IBM Z Customer Council – Hartford, Connecticut
| Registration Type | Price | Select |
|---|---|---|
| Business Partner Registration | $0.00 USD | Goes On Sale June 19, 2026 |
| Customer Registration | $0.00 USD | Goes On Sale June 19, 2026 |
| IBMer Registration | $0.00 USD | Goes On Sale June 19, 2026 |
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July 23, 2026
11:00 AM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT
We are here for you!
Reconnect with IBM Z experts in Hartford – our first local event since 2019
We’re excited to return to Hartford for the first time since 2019, and we’re coming back with a full afternoon of informative discussions around the innovations across the IBM Z platform.
Join us for an in‑person event designed for technical leaders, architects, and practitioners who want to stay current on what’s new in z/OS, skills enablement initiatives, resiliency, and AI‑driven modernization. This session brings together IBM experts and partners to share practical guidance, real‑world use cases, and what’s next for the mainframe ecosystem.
Whether you’re focused on advocating for the platform, addressing the skills gap, strengthening cyber resiliency, or accelerating development with AI, this event offers actionable content and direct access to experts, all in a collaborative, local setting.
AGENDA
*Event takes place in the Eastern Standard Time Zone
| 11:00 AM | Arrival |
| 11:15 AM | Opening Remarks Daniel Mikhail (IBM) – Northeast IBM Z Council Co-Lead Isabella Reyes (IBM) – Northeast IBM Z Council Co-Lead |
| 11:30 AM |
IBM Z Global Skills Accelerator Programming Shelly Meierarend (IBM) – IBM Z Global Skills Leader, IBM Z Influencer EcosystemLearn more about our sponsored programming curated to help new-hires or current employees acquire the knowledge and skills to be Mainframe System Administrators and Application Developers. Combining over 300 hours of learning, on-the-job training, mentoring, and success coaching for participants and managers the Global Skills Accelerator has helped over 100 employers worldwide build a sustainable workforce for IBM Z. |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 12:15 PM |
The Latest and Greatest of z/OS: What’s new in z/OS 3.2? Steve Warren (IBM WSC) – STSM & Principal Z Solution ArchitectThe latest and greatest z/OS release is available! Learn the highlights of z/OS 3.2 new functions and what advantages they can provide to your enterprise. Selected z/OS 3.2 functions are also available as Continuous Delivery enhancements. Even if you won’t be moving to z/OS 3.2 in the near future, this session will be valuable to understand what new functions you might have available for you to use sooner. |
| 01:45 PM |
Break |
| 02:00 PM |
Resiliency Across the Stack Joshua Stiles (21CS) – Staff Implementation Specialist – IZPCA, z/OS Change Tracker, JCL ExpertThis session looks at three complementary capabilities that work to harden the platform: z/OS Change Tracker for control and accountability at the configuration layer, IBM Z Backup Resiliency (IZBR) for backup integrity and surgical recovery of data, and DFSMScdm for extending protected copies of backups into S3-compatible Cloud Object Storage. We’ll frame what modern resiliency demands of today’s mainframe environments and where the most common gaps sit in current defenses. Bring your toughest resiliency questions and we’ll dig into them together. |
| 03:00 PM | Infusing AI to Accelerate Mainframe Development Kirk Chadrick (IBM) – WW Leader – IBM Z DevX & Application ModernizationThis presentation will focus on how AI can accelerate mainframe development by helping teams understand legacy code, generate documentation and tests, and speed up refactoring and modernization while preserving the reliability of existing systems |
| 04:00 PM |
Closing Remarks & Departure |
Many thanks to 21CS, Pellera, and VirtualZ Computing for supporting this event.
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For more information, contact your IBM representative or Isabella Reyes at [email protected].
| * NOTICE TO EMPLOYEES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED ENTITIES At this IBM function, IBM is providing breakfast, lunch, and/or promotional items and considers this a normal business courtesy. U.S. Federal government regulations and some state or local government agencies do not permit their employees to accept food or refreshments from contractors doing business with them. IBM provides this notice to assist you in ensuring that your acceptance of the amenities is in compliance with your employer’s internal policies. If your receipt of the amenities during your attendance and participation in the event presents an issue, please advise IBM, and plan for alternate meal options. |