At TechXchange 2026, Db2 Depth Meets a Broader Technology Perspective
Craig Mullins reflects on a gathering that attracted technologists of all stripes by putting four conferences under one roof
Last week, I had the privilege of going to Atlanta for a gathering that combined two complementary technical communities: the IDUG North America Db2 Tech Conference and IBM TechXchange. This year’s co-located events took place Oct. 26-29, and they delivered an opportunity for attendees to dig into the details of Db2 while exploring the broader technology landscape in which our databases operate. For those of us who spend our careers managing, tuning and evolving database systems, that combination provided a particularly interesting week.
For those who don’t know, IDUG (International Db2 Users Group) is an independent, user-driven community dedicated to helping people get more out of Db2. Its Db2 Tech Conference brings together DBAs, developers, architects, IBM experts, consultants and solution providers for technical education and the exchange of practical experience. The focus is on the issues that matter to people working with Db2: understanding the technology, improving its use and learning from others who face similar challenges. That combination of technical depth and community is what makes IDUG more than simply a collection of presentations.
Database Depth, Architectural Breadth
IBM TechXchange offers a wider lens. IBM’s hands-on technical conference spans AI, data management, hybrid cloud, infrastructure, security and governance, with opportunities to build skills through technical sessions, labs and workshops. Where IDUG provides a concentrated Db2 community, TechXchange brings together practitioners working across the larger enterprise technology environment.
For attendees, the value of this combined arrangement is access. An IDUG North America registration includes admission to both events, although attendees must complete the separate TechXchange registration process. That access is not reciprocal: a TechXchange pass alone does not include the full IDUG program, although selected IDUG Db2 sessions are available through the main TechXchange catalog. It is important to understand this when choosing how to register and for planning the week.
From my perspective, the greatest appeal of the combined conferences was the opportunity to connect database depth with architectural breadth. Although I spend a lot of time working with Db2, and I always want to keep abreast of what is happening with that technology and its users, these conferences actually work well in combination to deliver wider coverage for Db2 professionals. For example, I was able to learn a bit more about quantum computing, which is not a topic that would normally be available at an IDUG event.
Four Conferences in One
At any rate, the value of attending IBM TechXchange has definitely increased. The event expanded to include not only IDUG, but also COMMON NAViGATE and HashiConf.
COMMON is one of the oldest and most established independent IBM technology user groups, primarily serving the IBM i community. Its NAViGATE conference provides practical education, hands-on training and networking opportunities covering IBM i, IBM Power, application development, database management, security, system administration and emerging technologies.
The registration arrangements were different for COMMON and IDUG, though. A standard IBM TechXchange registration provided access to COMMON sessions, while attending the full IDUG North America conference required separate IDUG registration.
For Db2 professionals, the availability of NAViGATE sessions provides access to additional Db2 for i content that IDUG—which focuses heavily on Db2 for z/OS and Db2 LUW content—typically lacks.
It is important to clarify that IDUG and COMMON did not actually merge with IBM TechXchange as organizations. The COMMON NAViGATE conference and the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference were co-located with IBM TechXchange. Both organizations are retaining their identity as independent user groups. I spoke with IDUG leaders, and their current intent is to continue co-locating their North American conference with IBM TechXchange in the future.
HashiConf Integration
HashiConf is a different matter altogether, though. IBM acquired HashiCorp in February 2025 for approximately $6.4 billion, making its products an important part of IBM’s hybrid cloud and automation portfolio.
HashiConf was HashiCorp’s annual technical conference, bringing together developers, DevOps engineers, cloud architects, security specialists and infrastructure administrators. HashiConf focuses on practical education about infrastructure automation, cloud provisioning, security and operational management. But HashiConf is not an independent user group like COMMON and IDUG. It is a vendor-organized technical conference with an active practitioner community.
With IBM’s acquisition of HashiCorp, integrating HashiConf into TechXchange was a logical way to bring IBM’s existing technical audience together with HashiCorp’s cloud and infrastructure automation community. Attendees were provided with over 100 HashiCorp-related sessions and labs, organized primarily around hybrid cloud management and security and governance.
Why should mainframe and Db2 professionals care? Well, HashiCorp is relevant to IBM Z environments because large enterprises increasingly operate across mainframes, distributed systems, cloud platforms and containerized applications. For example, Terraform can automate provisioning of supporting cloud infrastructure, while Vault can help manage credentials used by applications connecting to Db2 for z/OS. These tools complement rather than replace the traditional mainframe management and automation ecosystem.
There is also a broader strategic connection: Modernization does not necessarily mean migration. HashiCorp technologies can help organizations manage hybrid environments while retaining critical transaction processing and systems of record on IBM Z.
The distinction between the conferences is worth emphasizing. COMMON and IDUG bring established independent user communities to TechXchange, whereas HashiConf brings a vendor-centered community focused on infrastructure automation and security.
