champion.He is a member of COMMON’s Speaker Excellence Hall of Fame... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

4:45pm PDT

Things i-Love about IBM i 7.6

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT

South Ballroom A

Steve shares his experience of using IBM 7.6, highlighting many of the cool new features and functions big and small that make this new release so great.

As an IBM i 7.6 Beta Tester and author of the IBM i 7.6 Redbook, Steve has been using IBM i 7.6 since January and with his team at RowtonIT.com has already performed over a hundred 7.6 Installs and upgrades.

I will explain how they might be useful to you and give real life examples of their value.
Some of these functions are big, some small but all are beneficial and you can use every single one free of charge!

Fear not if you are still running 7.5, Steve has a few i-Love gems to share with you too.

Speakers

Steve Bradshaw

Friendly Techie, Rowton IT Solutions Ltd

My latest work as the Friendly Techie, includes assisting IBM i with the design and testing with IBM i 7.6 as both Beta Tester and Redbook Author, and as assistant in the design and testing of the new IBM i Migrate While Active tool and the AI based RPG Code Assistant.I have worked... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management