imPower Technologies

09/15/2026

Missed a session at POWERUp 26? There’s still time to catch up.

POWERUp 26 may be behind us, but the learning doesn’t have to be.

COMMON has released Part 1 of the POWERUp 26 session recordings, giving you a chance to catch sessions you missed, revisit a topic you found useful, or explore something new.

Whether you attended in person or couldn’t make it this year, the recordings are a great way to keep the learning going.

Part 1 is now available to watch: https://learn.common.org/products/powerup-2026-recordings-part-1

POWERUp 26 may be behind us, but there’s still plenty to gain from the session recordings. Whether you missed a session, want a refresher, or simply want to relive the experience, part one of the POWERUp sessions is now available to watch.

09/10/2026

What does the IBM i marketplace look like from your perspective?

Fortra and COMMON are conducting a marketplace survey to gather insights from IBM i shops and professionals about their experiences, challenges, priorities, and plans.

Take a few minutes to share what’s happening in your IBM i shop. Your input will help build a clearer picture of where the IBM i community stands today, and where it’s headed.

Complete the survey now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/COMMON-Fortra-AI-Survey-LinkedIn

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

09/08/2026

Still trying to figure out what Power11 means for your IBM i environment?
Relion’s Power11 Live Q&A is now available on demand, featuring IBM Champion Richie Palma and IBM Lifetime Power Systems Champion Pete Massiello.
The conversation covers the questions IBM i shops are asking right now:
What’s new with Power11 and the Power11 S1112?
What are the real-world performance improvements?
How should you think about memory and sizing?
What about IBM i compatibility?
What should you consider when planning a migration?
Pete also shares insights from months of testing the Power11 S1112 during IBM’s beta program.
If you’re running Power8, Power9, or Power10, or simply evaluating your next move, this is a practical conversation worth watching.
Watch the on-demand Q&A and get firsthand insights before making your next Power decision: https://relionsolutions.com/power11-live-qa/

Now On-Demand: On Thursday, August 27, join IBM Champion Richie Palma and our special guest, IBM Lifetime Power Systems Champion Pete Massiello, for a live Q&A on IBM Power11 and the new Power11 S1112.

09/03/2026

inPower Conference 2026 is in less than 2 weeks!
From Sept. 14–17 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, join other IBM i professionals for four days of technical education, networking, and practical insights. Learn from seasoned developers in sessions covering AI, IBM i system administration, modernization strategies, and more to help you stay ahead of what's next for the platform.
Expand your knowledge and connect with the IBM i community: https://ibmi.workoutloud.com/event/inpower-2026

09/03/2026

Let’s build a web app, and then make it useful.
Join WMCPA and Patrick Behr on Thursday, September 10, for a hands-on evening covering the building blocks of a web application and how to connect it to your IBM i.
4:30 PM — Let’s Build a Web App
7:30 PM — Now Let’s Make It Useful
📅 Thursday, September 10, 2026
🕓 Doors open at 4:00 PM
📍 Clifford's Supper Club, Hales Corners, WI
Come ready to see how modern web development and IBM i can work together. Patrick will take you from a basic web app to connecting it to real IBM i services.
Register: https://wmcpa.org/events/wmcpa-dinner-meeting-patrick-behr/

08/27/2026

Have you registered for the inPower Conference 2026 yet?
From Sept. 14–17 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, join other IBM i professionals for four days of technical education, networking, and practical insights. Learn from seasoned developers in sessions covering AI, IBM i system administration, modernization strategies, and more to help you stay ahead of what's next for the platform.
Expand your knowledge and connect with the IBM i community: https://ibmi.workoutloud.com/event/inpower-2026

08/25/2026

AI is changing the conversation around technical debt.

For years, organizations have carried the weight of undocumented systems, inconsistent data definitions, outdated integrations, and business logic hidden inside applications. Those challenges often stayed behind the scenes because existing systems continued to run.

AI is bringing them into focus.

As Craig Mullins explains, AI doesn’t fix poor data quality. It relies on it. When AI systems pull from decades of accumulated data, they inherit the inconsistencies, gaps, and decisions that were never fully documented.

For IBM i organizations, this is a critical reminder that modernization is about more than adopting new tools. Trusted data, clear processes, strong governance, and an understanding of existing applications are foundational to preparing for AI.

The systems that have powered businesses for decades contain valuable knowledge. The challenge is making that knowledge accessible, connected, and ready for the future.

We’re curious, do you think AI will help organizations uncover technical debt that has been hidden for years, and identify where to start addressing it?

Read the full article: https://techchannel.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-amplifies-technical-debt/

Data expert Craig Mullins explains why decades of shortcuts become tomorrow's AI failures as organizations reckon with poor data quality.

08/20/2026

Many IBM i applications still rely on OPM RPG, but more organizations are making the move to ILE RPG, and for good reason.

In this clip from a recent TUG meeting, Jim Buck explains some of the key differences between OPM and ILE RPG, including how ILE's procedural design improves maintainability, provides better exception handling, delivers stronger performance, and makes it easier to build modern integrations through APIs.

Whether you're maintaining existing applications or planning your modernization strategy, understanding ILE RPG is an important step toward preparing your IBM i environment for the future.

Watch the video below and learn more about our RPG ILE course: https://impowertechnologies.com/rpg-class/

08/18/2026

We recently came across an interesting perspective in Talsco Weekly newsletter: "RPG alone no longer carries a career."

The message wasn't that RPG is becoming less important. It was that the most successful IBM i professionals continue building on their RPG foundation by learning modern technologies like APIs, SQL, open source tools, AI, and today's development environments.

It's a pattern our industry has seen time and again. Developers who embraced free-format RPG, ILE, RDi, and other modern practices expanded their opportunities while continuing to deliver value on IBM i. AI and modern integration are simply the next chapter.

Continuous learning has always been one of the strengths of the IBM i community, and it will continue to shape the next generation of developers.

What skill do you think IBM i professionals should be learning next?

Read the Talsco’s newsletter: https://www.talscoinc.com/talsco-weekly-rpg-alone-no-longer-carries-a-career/

Why RPG alone is no longer all you need for a career in IBM i. Read Talsco Weekly for the latest in trends, career advice and more.

08/13/2026

AI is becoming a big part of the IBM i conversation, but knowing where to start can be the biggest challenge.

In this clip from a recent TUG meeting, Jim Buck shares an overview of Bob for IBM i and why it's becoming a valuable resource for IBM i developers. From understanding existing RPG code to helping developers work more efficiently, tools like Bob are changing how teams approach development and modernization.