The Bottom Line
The long-term benefit of co-locating conferences such as COMMON, IDUG and HashiConf with IBM TechXchange is the opportunity to build a larger, more interconnected IBM technology community while reducing the cost and complexity of delivering high-quality technical education.
But the real strategic benefit extends beyond conference logistics. It is about connecting previously separate technical communities, encouraging cross-platform knowledge sharing and strengthening the IBM ecosystem.
I see six important long-term benefits.
1. Breaking down technology silos
Historically, IBM technical communities have operated somewhat independently. Mainframe professionals attend SHARE, Db2 specialists attend IDUG, IBM i professionals attend COMMON, and cloud and automation practitioners attend events such as HashiConf.
Yet enterprise computing no longer operates in these isolated categories. Applications increasingly span IBM Z, IBM Power, Linux, cloud services, distributed databases and AI platforms. Bringing these communities together encourages professionals to understand how their technologies interact.
The long-term benefit is a more integrated understanding of enterprise computing, rather than expertise limited to individual platforms.
2. Developing the next generation of IBM professionals
One of the biggest challenges facing established IBM technology communities is attracting younger practitioners. Co-location exposes cloud developers, DevOps engineers, AI specialists and security professionals to technologies they might otherwise never encounter, including IBM Z, Db2 for z/OS and IBM i.
This creates opportunities for knowledge transfer between experienced practitioners and newcomers. It also helps counter the outdated perception that mainframe and midrange technologies are disconnected from modern computing.
3. Improving conference economics and sustainability
Technical conferences are expensive to organize. Facilities, audiovisual equipment, networking infrastructure, registration systems, marketing and event management all represent significant costs.
Furthermore, technical conferences in general have struggled post-COVID as they compete with web-based education and promotions.
Combining events offers potential economies of scale. Shared facilities, consolidated logistics, coordinated marketing and access to a larger sponsor base can make technical conferences more financially sustainable.
For independent user groups, this could mean redirecting resources toward their core missions: technical education, community development and advocacy.
4. Creating more opportunities for technical collaboration
A Db2 for z/OS specialist can learn how Terraform can provision supporting infrastructure. A cloud architect can discover how mainframe transaction processing supports applications built using microservices. An AI engineer can gain a better understanding of enterprise systems of record.
These interactions can lead to better architectures, improved integration strategies and more realistic modernization initiatives. The most valuable long-term outcome may be the development of practitioners who understand not only their own platforms but also the larger enterprise environment.
5. Strengthening IBM’s broader ecosystem
IBM benefits when its customers understand how its various technologies work together.
Co-locating conferences creates opportunities to demonstrate IBM’s hybrid cloud strategy, automation capabilities, AI offerings and infrastructure technologies in a unified setting. It also exposes attendees to additional IBM technologies, potentially encouraging broader adoption.
For IBM, this strengthens customer engagement and ecosystem loyalty. For attendees, it can provide a more complete picture of IBM’s technology portfolio.
6. Preserving specialized technical communities
This is potentially the most important benefit, but also the one that requires the greatest care.
Independent organizations such as COMMON and IDUG have developed deep technical communities over decades. Their value comes from practitioner-driven education, candid discussion and opportunities for users to influence vendor direction.
Co-location could help these organizations reach larger audiences and remain financially viable without abandoning their individual identities.
However, this benefit depends on maintaining meaningful independence. If co-location eventually results in specialized technical education being displaced by product marketing, the long-term value could diminish.
The long-term strategic opportunity
IBM’s 2026 conference structure supports the long-term direction of providing a single technical conference for practitioners using its technologies. Merging HashiConf and co-locating COMMON NAViGATE and IDUG’s North American Db2 conference provides a more robust and complete menu of learning opportunities for attendees of the event.
The organizations still have different registration and participation arrangements, demonstrating that co-location need not mean organizational consolidation. The obvious next step would be for IBM to convince SHARE to co-locate its annual event at TechXchange to provide a more comprehensive set of in-depth technical mainframe content.
While I have no inside information whether this will happen, it makes sense. In 2027 SHARE has reduced the number of annual conferences it hosts from two down to one (in Denver Aug. 8-12). Increasing conference costs and corporate travel restrictions obviously dictated the benefit of hosting a single annual conference.
Perhaps at some point, SHARE will recognize the benefit of co-locating its event at IBM TechXchange like its cohorts at IDUG and COMMON did. Co-location could advance SHARE’s mission by expanding technical education, attracting new generations of mainframe professionals, improving networking opportunities and strengthening the mainframe community.
However, any such arrangement should preserve SHARE’s ability to independently select educational content, maintain its volunteer-driven community and advocate for users even when their interests differ from IBM’s.
My bottom-line assessment of the co-located events at IBM TechXchange is that it is a win-win situation. The vendors win with access to more attendees. And attendees win with access to broader content.
The large tent, with all these related-but-different conferences under one roof, was a success that makes a lot of sense. And dedication to the principle in future years should see these events working together more seamlessly to deliver an improved experience for attendees.